Eye floaters, tiny specks that drift aimlessly in your visual field, are usually a harmless and common sight for many people. They aren’t usually a cause for alarm, but can become a serious issue if they aren’t treated effectively by an eye care professional. Floaters are really more of an annoyance than anything else and they may never go away completely; however, having the knowledge of the causes and symptoms is great to have.
What are Eye Floaters?
Floaters are spots, specks and cobweb-like images that occasionally drift in your visual field. A floater can be either a single spot or a few at once. Floaters are caused by tiny pieces of protein called collagen.
Symptoms
Symptoms of eye floaters occur when two things happen: When the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance the back portion of the eye is filled with, break loose within the inner back portion of the eye and the collagen fibers shrink and accumulate in the vitreous. If floaters are accompanied by flashes on light or loss of side vision, you should seek immediate medical attention.
You won’t know you have floaters until they appear. They become more apparent when you peer at a bright, clear sky or a white computer screen. But you can’t actually see tiny bits of debris floating loose within your eye. Instead, shadows from these floaters are cast on the retina as light passes through the eye, and those shadows are what you see. If you try focusing on them, they will disappear.
Treatment
Medical treatment is almost never required for benign floaters. As mentioned before, they are very bothersome. Moving your eyes will help move them away from your visual field- usually looking up and down is more effective than moving side to side. However, you should see a doctor if the eye floaters seem to worsen over time and you experience flashes of light or any vision loss along with the eye floaters. There is a surgical procedure called a virectomy for frequent and dense eye floaters. Risks and complications include retinal tears, cataracts and retinal detachment. You should consult your ophthalmologist if your eye floaters worsen and you experience flashes along with your floaters.
To learn more about the medical conditions that affect eye floaters or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shareen Greenbaum, click here.
Source: National Eye Institute