Vitreous floaters (expertly cloudy in the vitreous) usually appear as dark, moving dots, threads, streaks, cobwebs or thick clouds in front of your eyes. Vitreous floaters, although troublesome, do not pose a risk of blindness, but they can coexist with eye diseases which, if left untreated, can lead to such a condition. What are the causes of vitreous floaters? What is the treatment of this condition? Can floaters be removed?

Vitreous floatersis a colloquial term forvitreous opacities(myodesopsia) - a condition the essence of which is the pathology of the vitreous gel filling the eye , consisting in the formation of clusters of collagen fibers.

Vitreous floaters - causes

The most common cause of floaters is the aging process of the vitreous body of the eye. Thick vitreous jelly begins to dissolve with age, and the inside of the eyeball becomes filled with debris and debris that may be in the path of the light beam passing through the eye. This casts a shadow on the retina and makes floaters more visible. Another cause of floaters can be the degenerative processes of the vitreous body, which lead to changes in the structure of its collagen fibers. Floaters can also be a consequence of a hemorrhage, most often in the course of diabetic retinopathy, hypertension, wet AMD, or as a result of an eye injury. Other causes can be inflammation of the eye, teeth and other places inside the body.

CHECK>>What diseases can floaters in the eye floater indicate?

Vitreous floaters - symptoms

Vitreous floaters are seen as multi-shaped shadows in the vitreous body of the eye - usually in the form of dark spots, threads, streaks, cobwebs, dense clouds, rims, lint, worms - with irregular structure or edges, with any degree of mobility. transparency, density, thickness, which move under the influence of eye movements. If you want to look at them directly, they get out of sight.

Floats are most often noticeable when looking at a bright background (e.g. blue sky, snow, computer monitor), in bright, lit rooms or sunny days. Then the picture becomesblurred, blurred, it is seen "through foil" or through "smoke".

Important

Vitreous floaters - when to see a doctor immediately?

Vitreous floaters are normal if they appear sporadically and in small amounts. However, if they appear more and more often and their number increases and they are additionally accompanied by flashes - pulses or streaks of light, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. This condition may indicate vitreous detachment, retinal detachment or rupture, or vitreous bleeding.

Vitreous floaters - treatment. Removal of vitreous floaters

Most floaters do not require treatment as they only interfere with your vision temporarily. Rolling your eyes several times up and down and to the sides usually dislodges the plaque and solves the problem.

However, at times, floaters can become so numerous and troublesome that it interferes with your vision. In these rare cases, your doctor may recommend one of several methods to remove them.

Vitreous floaters can be treated with eye drops containing potassium iodide or enhancing vision or blood vessels (so-called victerolysis), or with ionopheresis, i.e. by applying electrodes to the eyeballs through gauze soaked in potassium iodide.

One method of removing floaters is alsovitrectomy . It is an invasive method of removing vitreous floaters, but it only applies to more serious cases and carries the risk of complications such as glaucoma, cataracts, eye infections, and retinal detachment. However, it is the most effective treatment for floaters.

A non-invasive method to get rid of floaters islaser vitreolysis of vitreous opacities . During the treatment, the laser beam hits the turbidity and evaporates them. However, this procedure is ineffective on moving muds and is very time consuming.

Vitreous floaters

Vitreous floaters usually appear as dark, moving dots, threads, streaks, cobwebs, or thick clouds in front of the eyes. What are the causes of vitreous floaters? What is the treatment of this condition? Can floaters be removed? Listen to our drug expert. MD Marta Pietruszyńska from the LIBERMEDIC Clinic.

Category:

Eye diseases and vision disorders