Your eyes help you see the world. It is what visually connects you with your surrounding environment. Any disruptions or eye problems, therefore, can affect your vision and make it difficult for you to carry out your daily activities. One such issue is eye floaters, which are characterised by small, dark dots or lines that float around in your field of vision.
In most cases, eye floaters are normal and completely harmless. However, sometimes it can be caused by an underlying eye disease, which may require advanced treatment.
In an interaction with the OnlyMyHealth team, Dr Yogish Subraya Kamath, Professor - Ophthalmology, Kasturba Medical College, MAHE, Manipal, discussed the condition in detail and shared some effective treatment options that might help.
Also Read: What Type Of Headache Is It If You Have Pain Behind Your Eye
What Do Eye Floaters Look Like
Dr Kamath says eye floaters, or ‘muscae volitantes, are like “flies,” such as mosquitoes or small flies that move in front of the eyes, which the patient sometimes tries in vain to brush aside.
He also describes them as disturbances in the vision that appear like small black dots and lines in front of the eyes.
He says, “These dots and lines seem to float around, moving slowly from one side to another, especially when we move our eyes.” According to him, such an occurrence may be a symptom of an underlying eye disease.
The doctor also adds that in mild cases, eye floaters may only be observed while looking at a bright, plain screen, wall, or sky, but when more severe, they may obstruct one’s view during routine activities.
Possible Causes Of Eye Floaters
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), eye floaters are "tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous that fill your eye." Vitreous is the jelly-like substance that fills the middle of the eye.
Ageing can cause our vitreous to thicken or shrink, which can form clumps or strands.
In general, eye floaters are more likely in people who:
- are nearsighted
- have had surgery for cataracts.
- have had inflammation inside the eye.
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Dr Kamath shares that eye floaters may be a normal age-related change or can be a symptom of underlying eye diseases, which include:
- Debris in the tear film, due to dryness, conjunctivitis, or a foreign body.
- Vitritis is a condition where inflammatory blood cells exudate into the vitreous in response to an infection or autoimmune condition.
- Vitreous haemorrhage, a condition when bleeding takes place in the vitreous of the eye
- Posterior vitreous detachment is a condition when the posterior layer of vitreous gel close to the retina collapses due to central age-related liquefaction of the vitreous core; as per AAO, eye floaters happen more often with this condition.
- Retinal tears or breaks occur due to such vitreous detachments.
Treatment Options
As floaters are a symptom of an underlying disease, treating the underlying disease will decrease floaters, says Dr Kamath.
He notes that if it is an age-related change, usually no intervention is needed.
However, in some cases, if symptoms are extremely troublesome, removing the vitreous gel, which is the main cause of floaters, by a surgery called vitrectomy or floaterectomy may be done, the doctor adds, concluding that floaters are a common, mild, painless, and frequently overlooked symptom of eye diseases. Being aware and visiting an ophthalmologist for a regular check-up may help prevent it in the early stages.