# Anxiety, depression and eye floaters



## eyeingsean (Apr 11, 2011)

Basically i've been having a horrible past 6 months with depression and anxiety etc. However the past fews months or so i'd made some real improvements with a combination of exercise, taking vitamins and a cod liver oil supplement and teaching myself some cbt therapy.

The problem however has been that pretty much as soon as i've been feeling these improvements i've had an onset of eye floaters and static vision. There are loads of these eye floaters and they're making it unpleasant for me to stare at a computer screen let alone go outside. I've visited a eye doctor and he reassured me that my eyes were healthy but didn't give me any idea of whats caused them.

So now i've been thinking that either the cod liver oil/vitamins or the exercise ( weight lifting + cycling ) is causing these so i've stopped taking and doing them now. Now i feel depressed and anxious again. 
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what i should do? these were making me feel better but i don't want to be causing eye floaters, i kinda feel like i'm in a no-win situation here.


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## Totally DP'D (Jun 8, 2011)

As far as I know, everyone has eye floaters. It's just that when you have DP/DR you become hyper-aware of bodily sensations and anything else that if you were not anxious/depressed you wouldn't even notice. I had completely forgotten about my eye floaters until I read your post. At one time I took it as a sign that there was something wrong.

Before I got diagnosed with DP/DR I was a regular hypochondriac!

I believe that eye floaters are just dead cells in your eye casting a shadow on you retina. I don't think you can do anything to actually cause them.


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## eyeingsean (Apr 11, 2011)

While i think thats true to some extent, i'm pretty sure that there are some things that can make them worse and more noticeable. The weight lifting for example ( if heavy enough ) can cause high pressure to be put on your eyes - which is why i was worried about doing exercises like these.

Also i read somewhere that if you start taking vitamins / fish oil and your liver can not handle / digest them then this could somehow cause them - i may be wrong though, but i'd just like a bit of reassurance as to whether i can start exercising and taking supplements again.

ps. how did you go about 'forgetting' about them? - are you better now?


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## Totally DP'D (Jun 8, 2011)

Unfortunately I'm not better my DP/DR is as bad as it ever was. But then I have chosen not to seek treatment for it, so I only have myself to blame.

I've just learned not to obsess about bodily sensations. That's not say that having the feeling that my head is stuffed with cotton wool doesn't cause me distress.

What I know about eye floaters I got from an optician I consulted about it, but haven't really researched it in detail.

The psychological symptoms of DP/DR are bad enough without us imagining whole hosts of physical things that might be causing or attending it.

In the past I have imagined that I might have A brain tumour or a degenerative disease like CJD (but waaay slower!)

I certainly wouldn't let worries about eye floaters (which are harmless) put you off exercising. Exercise is a proven aid to fighting depression-so don't stop!


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## eyeingsean (Apr 11, 2011)

any idea on the fish oil?


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## Totally DP'D (Jun 8, 2011)

I can't see why that would have an effect on eye floaters- but I know nothing about it so shouldn't comment. Fish oil is (allegedly) good for the brain and I can't see any harm with taking it in reasonable amounts.

Of course vitamins A & D can be toxic in large doses, so you need to take care with supplements that may contain them.


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## eyeingsean (Apr 11, 2011)

hmm not sure in that case, thanks for the reply though. Does anyone else have any idea on the fish oil? - one of the main reasons why i'm asking is that they started at just the time when i started taking these. Its also not like they gradually appeared, they just started appearing one day.


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