Every once in a while (not on a regular basis) I will have a little bit of blurred vision in one eye or the other. It has never been both at the same time. It looks like I have something in my eye because it sometimes moves around and doesn't stay in the same place and never lasts for more than a couple of minutes. It looks like there's a cloud on the surface of my eye when I am experiencing this. I will look in the mirror sometimes when this is happening and I never see anything in my eye, nor do I feel like anything is in my eye. Is this what people call "floaters?" And if I am experiencing floaters, is it MS related? I mostly experience this when I am tired (i.e. just woken up, getting tired toward the end of the night, a "tired" day, etc.). If this is MS related does that mean that I have optic neuritis--or can I have MS floaters without having to have optic neuritis? I had an eye appointment around 5 months ago and everything was normal. Thanks so much for your help!
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Hi Melis,
Welcome! What you describe sounds very much like floaters to me. I have these as well and they are not related to MS at all. Optic neuritis can cause visual disturbances but your description doesn't sound like optic neuritis to me. (However, always consult your doctor for actual diagnostic advice please.)
The website All About Vision has a great article explaining floaters. Please note that if you suddenly experience a lot of floaters and see flashes of light, you should seek medical attention immediately. These can be symptoms of retinal detachment.
Floaters are generally harmless but they can be annoying. Your eye doctor would be able to see the changes happening inside your eye, but honestly, floaters are not something which even my eye doctor talks much about. There's really nothing which can be done about them. Sorry.
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