Floaters

If you see spots in your vision, you could be suffering from floaters. The vitreous of your eye is a jelly-like substance. When the jelly turns to liquid, the microscopic fibers can clump and cast small shadows on your retina called floaters. If your floaters have come on suddenly, you should call your ophthalmologist immediately. This is especially true if you have lost some peripheral vision or if you see flashes of light.

floaters

What Are the Symptoms of Floater?

The symptoms of floaters are obvious. They include:

  • Dark specks, small shapes, or transparent strings in your vision.
  • Spots that move when your eyes move. If you try to follow one, they will move away from your visual field.
  • Visible spots when looking at bright backgrounds such as a white wall or the sky.
  • Shapes or strings that move on their own and out of your line of vision.

What Causes Eye Floaters?

There are a few causes of floaters. These are:

  • Age. As you get older, the vitreous of your eyes becomes more liquid-like and less jelly-like. As this area sags and shrinks, clumps and strings can appear which can pass over the eye.
  • Inflammation in the back of the eye. When the back of your eye becomes inflamed, it can cause the release of inflammatory debris which is visible as floaters.
  • Bleeding. Hypertension, diabetes, injury, and blocked blood vessels can cause the inside of your eye to bleed. The blood cells are seen as floaters.
  • Torn retina. During a retinal tear and detachment, fluid can accumulate from behind the retina which causes floaters.
  • Eye surgery and medication. Certain medications and eye surgeries can cause floaters.

Risk Factors

There are certain factors that put you at risk of developing floaters. These include:

  • Being over 50 years old
  • Nearsightedness
  • Trauma to the eye
  • Cataract surgery complications
  • Inflammation of the eye
  • Diabetic retinopathy

How Are Floaters Diagnosed?

Floaters can be diagnosed during an eye exam. Your eye doctor will dilate your eyes to get a good look at the back of your eye and the vitreous. He or she will use your medical history to determine the cause of the floaters.

Treatment

If you have floaters, your ophthalmologist will determine the cause or underlying condition. Once that issue is treated, the floaters should disappear.

If you are seeing floaters in your vision, you should make an appointment with Eye Care Specialists of Florida. Our ophthalmologist in Kissimmee will examine your eyes to determine the cause of the floaters. After seeing the eye doctor, treatment can begin. Since some of the causes of floaters can be very serious, it is crucial that you see your eye doctor right away. 

Contact us to request an appointment today.

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