Floaters Eye

Floaters

The small specks or ‘bugs’ thatmany people see moving in their field of vision are called floaters. They are frequently visible when looking at a plain background, such as a blank wall or blue sky. Floaters were described long ago, during Roman times, as flying flies (muscae volitantes).

Floaters are small clumps of gel that form in the vitreous, the clear jelly-like fluid that fills the inside cavity of the eye. Although they appear to be in front of the eye, they are actually floating in the fluid inside the eye and are seen as shadows by the retina (the light-seeing inner layer of the eye).

The appearance of floaters, whether in the form of little dots, circles, lines or cobwebs, may cause much concern, especially if they develop suddenly; however, they are usually of little importance and represent an ageing process. The vitreous gel shrinks with time, pulls away from the retina and causes floaters. This is especially common in near-sighted people or after a cataract operation.

Are Floaters Serious?

As the vitreous gel pulls away, the retina may be torn, 50metimes causing small amount of bleeding in the eye which may appear as a group of new floaters. If this tear becomes a retinal detachment it can be serious. Uncommonly, floaters result from inflammation within the eye from crystal-like deposits which form in the vitreous gel.

Without examination by an ophthalmologist, there is no way for you to determine whether the floaters are serious. A sudden onset of new floaters or flashes of light should be evaluated by the eye specialist.

What can be done about Floaters?

Floaters may sometimes interfere with clear vision, for instance, while reading, and can be quite annoying. If a floater appears directly in your line of vision, the best thing to do is to move your eyes around, which will cause the inside fluid to swirl and allow the floater to move out of the way. We are most accustomed to moving our eyes back and forth, but looking up and down will cause different currents within the eye and may be more effective in getting the floaters out of the way.