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Eye Floaters – Types, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment


Eye Floaters – Types, Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Eye Care Centre

5/3/2021


Eye floaters are web-like lines or rings that move through the vision field. They often appear as black or grey specks or spots that drift as you move your eyes. This is caused by a gel-like substance in the eye called vitreous. With increasing age, this substance becomes more fluid, and the microscopic fibers within the vitreous thicken. This makes the fibers cast shadows on the retina, causing grey or black spots in the vision known as eye floaters or flashes. Despite looking like objects in front of the eyes, eye floaters are actually in the eyes.

What are the causes?

  • Inflammation Swelling or inflammation in the back of the eye often caused by various infections can cause eye floaters.

  • Nearsightedness The vitreous syneresis occurs more rapidly among patients who are suffering from nearsighted vision(myopia). Such people tend to experience eye floaters frequently.

  • Diabetic retinopathy Diabetes can damage the blood vessels leading to the retina, resulting in the retina being unable to interpret the images and the light hitting it.

  • Deposits Sometimes, crystal-like deposits develop in the vitreous. These can obstruct the light passing from the front of the eye to the back and result in eye floaters.

  • Eye injury Eye floaters can increase if the eye is hit by an object or is damaged during an accident.

  • Eye surgeries and medications Some medications might cause air bubbles when injected into the vitreous. These bubbles are seen as shadows until the eye absorbs them. Certain vitreoretinal surgeries add silicone oil bubbles, which can also be perceived as floaters.

See Also: Preventing The Most Common Eye Problems and Eye Diseases

What are the symptoms?

  • Little shapes in your vision appearing as dark specks.
  • Spots that move when you move the eyes. When you try to see them directly, they quickly move away from your field of sight.
  • Visible spots appear when you look at a plain bright background, e.g.,a white wall.
  • Small strings that settle down and drift out of the line of vision eventually.

Treatment for eye floaters

  • Eye floaters can be very frustrating, and it takes time for an individual to adjust to them. Sometimes eye floaters don’t require treatment. However, underlying causes of eye floaters like inflammation or bleeding from diabetes will be treated.

  • In other cases, cures for eye floaters include trying to get them out of the field of vision by moving their eyes in various directions. This helps in shifting the fluid around. If they happen to block the sight, the eye doctor may suggest a special surgery called a vitrectomy, where the vitreous is removed from the eye and replaced with a salt solution for severe cases of eye-floaters. Despite being effective, this procedure has certain risks. Additionally, there’s a chance that eye-floaters can start forming again despite the surgery.

  • Some people also opt for laser treatment. The eye specialist aims the special laser at the eye floaters in the vitreous, which breaks them up and makes them less noticeable. A thorough diagnosis is needed to ensure that a person is eligible for laser treatment to cure eye floaters. A well-trained eye doctor must perform this treatment for eye floaters because this treatment can damage the retina if not conducted properly.

When to see a doctor?

Contact an eye doctor immediately if the following happens:

  • A sudden onset of new eye floaters
  • More eye floaters than usual
  • Sudden flashes of light in the same eye as the floaters
  • Peripheral vision loss

How Netralayam – The Superspeciality Eye Care Centre Can Help

The medical experts at Netralayam aim to provide the highest quality of patient care through various services. By upgrading their professional competence in multiple sectors, including vitreoretinal services, they ensure that all their patients are well-cared for and their eye problems are resolved as swiftly as possible without any hassles.

FAQs

  • How long do eye floaters generally last?

    They usually last between one to a maximum of six months in case there is no critical underlying issue.

  • How are floaters treated?

    The standard treatment options include surgery and laser therapy.

  • Are eye floaters dangerous?

    In rare cases, eye floaters can become a threat to your vision because as the vitreous reduces in size, it can pull on the retina at the back of the eye and cause retinal detachment.

  • How do I get rid of floaters in my vision?

    Try moving your eyes in various directions to shift the liquid and decrease the frequency of eye floaters. Refer to your eye doctor for severe cases of eye floaters.

Netralayam, a Superspeciality Eye Care Centre, is ranked among the most sought after brands for all “best eye hospitals near me” and “best ophthalmologist in Kolkata”, searches on the web. Contact us to get the best available eye care services.


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Netralayam

The mission of Netralayam is to provide tertiary level superspeciality eye care service of highest quality to all sections of the society through a team of competent, committed and compassionate professionals in a patient-friendly environment.



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