Floaters
Treatment
What are Floaters?
Floaters are little “cobwebs” or specks that float about in your field of vision. They are small, dark, shadowy shapes that can look like spots, thread-like strands, or squiggly lines. They move as your eyes move and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly. They do not follow your eye movements precisely and usually drift when your eyes stop moving. Most people have floaters and learn to ignore them; they are usually not noticed until they become numerous or more prominent. Floaters can become apparent when looking at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky.
What Causes Floaters?
Floaters occur when the vitreous, a jelly-like substance that fills most of the eye, slowly shrinks with age. As the vitreous shrinks, it becomes stringy, and the strands can cast tiny shadows on the retina. These are the floaters you see. In most cases, floaters are part of the natural aging process and simply an annoyance. They can be distracting at first, but eventually tend to “settle” at the bottom of the eye or get smaller, becoming less bothersome. There are however other, more serious causes of floaters such as infection, inflammation (uveitis), haemorrhage (bleeding), retinal tears and retinal detachments. Sometimes, floaters can occur together with flashes of light; seen as a dim flash even when your eyes are closed. This occurs when the vitreous gel bumps, tugs or even tears your retina.
Risk Factors for Floaters?
Floaters are more likely to develop as we get older and are more common in people who are very myopic (short-sighted), have diabetes, trauma to the eye or who have had any eye surgery.
Potential Problems
Sometimes floaters and flashes signal a condition that can lead to vision loss where a new onset of floaters may herald retinal disease. The shrinking vitreous can tug on the retina and pull away from it. This event, called a posterior vitreous detachment, is common, and usually doesn’t threaten vision. In a few people, a posterior vitreous detachment causes the retina to tear. Fluid from inside the eye can then seep through the tear and separate the retina from the tissues that nourish it. This separation, called retinal detachment, can lead to permanent vision loss unless treated promptly.
Retinal tears and detachments are painless. Key warning signs include:
- New onset of floaters and flashes
- Gradual shading of vision from any one side (like a curtain being drawn)
- Rapid decline in sharp, central vision. This occurs when the macula, the area of the retina responsible for central vision