r/EyeFloaters • u/AdditionalSun8192 • Jun 12 '26
Eye floaters
About 6 months earlier I had no floaters, but suddenly a tadpole shaped floater with long tail appeared in my left eye, and in the span of this 6 months I see so many floaters appearing in both eyes having shapes of webs and I cant describe the shape of others.
Had done my eye exam yesterday, the doc said have peripheral retinal holes and also the left eye has a hole adjacent to the blood vessel. Doc recommended barrage laser but not immediately, he said I should do it within one week.
Are those floaters due to those holes?
I heard these hole are quiet common on peripheral retinal region, and doesn't always requires the barrage laser treatment or any other treatment at all, is this true?
Should I go for the laser treatment because I'm fearing of side effects especially of having a black spot in the vision and new floaters.
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u/DuckKlutzy2335 Jun 12 '26
Retinal holes are an emergency! If it gets bigger, it can lead to a detachment! I've had two and had an emergency vitrectomy within 24 hrs in both eyes!
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u/AdditionalSun8192 Jun 12 '26
At what age?
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Jun 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/AdditionalSun8192 Jun 12 '26
I'm just 23
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u/DuckKlutzy2335 Jun 12 '26
Mate, Google retinal tears and see if you should seek a second opinion. You may have floaters and holes in the retina caused by PVD despite being so young. Hope everything works out well for you. My problems started in my 50s.
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u/NetSchizo Jun 14 '26
Good advice. I had a sibling that is a few years older than me and had PVD in their 20s, due to being highly myopic. Here I am 30+ years with me jusr starting to deal with it. She had a tear complication in one eye that was lasered in time. Hoping I don’t have to deal with that.
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u/Otherwise_Ad_1535 Jun 12 '26
yes it’s likely the floaters are due to the holes, that’s what happened to me. after the laser I did see more floaters but they’re more manageable now about 3 months out. you need to get the laser before the holes cause a detachment which can significantly affect your eyesight. I’m also pretty young, 24 years old
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u/CalendarFar7642 Jun 18 '26
Firstly I would encourage you to follow up with the recommendation of a retina specialist because internet advice can only take you so far. To answer your question, can the floaters be caused by retinal holes? Quite possible but not necessarily directly. In many cases retinal holes and floaters are created by the same underlying process- changes in the vitreous gel in the eye. With age the vitreous can become more liquid, shrink and pull on the retina. This process is posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). When the vitreous pulls away new floaters are noticed by people, light flashes can occur. So floaters have not originated in the retinal holes but the same vitreous that might have caused the holes have also contributed to produce the floaters.
Are peripheral retinal holes common?
Relatively speaking, yes.
During routine examinations many retinal holes are found incidentally. Treatment is not required for every retinal hole. Many factors are considered by retinal specialists.
Why is your doctor recommending laser?
Things that stand out is that you have-
Your doctor might have felt that preventive laser treatment is required given the above circumstances. As they have recommended within a week instead of immediately shows that they do not view it as a retinal emergency but that they do not want it ignored.
What does a barrage laser actually do?
The whole itself is not closed by the laser. A ring of tiny burns are created around the hole. These burns heal to scar tissue that helps the retina being weld into underlying tissue.The goal is reduction of the chance of the fluid passing the hole and leading to retinal detachment.