Pvd (posterior vitreous detachment)

Im older,i now have cateracts started in both eyes,so between pvd symptoms, floaters,cataracts and dry eye,im sort of a wreck lol. Fun getting older.

Some people have all the luck! It sounds like you've been suffering with the PVD symptoms for a long time. When I asked the opthamologist how long it would go on for, he shrugged and said a few months maybe. Seems as though it can be different for everyone. Eye problems cause a lot of misery don't they x

At this point im not too worried about a detachment,i just am sick of the simptoms,around here,they dont like to remove the vitreous unless absolutely necessary,think they dont want to risk it,so im stuck with crappy vision,the catsrcts developing dont help.

Yes, I have anxiety as it is,and this has made it much worse,doctors just pretty much shrug it off and have the just deal with it attitude, i asked one how to handle it,he said just forget about it,how when you see something all the time. Hope karma never calls him a visit ha ha. Xx

Hi Lee,

You mentioned cataracts too. Do you get a film over your eye? It seems like a fog, but I think mine moves.  Not sure whether this is the small cataract or it is part of the PVD. I am kinda new to this PVd. Mine just started about 8 days ago.  Funny, I had a full eye exam about a week before this started and nothing was detected.  I had mentioned I had notoced some black spots about 2 weeks prior to the onset

Hi,yes,the film on and off daily but i also have dry eye which can caus a film,actually,pvd,dry eye,floater and cataracts,i think mine is from the mgd/dry eye,a problem with the oily layer of the tear film,that and the almost clear floaters that move in the eye,then theres the lens being not as clear from the caracts

The film gives me the most anxiety

Yes I had anxiety prior to this, but now it has reached an all time high. I had a meltdown in the eye doctors room. There were two of them and they didn't know how to deal with me at all, they looked extremely uncomfortable at my emotional display. There was no empathy whatsoever. Perhaps a lack of empathy is required though, in order to be able to operate on eyes I wonder. When I'm met with this just deal with it attitude, it does start to make me wonder if I'm overreacting. Talking to others in the same situation, like you, makes me realise I'm not though. I think the PVD happens to most people at some stage, so they will get their karma one day I'm sure. X

Well,ive gone to 3 doctors,last year i went about 6 times,one was sarcastic,one just said forget about it,he also was impatient and said i have a sick patient waiting for me,what do you need,he gave no advice or info,i wont go back to him. I told my regular eye doc about what he said and he shook his head and looked shocked. Actually I think most dont have a clue,more info on the internet.

Yeh your right, I've found out much more about this online than I was told by any of the opthamologists I've seen.

Does your eye feel goupey (sp?). Like there is thick goup in it, I am always touching the corner with my finger to see if something has floated to the corner of my eye.  

Sometimes if i look in the mirror,i swear they look filmy,if you have dry eye too,look up mgd as a caus as alot of docs never check for it. Im waiting for bionic eyes lol.

Hi Lee12629,

I am 73 yers old and had cataract surgery on both eyes about two years ago. I have been researching information on PVD, Retinal tears, detachments, and macular issues probable if PVD does not completely detach and then tugs on the retina. I also have Macular Degeneration since 2004 so my concerns are if the vitreous does not completely detach there is a risk that the vitreous could tug on the strings that are stubborn and cause a tear in the retina, or worse pull off the macula..I have PVD in my right eye and discovered a couple weeks later that it is also flashing in the peripheral of my left eye. My vision in right eye is not very good but the little I have, does help the vision I do have in my left eye, which also is not good, but better with the little bit from the right.  According to the vitriol/retinal surgeons, it is better if you can have cataract surgery done before vitriol/retinal surgery. If you don't, you will have to get it done later.

First week of Dec. 2018 saw eye doc about black horseshoe floater hanging by a string of clear jell? I was also having numerous peripheral flashes, and like a storm inside my eyes with clouds, sparks, lightning, flares and specks.  I was told that I was having a retinal detachment. I was planning to go to the U.S. for Christmas to see my grandchildren. I asked if that was ok. The eye doctor told me I would have to decide that for myself. He said if I go, I need to watch for the flashes in the peripheral vision, and for a shadow or curtain beginning to cover my vision. He told me that if that happens I have 9 hours to be in surgery in either London, or Toronto, Ontario. In good weather and traffic it takes 7 hrs straight through to come back plus another hour to Toronto and to call hospital to let them know I am on way and to call eye doctor also. That was a scary decision but I decided to go anyway and am glad that I did. I only see my grandchildren twice a year. I cannot afford medical insurance when I go so have to get back to Canada.

Now it is mid January and seeing an opthomologist. He said I am having a vitreous detachment. He also warned me to watch for the dark shadow or curtain. When that happens, I need to call him, he will refer me to a retinal/vitreal surgeon/macular specialist and I will take a taxi to Toronto.  

I have so many questions!  The doctors diagnose and give warning about when it is in critical stage, but don't tell you where it is presently. This I believe is because they are so busy and if we want questions answered we need to have the questions printed up and give him the list to explain. Explanation by the  doctor will probably get rid of much of our anxiety about the worse that "could" happen. I will see the ophthomologist again in six weeks or end of February. I will have my list of need to know questions ready for him. In the mean time, I am doing everything I can to be prepared for the recovery period as I live alone.

Hi there Annie,

Was reading your post back in the New Year and wondered how you are doing now. I had Pvd in my right eye last April, and lucky me, my left eye is now doing the same thing.  

I live just outside Toronto too

This is just a general update for all those following the PVD discussion. I had a PVD in my right eye last October, and guess what - 2 weeks ago (i.e. late May) I had a PVD in my left eye. The good news is that I now appreciate that my right eye has more or less cleared up - the floater is a fraction of the size it was, the associated haze has almost gone, and the flashes are extremely rare. I had my eyes checked at Moorfields last week and was told that my new PVD is straightforward with no complications, so hopefully it will also clear up in the next 6 months or so!

That gives us all hope!  Happy to hear of your improvement.

Good to hear that it is clearing.  My first was in April 2017 in my right eye.    It did takes months for it to calm down,  My specialist told me that within a year my left eye would go.  Well.......yup just about to the date of a year, my left eye started.   It sparked for about 5 days, and the floaters were crazy.   I just went for my follow up last week.  She told me the same thing as she did back in April 2018.  My left eye has a very large floater compared to my first in the right eye.  but what I have noticed is that since the left eye started, my right eye seems like the floaters are more apparent.   

The left eye is driving me crazy though.   Just seems like it is always covered with a somewhat transparent film that moves across all the time.   Such an annoying situation.

I have the film too. Mine moves around a good bit though. Captions on TV get distorted in a very wierd way. Do you ever notice that?

Oh yes, all the time.

I try to move my eyes in circles to move it, but it is so annoying.

Looking up in the sky is bad also

Hi Tiffany, I haven't noticed captions on TV being distorted. The film/haze in my left eye (where the PVD is now 3 weeks old) moves around with the floaters, this is quite annoying but doesn't stop me from doing anything. The film/haze in my right eye (where the PVD is now 7.5 months old) is still there in the same place but seems to have reduced in size slightly - the large floater that I had in the right eye has definitely reduced in size.

That is very good to hear. I think the hardest part is learning to adapt to the changes.