Understanding Eye Floaters: A Mere Speck or Serious Health Concern?
Irritating, distracting and disturbing, eye floaters are a common vision issue affecting approximately 70% of Americans. While these tiny specks and drifting spots are common with aging, in some cases, they can signal more serious problems.
In this article, we’ll cover what eye floaters are, why they occur and when to consult with your doctor.
What’s That Floating By?
A small transparent squiggle, a speck in the corner of your eye or a drifting spot across your vision, eye floaters, also known as vitreous floaters, can take many shapes. These irregular forms commonly appear as dark spots, squiggly lines and blurry patches. They are most noticeable when you’re looking at bright, plain backgrounds, like the sunny sky or your computer monitor.
Floaters develop inside the eye as you undergo age-related changes, causing the vitreous inside your eyes — a clear, gel-like substance that fills the space between the lens and retina — to liquify and contract. Collagen already present within the vitreous then begins to clump, forming strange shapes that cast tiny shadows on your retina; these shadows are known as floaters.
Floaters can also appear if you experience posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), a condition where the vitreous gel separates from the retina. This common age-related condition can cause floaters and flashes of light, also known as photopsias.
What’s Causing Your Floaters?
Age-related vision changes cause the majority of floaters, but they can also result from the following eye and health issues, according to EyeCare Associates:
· Eye inflammation, infections or injury – Severe inflammation, infections or injury can cause blood to enter the eye. When that occurs, the blood casts tiny shadows on the retina, causing floaters.
· Diabetes – Floaters are more common in people with diabetes who have developed eye-related complications, such as diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema. In these cases, the floaters are caused by damaged blood vessels in the eye.
· Migraine or headache – Ocular migraines are those that primarily affect the vision, resulting in visual disturbances that can include floaters before and after the migraine. It’s also believed that general migraines and headaches can cause floaters due to changes in blood flow to the brain.
· Severe cough – Have you ever coughed so hard you’ve seen “stars”? This is because strenuous coughing can put pressure on your eyes, stimulating the retina. It’s also possible to see floaters as a result of a heavy coughing fit.
When to Consult Your Doctor
For the vast majority of us, eye floaters are a normal, if somewhat irritating, part of aging. However, it’s essential to let your doctor know you have floaters, especially if you notice a sudden increase in new floaters or experience other vision changes. Signs to look out for to prevent vision loss include:
· Sudden flashes of light in your vision.
· Obscured vision, as if there’s a curtain in front of your eye.
· Dark shadows on the periphery of one or both sides of your vision.
· Eye pain or redness.
· New or worsening blurry vision.
Your ophthalmologist is a critical part of your care team, and the insights they provide regarding your eye health can help you identify emerging medical issues that may lead to eye-related complications, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and multiple sclerosis (MS). Regularly visiting your eye doctor can help you detect changes in your overall health and reduce the likelihood that your vision will be affected.
To get more valuable eye health insights, visit healthyvisionassociation.com/articles.
Articles in this newsletter are supposed to be informative, enlightening and helpful to you. While all information contained herein is meant to be completely factual, it is always subject to change. Articles are not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult your doctor regarding any concerns you have.
Benefits may not be available at all membership levels. For more information, or to upgrade your membership, please call 1.800.992.8044.