Something floating accross my eye

[Lindsay1]

I have, occassionally, the view, whilst my eye is open, of what looks like to me a tiny segmented earthworm.  I catch sight of it only rarely...although this last couple weeks I have seen it 3 or 4 times.  It is hard to see, because often once I catch sight of it, I try to focus on it and then can not see it anymore.  I can see nothing in the mirror.  I have read some things about something called Loa Loa but I have never been outside the US...except for maybe 3 years ago when I went to an orphanage in Mexico to work for a 4 days.  But I remember having seen this before I had gone there....and thinking it was a scratch.  But when they didn't mention this when I had my pre-lasik check up I never really thought about it again.  I have been under a lot of stress the last few weeks...should I chalk this up to stress or be concerned about having tons of living worms inside of me??

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

It sounds like a vitreous floater, very, very common thing.  See your ophthalmologist for a dilated exam to make sure nothing else is going on.  You can do some research on floaters using the search feature on this site and the other common search engines.
The floaters can have many different shapes, sometimes circular or squiggly lines.  I've heard patients give all kinds of interesting descriptions of how the floaters look to them - like looking at clouds in the sky if you will.

Michael Kutryb, MD
Board-Certified Ophthalmologist
Kutryb Eye Institute
Titusville, FL

[Lindsay1]

Let me add that it is transparent...when I see it.