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From: avr@purdue.UUCP (Andrew V. Royappa)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: floaters
Message-ID: <483@mordred.purdue.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 7-Feb-86 04:02:10 EST
Article-I.D.: mordred.483
Posted: Fri Feb  7 04:02:10 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Feb-86 06:21:55 EST
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University
Lines: 56
Keywords: eyes, particles in eyes ("floaters")


	Pardon  me if this  subject  has been  dealt  with  before  (how
unlikely), or if it's too weird.

	When  I look  at a  light  surface,  I see  small  round  things
floating  by -  particles  of  some  kind  in the  eye  fluid  (aqueous,
vitreous,  something  like that?).  Anyway, this is probably  normal for
most  people.  The  problem  is, *I* see big  blobs of  floaters  (whole
collections  of round  particles).  This is usually  not very  annoying,
except  that I happen to be a student,  and all the  classes  I'm in are
taught using  projectors with  transparencies,  so I'm often in the in a
semi-darkened  room looking up at a big bright screen with some stuff on
it,  and the blobs of floaters are immensely  magnified and distracting,
since they  don't  stand  still, and are always  running  away from your
direct line of vision.

	I remember  reading a Scientific  American  article about this a
long time back (when I didn't have this problem).  Apparently the little
round things are red blood vessels let loose into the eye by capillaries
(?) in the retina or  whatever.  That  seems to make  sense to me, since
when I see the floaters  "magnified," they sure look very similar to red
blood cells.  I can see them in rather good detail, even if I can't look
at them directly.

	I'd like to know any or all of the following, if possible:

	1. Why I have so many of these round things floating around
	2. If it is an indication of an eye problem
	3. If answer to (2) is "yes,"
	   a. what I could do about it
	   b. what kind of person I should consult - "doctor" 
	      "optician" "optometrist" "opthalmologist" etc. 
	      - I don't know how they precisely differ.
	4. Which (Year+Month) SciAm magazine the above-mentioned
	   article on this subject appeared in
	5. If answer to (5) is "dunno," how I can find out
	   (other than writing to SciAm, I guess), and what
	   other kinds of books/publications (might) deal with this.
	6. Any other information you feel may be remotely helpful, or
	   relevant - respond to me or the net as you find appropriate.

				Thank you,

					Andrew V. Royappa
					Dept. of Computer Science
					Purdue University

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P.S.  -- If you have trouble reaching me by mail, please post.  I really
want as much information on this as possible.