Floaters

[Dr Jim Cummins]

>knunan's reply to Re: HELP NEEDED, PLEASE READ ascribes "floaters" to a prob-
>lem in the central nervous system.
>        For all who experience the phenomenon of floaters, do not worry; they
>are simply the shadows (not precise, but descriptive) of red cells traveling
>thru capillaries in front of the photosensitive cells of the retina.  They 
>are perfectly normal and not a cause for alarm.  I was facinated by them as a
>child, and was happy to find out that they have such a benign explanation.
>I suppose tiny aggregations of blood cells leaking from the capillaries can
>occur, and these might not be so benign, but I still wouldn't look for CNS
>causes.
>                                Yours,
>                                Bill Tivol

My "floaters" are definitely not in the capillaries but are free-moving
strings of cells and debris that wave around and are clearly visible in
certain lights.  
When I was 14 I suffered a bad attack of "floaters" in the vitreous humour
that partially blinded me for a week or so.  We never could pin down the
cause, but it was shortly after a BCG vaccination, so could have been an
immune response.  I'm used to them now.

Yours, virtually:-

Jim Cummins

Associate Professor in Veterinary Anatomy
Murdoch University,
Murdoch Western Australia 6150
Tel +61-9-360 2668
Fax +61-9-310 4144
E mail cummins at possum.murdoch.edu.au


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