Eye floaters that hover and dart across your field of vision can be annoying. The dots, squiggles, and lines you see are actually shadows cast on your retina by strands or pieces of protein that compose the vitreous within the eyeball. Sometimes the vitreous fluid forms clumps large enough to cast those floating shadows.
Most of the time, eye floaters are normal and harmless. However, floaters can be a sign of an underlying problem. Read on to learn four reasons why you may experience eye floaters.
1. Natural Aging
As you age, so too do your eyes and the vitreous inside. This clear, thick fluid between the retina and the lens helps the eyeball to keep its shape and to allow light to pass through to the retina. Changes take place in the vitreous when you get older.
As the vitreous ages, it weakens and shrinks. Sometimes the vitreous contracts enough to pull away from the interior of the eyeball. More often, these changes within the vitreous cause the formation of clumps that take the shape of dots and lines. This thick tissue is enough to block light that passes through the eye and appear as floaters.
2. Vitreous Detachment
Sometimes vitreous fluid within the eye peels away slightly from the retina as it weakens and contracts. This tearing motion is called vitreous detachment. One of the most obvious signs of detachment is the sudden appearance of many new floaters in the affected eye as new strands of vitreous float free. Patients frequently experience a detachment in the opposite eye within a year of the first occurrence.
Most people experience vitreous detachment due to age, but other factors can force the vitreous to separate from the retina and create a sudden influx of floaters. Eye trauma, recent cataract surgery, and severe myopia can place you at risk of vitreous detachment.
3. Retinal Tear
More rarely, patients that experience a vitreous detachment are at risk of a retinal tear. Vitreous that pulls away more forcefully from the retina can create a tear in the delicate tissue. A torn retina can be a medical emergency because it can lead to a detached retina and vision loss.
Along with those new floaters, a torn retina can produce the illusion of light flashes. This phenomenon is a result of vitreous that tugs enough to disturb the retina.
Fortunately, those new floaters and flashes can alert you to the possibility of a retinal tear. Your eye doctor can check for tears or detachments within the vitreous surrounding the retina. They can recommend you visit a specialist like a retinologist if necessary.
4. Uveitis
Uveitis is inflammation in the eye caused by an immune response in your body when it tries to fight an infection. Uveitis most often affects the uvea of the eye but can impact other regions. The uvea is the middle portion of the eye that includes the iris and helps the lens to focus. The uvea connects the retina to the sclera, or whites of the eye.
With eye inflammation comes floaters as well as sensitivity to light, blurry vision, pain, and redness. You may develop uveitis if you have an autoimmune or inflammatory disorder like lupus or Crohn's disease. Other infections like syphilis or tuberculosis can induce inflammation in the eye. Eye injuries and surgeries also put you at risk for uveitis.
Untreated inflammation can complicate your eye health and lead to glaucoma, cataracts, and vision loss. Your ophthalmologist can examine your eyes if you experience floaters and rule out uveitis and other eye-related conditions.
Don't wait until more serious symptoms show up. Contact the caring professionals at Calvert Ophthalmology Center if you have concerns about eye floaters that hang around your vision.
