“I have a lot of floaters in my eyes. Will it make me blind?”
I have an eye floater problem. I'm 38 years old. Is it likely to make me blind?
11 Answers
Most common cause of floaters is shadows produced on the retina from vitreous opacities. The gel inside the eye (vitreous) can move around and cast shadows on the retina which appear as floaters in your vision. These will not cause blindness themselves but can be a warning sign of retinal damage such as a hole or tear which can lead to a retinal detachment. Floaters can also be caused by intraocular inflammation such as uveitis. A complete dilated eye exam is recommended.
Most floaters will not cause blindness. It is normal to see some floaters. However, if one notices an increase in floaters, they should have a thorough retinal exam to exclude potential problems like a retinal tear that need prompt treatment to prevent a retinal detachment. Bleeding in the eye and autoimmune diseases can cause increased floaters also.
If you had floaters in your eye for a long time, they will not create blindness. These are pigment that float in the gel inside after I called vitreous, they have no effect except being bothersome.
Lynette Venter
Ophthalmologist
not unless you develop a retinal detatchment
No, but sudden increases of the vitreous floaters may be a sign of intraocular bleeding or inflammation. Sudden increases in vitreous floaters may also be an indication of a retinal tear that could potentially lead to a retinal detachment. Because of the potential risks, see your eye doctor for a dilated eye examination.
I hate to sound like a broken record regarding evaluations, but the first step is to have an eye exam to see why at your you g age you have “floaters”. People who are extremely near sighted can experience floaters at an earlier age. There are inflammatory conditions as well as retinal issues that can cause floaters. There can be serious consequences to some of the causes of floaters. Fortunately most of the time they are benign even though they are annoying.
Shilpi Pradhan
Ophthalmologist
Floaters can be an emergency. The retina is the film of the eye which helps you see. If the jelly (vitreous) of the eye pulls on the retina (nerve tissue which sees light), you can see a flash of light. If it pulls too hard, it can tear the retina and cause you to see lots of floaters. A retinal tear/hole needs immediate diagnosis and treatment before if develops into a retinal detachment (a surgical emergency). If you have 1-2 floaters and they are not changing, you are probably fine but it's always a good idea to get a good dilated eye exam from your local eye doctor.
Most floaters are the result of the vitreous which is the jelly in the eye. When this vitreous begins to shrink and pull on the retina it leaves a shadow which are the floaters. You will not go blind but you should make an appointment with your ophthalmologist.
The 99% answer is no if you had them, but if they are new then a dilated retinal exam is Indicated especially if you had flashes of light or are a high myope or have other medical problems such as diabetes
Floaters, if recent and associated with light flashes, may have underlying retinal tears or early retinal detachment. See your eye surgeon ASAP.
Floaters may result from different causes. I would recommend seeing an eye doctor to determine the cause of your floaters and obtain a prognosis.
Frank Cao
Frank Cao
