Eye Floaters - Causes And Treatment

Floaters in the eye are generally seen as dark tiny spots, strands, cob webs or shadows moving in front of your eyes. They are very commonly found and more likely to be found as the eye ages. There may be just a few or plenty of them and may be very annoying at first. With time, your brain will learn to ignore them and you may not even notice them after a few months.

Inside the eye is a gel like structure called vitreous. Floaters are seen due to strands and clumps of tissues floating in this normally clear gel. The floating structures may be blood cells, pieces of thickened collagen or other debris from blood or from the gel itself. The shadows cast on the retina by these structures make us perceive them as floaters. Their movement occurs along with the movement of our eyes. If our eyes are fixed at something, the floaters move downwards due to gravity. Their downward movement is very slow because they are suspended in the gel.

Floaters form with age and most people will have them by 60 or 70 years of age. However, sometimes they may be seen in those belonging to younger age groups as well.

Sometimes a seemingly simple task such as lifting a weight may cause floaters and flashes in the eye. This is because lifting a weight leads to increased pressure inside the eye; and this in turn may rupture a small blood vessel, oozing blood into the vitreous. The oozed blood becomes the source of floaters and the slight pull on the retina induces the flashes. If you see flashes of light along with your floaters, you should see your eye specialist without delay. These may be painless symptoms but they may be symptoms of a retinal tear or a retinal detachment. They are both sight threatening conditions and require urgent treatment.

Usually, eye floaters are harmless and need no treatment. More importantly, there is no medication to treat floaters. There are no eye drops or tablets or vitamins which you may take to get rid of them. The only treatment/cure available is in the form of a surgery.

If the floaters are too many or too large and they severely affect your vision, they may have to be removed surgically. In this operation, called a vitrectomy, the gel of your eye will be removed using delicate instruments and your eye will be filled with salt solution to maintain its normal shape.

Even though generally floaters are a harmless condition, any change in their character, size or amount should be taken seriously. In such an event, you should promptly talk to your eye specialist and get your eyes checked to rule out any signs of danger.

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