Eye Floaters are grey spots, lines, cobwebs, or dots in your field of vision that usually seems to drift away when you try to look at them directly. This is caused by changes in a gel-like substance present in the posterior part of your eye called Vitreous. As your age progresses, this gel-like substance becomes more fluid and the microscopic fibres within the vitreous thickens; these fibres cast tiny shadows on your retina causing black/grey spots in your vision known as eye floaters.

Eye Floaters Symptoms:

• Grey spots or transparent strings of material appear in vision.
• The spot visibility is more prominent on plain bright backgrounds.
• With the movement of eyes, the spots also move and if you focus to look at them, the spots tend to drift away from the vision.

What are the possible cause of Eye Floaters?

Although there is no specific age when eye floaters can appear but over the age of 50, there is a high risk of developing them. Other than ageing, eye floaters can also be a symptom of an eye problem or an underlying health issue. Let’s see what causes them-

• Eye infection
• Retinal Detachment
• Inflammation in the back of the eye
• Near sightedness
• Eye surgery
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Cytomegalovirus retinitis
• Haemorrhage
• Eye tumors
• Migraine or Headache

How do you treat Eye Floaters?

Eye floaters don’t generally require treatment, in most cases they fade away on their own, or your vision adapts with them after some time, so you don’t notice them much. But if they get dense and start to impair you vision it’s better to consult an eye doctor.

Doctors usually suggest an eye surgery called Vitrectomy for eye floaters treatment. In this process the gel like Vitreous is removed from your eye through a small incision and is replaced with saline solution. After the surgery, your body again starts producing vitreous, which slowly replaces the new solution in your eye.

Vitrectomy is generally reserved for severe floaters cases, as it is a very complicated process that comes with its own set of risks. Although it is effective, it is still possible to again start developing eye floaters after the surgery.

Laser treatment is also an alternate option for removing floaters. In this process, doctors use lasers to break or dissolve eye floaters which makes them less noticeable. However, it is not preferred treatment as it can have a few side effects, and a through diagnosis is required to see if the person can go for the laser treatment or not. If the treatment is not done properly, there is a risk of damaging the retina as well. So it’s important to discuss all pros & cons with doctor beforehand.

Although, Eye floaters cannot be prevented but here are some general tips and practices to keep your eyes healthy:

• Get a comprehensive eye check up on a regular basis
• Maintain a healthy and nutritious diet
• Stay hydrated- drink more water
• Use sunglasses when outdoors or wear protective eyewear when required
• Give your eyes a break, every 20 mins while working on a computer

How Neera Eye Centre & Laser vision can help?

Given the complications of risk of the treatment, it is absolutely critical to have the right experts to handle it. Driven by the mission to provide the best eye care to all, Neera eye centre has a dedicated team of highly experienced Vitreo-retinal specialists who provide specialized eye care and honest clinical opinion. 

Neera eye centre has advanced surgical and diagnostic technology and best in class equipment to provide best care of the patients.