Eye Floaters and Anxiety

 

Have you ever noticed those strange dots or cell-like things floating around your vision?

 

They’ve probably always been there, but for anxious people, they can suddenly become noticeable and alarming. I used to worry and obsess over them, and like many anxious people, they became the center of my attention for much of the day. Here’s a bit more about eye floaters, their connection to anxiety, and what you can do about them.

 

Understanding Eye Floaters

 

Eye floaters are small, shadowy figures that drift across your field of vision. They may appear as squiggly lines, thread-like shapes, or tiny dots. Typically, floaters are harmless and result from age-related changes in the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance inside the eye.

 

Floaters are especially noticeable when looking at bright backgrounds, such as a blue sky, a white wall, or a bright screen. They can also appear more prominent when you’re stressed, feeling anxious, or when your mind is actively scanning for threats. If your default thought has become checking on your anxiety and monitoring symptoms or anomalies, floaters might feel impossible to ignore.

 

The Anxiety Connection

 

Anxiety often heightens awareness of bodily sensations, including visual disturbances like eye floaters. For those already in an anxious state, floaters can become a focal point, triggering distressing thoughts such as:

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• What if something is wrong with my eyes?

• Are my eyes deteriorating?

• What if I lose my vision altogether?

 

This hyper-awareness can create a feedback loop: the more you notice the floaters, the more anxious you become, which makes the floaters seem even more prominent. Over time, this cycle can cause floaters to dominate your thoughts and amplify feelings of anxiety.

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Visual Snow Syndrome

 

Visual Snow Syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by a persistent, static-like disturbance across the visual field, often described as tiny snow-like dots. While it differs from floaters in its cause, people with Visual Snow Syndrome may also notice floaters as part of their experience. Both conditions can feel distressing, especially when anxiety is present, because they make the brain more aware of visual stimuli. Like floaters, the snow-like dots are harmless, but their prominence can increase during stress or heightened anxiety.

 

Managing Eye Floaters and Anxiety

 

If eye floaters are causing you anxiety, these strategies can help:

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1. Understanding and Acceptance: Recognize that floaters are common and usually harmless. Learning to accept their presence can reduce their emotional impact.

2. Reducing Compulsive Checking: Constantly monitoring floaters can reinforce anxiety. Becoming aware of this behavior and working to reduce it can help break the cycle.

3. Professional Consultation: If floaters or other visual disturbances are causing significant concern, consult with an eye specialist to rule out any serious conditions. For ongoing anxiety, seeking support from a mental health professional can be beneficial.

 

Josh’s Experience with Eye Floaters

 

When I was struggling with anxiety, I became fixated on eye floaters. These small, cell-like objects drifted across my vision, often following my gaze a split second later. I vividly remember how squiggly, thread-like shapes would appear, and I couldn’t stop worrying that they were a sign of a serious eye condition.

 

My anxiety would amplify the issue, leading me to obsessively check for floaters and convince myself my eyesight was deteriorating. Looking back, I realize this hyper-focus was part of my anxiety. The floaters themselves weren’t harmful—they were just tiny particles floating in the vitreous humor of my eyes.

 

Over time, through managing my anxiety and learning to break the cycle of worry, I’ve been able to live with floaters without them dominating my thoughts. It’s a relief to be in a much better place now, understanding that these sensations are normal and not a cause for panic.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Eye floaters can be distressing, particularly when we’re anxious. However, understanding what they are and teaching the mind and the threat response that they’re not a cause for concern—particularly after a professional consultation—is key to showing the brain that they’re not a threat.

 

We can habituate to eye floaters, much like many common anxiety symptoms, and feel calm about them. And when we feel calm about something, we tend not to notice it.

 

For more information, you can read my book, Untangle Your Anxiety, a best-selling book for anxiety self-help.