TargetTalk

If I face a blank white wall, de-focus (i.e. pull focus closer than the wall) and scan my eyes from left to right and back again I get a visual effect that appears to be caused by rubbish in my vitreous humour (i.e. inside my eye - between the lens and the retina).

Normally I don't notice this but it is increasingly becoming a problem when I focus on my sights - these refractory squiggles drift down through my view of a perfect sight alignment and cause me to loose concentration and loose my sight picture.

Does anyone else have this problem and, actually much more importantly, have a solution?

You should see an optician to get a clear answer, it could be the start of a problem, diabetes for example.

If you're lucky its just 'floaters', I believe odd bits of the retina floating off.

Most people have them and they get worse with age. I have always had them but they are becoming more obvious as my short sight tends towards long sight. If they suddenly increase then you need to do something.

Generally speaking eyestrain tends to increase the risk of retinal damage, of which there are many sorts, but I think floaters are just an inevitable hazard of life.

There is no solution I am aware of, except the old wives tale of eating blueberries.

In any event, best to get it checked out. You would need to tell your optician in advance, I think it takes roughly 20 mins for pupil expanding eyedrops to take effect (necessary for a full exam) and an hour or two afterwards for your eyes to recover (you would not be able to drive for example).

Good luck.

Simple answer is yes I too have that but not to a great degree. It is typically cell debri as cells die and are replaced. I gather it can be removed but that is a drastic solution and is only done in extreme circumstances. If you can imagine draining the vitreous humor and replacing it with an artificial equivalent you can see it's no small job - and not without it's own risks. As the previous poster said see an optician / opthalmologist for a proper medical assessment.

Rob.

"Floaters" in the eyes are actually collagen fibrils. These have been a very serious problem for me. In fact at our provincial championships the floaters were so bad that I often couldn't see my sights or target in the free pistol match. I'd bring the pistol up, settle on the target, then have a great blob of junk drift into the central cone of my vision. As a result I ended up crossfiring on my neighbors targets several times. While my crossfires provided comic relief for my fellow shooters they were a source of extreme embarassment and frustration for me.

What I have learned since that match is that fibrils in the eyes are an entirely natural phenomenon, and with proper care can be reduced substantially. The key to reducing their presence seems to be maintaining high body hydration levels. After the crossfiring free pistol match mentioned above I shot an air pistol match, but paid close attention to making sure I drank loads of water before and during the match. Lo and behold, no problems with floaters. Since that match I've paid closer attention to my eyeballs and hydration levels and know that if I wake up and see fibrils floating around, I'd better tank up on water before the match, otherwise it will be a rather unpleasant day of shooting.

Have seen the optician and doctor and know its debris rather than the onset of anything horrid.

Didn't know they were called "floaters" - will give the hydration advice a try.

That observation / advice may also explain why it seems worse some days and not others. Will report back.

Mike

Man, I thought I was weird being bothered by this event while shooting now and again. It's a real relief to see that it's not abnormal!

What with having to concentrate on sight picture, hold, emotional control and a smooth suprise break, having your shot process screwed up by some random piece of alien bioform inside your eyepball drift into your field of view just seemed too unfair. Good post.

You guys must be seeing things! ;-)

You guys must be seeing things! ;-)

Mark Briggs wrote:"Floaters" in the eyes are actually collagen fibrils. These have been a very serious problem for me. In fact at our provincial championships the floaters were so bad that I often couldn't see my sights or target in the free pistol match. I'd bring the pistol up, settle on the target, then have a great blob of junk drift into the central cone of my vision. As a result I ended up crossfiring on my neighbors targets several times. While my crossfires provided comic relief for my fellow shooters they were a source of extreme embarassment and frustration for me.

What I have learned since that match is that fibrils in the eyes are an entirely natural phenomenon, and with proper care can be reduced substantially. The key to reducing their presence seems to be maintaining high body hydration levels. After the crossfiring free pistol match mentioned above I shot an air pistol match, but paid close attention to making sure I drank loads of water before and during the match. Lo and behold, no problems with floaters. Since that match I've paid closer attention to my eyeballs and hydration levels and know that if I wake up and see fibrils floating around, I'd better tank up on water before the match, otherwise it will be a rather unpleasant day of shooting.

I can vouch for that, as I was his nieghbour. We won't talk bout the one I put in the bench though. You think if he was going to crossfire he could at least give me a ten.

He he he... Since I couldn't see diddley you're lucky I even hit your target, Richard! At least I put 8's on the target of my other neighbor...

Actually I can blame my poor performance in that match on my inability to regain my composure after laughing myself silly following the tactical ventillation of the shooting bench that you performed. The look of astonishment on your face was priceless!

Although the score for the match was miserable the non-stop jokes and good-natured kidding that followed our little blunders made it a match to remember!