THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT EYE FLOATERS

Do you ever wonder why you see some stringy gray shadows floating about your line of vision? Do these “unknowns” impede with your clear sight? Do these floating “cobwebs” bother you and affect your normal vision? Most important of all, what are these things that you see floating about your field of sight?

These are called “eye floaters”. Eye floaters are actually shadows created by some interior eye conditions. As people get older, our bodies change too. As in our eyes, the vitreous humor (the gel-like substance that keeps our eye shape) of our eyes tends to partially liquefy and contract. As it contracts, it tends to pull away from the interior of our eyeballs. The contracting vitreous sags and clumps together to form “strings” which blocks the light that our eyes capture. This whole process causes the shadows that we see as floating specks.

For most people, the occurrence of eye floaters is gradual. Many even do not notice it. It is more noticeable, though, if there is a sudden increase in the eye’s floaters that it already affects clear vision. Some also experience flashes of light although this is not always the case. According to some eye floater patients, the experience of having light flashes commonly last from 10 to 20 minutes. Some of these experiences may also be accompanied by light migraines.

In most cases, having a few eye floaters is generally not high risk. Many people who have eye floaters just tend to live with them as long as it does not significantly disturb their visions. Many just accept their existence as part of becoming old. In spite of the light flashes and rare migraines, people do not really feel much disturbed about these floaters.

Although painless and generally harmless, some eye floater patients still choose to have them removed. The floaters are removed by an eye surgical procedure called vitrectomy. This process involves the removal of the vitreous using a needle and replacing it with a saline solution. Some doctors, though, would not so easily recommend surgery since it can also be risky and might lead to other complications like detachment of the retina and cataracts. Also, the surgery would also not be an assurance of total removal of all floaters.