Eye floaters: An overview of symptoms, causes and treatment (1)

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Eye Floaters
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Eye Floaters

• Eye floaters are black or grey specks, strings
  or cobwebs that drift about when you move your
  eyes and appear 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 some cases, a large floater
  may cast a shadow over your vision and cause a
  large, dark spot in your sight. Most people
  ignore floaters because they are usually not
  noticed until they become prominent. Floaters can
  become apparent when looking at something bright.
  They may be present in only one eye or both. If
  you notice an increase in eye floaters, visit an
  eye specialist immediately- especially if you
  encounter light flashes or lose your peripheral
  vision.

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Causes of eye floaters

• There are different causes of eye floaters
  including
• The age factor Eye floaters most commonly appear
  as a result of age-related changes in the
  vitreous- the jelly-like substance that fills
  your eyeballs and helps maintain their round
  shape. Over time, the vitreous partially
  liquefies. When this happens, the vitreous
  shrinks, sags, clumps and gets gristly.
• Swelling in the back of the eye Posterior
  uveitis is inflammation in the layers of the
  uvea in the back of the eye. The condition, which
  can cause eye floaters, may be the result of
  infection or inflammatory diseases.
• Bleeding in the eye Bleeding into the vitreous
  can have many causes, including injury and blood
  vessel problems.

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Symptoms

• Signs and symptoms of eye floaters include 
• Spots in your vision that appear as dark specks
  or knobby, transparent strings of floating
  material
• Spots that move when you move your eyes, so when
  you try to look at them, they move quickly out of
  your visual field
• Spots that are most noticeable when you look at a
  plain bright background, such as a blue sky or a
  white wall
• Spots that eventually settle down and drift out
  of the line of vision

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Treatments

• Eye floaters can be annoying, and adjusting to
  them can take time. They dont necessarily
  require treatment while you learn to ignore them
  or notice them less often. However, in rare cases
  where eye floaters impair your vision, your eye
  doctor may suggest one of the following
  treatments
• Using a laser to disrupt the floaters An
  ophthalmologist targets a special laser at the
  floaters in the vitreous, which may break them
  and make them less noticeable. Some people who
  receive this kind of treatment report improved
  vision. Laser therapy may damage your retina if
  the laser is aimed incorrectly.
• Using surgery to remove the vitreous An ophthalmo
  logist removes the vitreous through a small
  incision and replaces it with a solution to help
  your eye maintain its shape.

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Treatments
Continue

• Surgery may not remove all the floaters, and new
  floaters are likely to develop post surgery.
• Most eye floaters occur as part of the natural
  ageing process. While you cannot prevent eye
  floaters, you can make sure they are not the
  result of a larger problem. As soon as you notice
  eye floaters, visit an ophthalmologist  immediatel
  y.

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