What Are Eye Floaters?
Are you seeing oddly-shaped spots that quickly move out of the way when you look at them? Those are called eye floaters. Everyone sees eye floaters, but if you start seeing more than usual, you may need medical attention.
What Are Eye Floaters?
Eye floaters appear as shadows that float around a person’s vision. But there is more to them than that; floaters are small groups of collagen fibers that form with the eye’s vitreous, which is a gel-like substance. These fibers cause to form on the retina, which we see as floaters.
What Causes Eye Floaters?
Floaters are often harmless and vanish as quickly as they appear. However, there are cases where seeing eye floaters is an indication of a more serious condition.
These conditions include the following:
- Eye infections.
- Injuries to the eye.
- Uveitis, which is when the eye becomes inflamed.
- The eye is bleeding.
- Suffering from vitreous detachment.
- Having a tear in the retina.
- Suffering from retinal detachment.
Symptoms of Eye Floaters
The only real symptom of eye floaters is seeing dark spots and weird shapes, such as blobs, strings, cobwebs, and threads in your vision. But if you have a more serious issue, you could see a lot of floaters as well as flashing lights. If you experience these symptoms, you need to contact an eye specialist immediately.
How Are Eye Floaters Treated?
In most cases, eye floaters go away after a short while and do not require any treatment. But if the problem is severe, an eye specialist can treat it in two different ways. The first way involves a minor surgical procedure, which is when the vitreous is removed. The second eye floater treatment is using a laser to break down the vitreous. One of our highly trained eye doctors will assess your current eye health to determine the best treatment for you.
Schedule an Appointment at Central Valley Eye Medical Group
Eye floaters are not usually a cause for concern. However, if you find your quality of life being impacted by them or suspect a more severe medical condition, visit Central Valley Eye Medical Group. Contact us at 209-952-3700 to schedule an appointment today.
Posted in: Eye Health, Flashes & Floaters
