“What causes eye floaters?”
My wife keeps complaining about eye floaters. The ophthalmologist said that it is a normal phenomenon, but they seem to be occurring more often. What could be the reason behind these eye floaters?
8 Answers
The material inside your eyes is called the vitreous. The vitreous is a jelly-like substance that becomes more liquid as you age. When this happens, the microscopic collagen fibers within the vitreous tend to clump together. This debris cast tiny shadows onto your retina, and you perceive these shadows as eye floaters. The brain can over time ignore the shadows and sometimes the shadows will float down with gravity. If the vision becomes blurry or if you see something flapping in your vision or waterfalls in your vision or missing parts of your vision then get your eyes examined immediately.
The gel in your eye tends to clump together a little through the aging process. Nothing to be concerned about unless you experience flashes.
The jelly inside the eye known as the vitreous typically may break down to water and protein fibrils.
“Normal” Floaters are common and can come more frequently with UV exposure. If the eyes are irritated, you tend to see them more. Wearing sunglasses with UV protection and putting in lubricant eye drops regularly is helpful.
The vitreous of the eye is a jelly like viscous fluid composed of hyaluronic acid. Floaters can be caused by fluid imbalances in the vitreous, a lifetime of exposure to ultraviolet light and heat trauma. Floaters, so long as they truly "float around' and do not attach to the retina are benign. Because of the miniscule convection flow due to the temperature gradients of the fluid in the eye, gravity and head motion the floaters will drift in and out of your line of sight. They are most visible looking at a uniform color ceiling, sky of computer screen. You ay as well give them names and call them pets, because they will remain with you in some form always after they appear.
Floaters are a cause for concern when noticing 1) a sudden increase in size or number of floaters, 2) a flash of light or flashes of light preceding the sudden change in floaters, and/or 3) a curtain over your vision. Common causes are age, trauma, surgery, extreme activities (i.e. kickboxing, skydiving, bungee jumping, etc). When the eye doctor dilates your eyes, they are rulling out any retinal holes, tears or breaks.
Posterior vitreous detachment ! This makes the gel like fluid in the back of the eye become thinner out , hence floaters are seen . Patients should be educated about signs and symptoms of retinal detachment and monitored yearly with dilated fungus exams
Philip Michael Taunton
Optometrist
Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cells inside
the vitreous that fills your wife’s eye.
What she sees are the shadows these clumps cast on her retina.
the vitreous that fills your wife’s eye.
What she sees are the shadows these clumps cast on her retina.
