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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.
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, becoming less
bothersome.
They usually settle below the line of
sight and do not go away completely. 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.
Floaters occur when the
vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills about
80 percent of the eye and helps it maintain a round
shape, slowly shrinks. As the vitreous shrinks, it
becomes somewhat stringy, and the strands can cast
tiny shadows on the
retina. These are floaters.
Floaters are more likely to develop as we age and
are more common in people who are very
nearsighted, have
diabetes, or
who have had a
cataract
operation. There are other, more serious causes of
floaters, including infection, inflammation
(uveitis), hemorrhaging, retinal tears, and injury
to the eye.
Sometimes a section of the vitreous pulls the
fine fibers away from the
retina all at once, rather than gradually,
causing many new floaters to appear suddenly. This
is called a
vitreous detachment, which in most cases is not
sight-threatening and requires no treatment.
However, a sudden increase in floaters, possibly
accompanied by light flashes or
peripheral (side) vision loss, could indicate a
retinal detachment.
A retinal detachment occurs when any part of the
retina, the eye's light-sensitive tissue, is lifted
or pulled from its normal position at the back wall
of the eye. A retinal detachment is a serious
condition and should always be considered an
emergency. If left untreated, it can lead to
permanent visual impairment within two or three days
or even blindness in the eye. Those who experience a
sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light in
peripheral vision, or a loss of peripheral vision
should have an eye care professional examine their
eyes as soon as possible.
 For
people who have floaters that are simply annoying,
no treatment is recommended. On rare occasions,
floaters can be so dense and numerous that they
significantly affect vision. In these cases, a
vitrectomy,
a surgical procedure that removes floaters from the
vitreous, may be needed. A vitrectomy removes the
vitreous gel, along with its floating debris, from
the eye. The vitreous is replaced with a salt
solution. Because the vitreous is mostly water, you
will not notice any change between the salt solution
and the original vitreous. This operation carries
significant risks to sight because of possible
complications, which include retinal detachment,
retinal tears, and cataract. Most eye surgeons are
reluctant to recommend this surgery unless the
floaters seriously interfere with vision.
Ref: National Eye Institute |
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