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???Floaters in Left Eye???

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So I was called into the front office of my NROTC unit yesterday where I was informed my pilot physical had been denied. Apparently I have "floaters" in my left eye. When I went to Scott AFB for my physical back in the fall, the eye dr. dialated my eyes and said they were nothing to worry about. My question for you all is whether this is something I need to be worried about or are "floaters" something everyone has. One of the other Mids was saying the pressence of "floaters" is usually the first sign of a detached retina. This really got me worrying. I am going to set up an appointment with an opthamologist asap, but I wanted to know if you guys had any experience with these "floaters"....I keep quoting them b/c I hate them!!!!

thanks,

jai5w4
 

Brett327

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jai5w4 said:
So I was called into the front office of my NROTC unit yesterday where I was informed my pilot physical had been denied. Apparently I have "floaters" in my left eye. When I went to Scott AFB for my physical back in the fall, the eye dr. dialated my eyes and said they were nothing to worry about. My question for you all is whether this is something I need to be worried about or are "floaters" something everyone has. One of the other Mids was saying the pressence of "floaters" is usually the first sign of a detached retina. This really got me worrying. I am going to set up an appointment with an opthamologist asap, but I wanted to know if you guys had any experience with these "floaters"....I keep quoting them b/c I hate them!!!!

thanks,

jai5w4
Everyone has vitreous floaters to some extent. I'm no flt surgeon, but I've never heard of that being a DQ item on a physical. I'd have a Navy doc look at you to make a proper determination.

Brett
 
Brett327 said:
Everyone has vitreous floaters to some extent. I'm no flt surgeon, but I've never heard of that being a DQ item on a physical. I'd have a Navy doc look at you to make a proper determination.

Brett

Alright. I was told to have any Opthamologist, not an Optometrist, look at me. I will look into the Navy doc, but that may be hard to come by here in Mid-Missouri.

~j
 

a_m

Still learning how much I don't know.
None
I've been diagnosed with this too. It's called pigmentary dispersion (at least your description seems the same as what I was told) and just requires checkups every few months. I did not disqualify me from NFO. I'm not sure if it's more stringent for pilots.
 
alabama_matt said:
I've been diagnosed with this too. It's called pigmentary dispersion (at least your description seems the same as what I was told) and just requires checkups every few months. I did not disqualify me from NFO. I'm not sure if it's more stringent for pilots.


Matt,

Thanks for the reply. I guess that can be considered good news for me b/c my second choice is FO...but of course I would like my first choice. I will get an eye exam next week hopefully and get this straightened out then.

Thanks again.

~j
 
feddoc said:
Brett is right...everyone has floaters just like everyone has headaches. You should go see a doc....an opthamologist to make sure. Mine look like this: http://www.eyefic.com/images/cockpit_floaters2.jpg

Here is some gouge on floaters... http://www.eyefic.com/what_are.htm

Keep in mind this is not meant to take the place of what you really need...a proper examination by a qualified doctor...don't d%^k around with your eyesight.


Interesting stuff. Thanks! I don't plan on doing anything but getting this taken care of as quickly as possible by a Dr. or 2.

jai5w4
 

Brett327

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feddoc said:
Brett is right...everyone has floaters just like everyone has headaches. You should go see a doc....an opthamologist to make sure. Mine look like this: http://www.eyefic.com/images/cockpit_floaters2.jpg

Here is some gouge on floaters... http://www.eyefic.com/what_are.htm

Keep in mind this is not meant to take the place of what you really need...a proper examination by a qualified doctor...don't d%^k around with your eyesight.
That first link is awesome. That's exactly what they look like. When I was a kid, I didn't know WTF they were, but learned later in college. It's cool how they move around as your eyes track, just like in that link.

Brett
 

RockyMtnNFO

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DO NOT LET THE AIR FORCE GIVE YOU A PHYSICAL IF YOU CAN AT ALL HELP IT.

I know I am shouting, but seriously, they will down you before you can make fun of their scarves and pressed flight suits.
 

nmund11

Registered User
I have the same thing and was really concerned for a while so I finally went in to see the optometrist. They said it was nothing, and that almost everyone will have them at some point in time, especially as they start to become older. If you have flashes of light accompaning them, then it may be the sine of a detached retina, but that is not the case if it is floaters alone. Just my two cents on my experience with "floaters."
 
Went for the eye exam today. The dr. acted like I was wasting his time b/c of floaters. He said everyone has them, they aren't affecting your vision (dialated my pupils, shined some lights, looked around, read some letters and numbers), where do I send the letter? Guess that's a g2g from him. With no real direction from Pensacola as to what they were concerned about other than "request opthatmologist examination" I think this is good enough. We'll see.

jai5w4
 

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
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I thought I was going absolutely insane a few years back because I started getting these things "floating" around in my eyes. It used to drive my wife nuts because I would follow the "floaters" around with my eyes as if I was trying to focus on them. She'd say, "WTF are you doing?!" Sometimes when the sun is bright, I can see more of them than I would like. I thought I was the one that was jacked up until I read this thread. Thankfully, it sounds like its pretty normal. And here, I thought I was gonna be going blind soon.
 

Brett327

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Steve Wilkins said:
I thought I was going absolutely insane a few years back because I started getting these things "floating" around in my eyes. It used to drive my wife nuts because I would follow the "floaters" around with my eyes as if I was trying to focus on them. She'd say, "WTF are you doing?!" Sometimes when the sun is bright, I can see more of them than I would like. I thought I was the one that was jacked up until I read this thread. Thankfully, it sounds like its pretty normal. And here, I thought I was gonna be going blind soon.
Just to set all of your minds at ease, I remember looking at floaters while looking up at the sky when I was 4-5 years old and wondering what they were. It's normal, everyone has them, good times!

Brett
 

Steve Wilkins

Teaching pigs to dance, one pig at a time.
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4 to 5 years old.....now way, no how, not me. It was literally about 3 years ago that I first noticed them and I seriously thought I'd never get another 1st Class Medical. I'm fine now and have adjusted, but there are days that they just really piss me off. Yea, good times my ass. Chock it up to getting old I guess. At least I'm not as old as Brett or A4's. :icon_smil
 

ip568

Registered User
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I got my first floaters a few years ago -- one in each eye. Freaked me out at first. I've been nearsighted all my life but had otherwise perfect vision. I went to the eye doc. It MAY be a sign of a detached retina, but, as in my case, is simply a result of aging. I named the one in my left eye Fluffy and the one in my right eye Mittens (I like cats). I stopped noticing them after a few weeks and see them now only against a very bright background. They are not disqualifying for an FAA First Class medical, so I wonder why they would be for Navy flying.
 
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