Eye Clinic Tokyo has prepared content that will help you to understand various eye diseases.
This time, it’s about floaters.
■Floaters
【Causes・Disease】
Floaters are a state in which patients can see something like a black bug moving while looking at something. Black bug-like things come in different shapes and sizes, and sometimes they may drift about when patients move their eyes.
Symptoms appear at different ages. Some patients become aware of symptoms in their 20s. The causes of floaters are divided into physiological and eye diseases.
Floaters, which occur due to physiological causes, are closely related to the structure of the eye.
The eye is filled with a transparent jelly-like substance called vitreous, the composition of vitreous changes over time, and some of it can be wrinkled. This part will get cloudy and can cast ting shadows on your retina. The shadows patients see are called floaters.
In addition, when the vitreous atrophies with age, the back of vitreous may be detached from the retina, and the detached part looks like a black spot.
Typical eye diseases that cause floaters include retinal tear and retinal detachment.
【Symptoms】
When patients look at bright places, white walls, or blue sky, they may see mosquitoes, small insects or lint flying in front of their eyes, and they may also move when patients move their eyes. They won’t disappear even if patients blink their eyes or rub their eyes, but the floaters don’t bother in the dark place.
【Treatment】
If the floaters are caused by physiological reasons, there is no need for special treatment.
However, if the floaters are caused by eye diseases such as retinal detachment, treatment is urgently needed. If you have any of the following symptoms, please go to an eye clinic.
・A sudden increase in the amount and range of black spots.
・Suddenly see lightning-like light in the dark places
・Sudden vision decline
・Part vision loss
【Summary】
Floaters generally do not cause pain or vision decline. Usually, floaters are mind symptoms and do not need treatment. It is recommended to follow up the degree without treatment. When floaters begin to appear, many patients may be worried about the symptoms, but as people get used to the vision, most people won’t care about it.
However, floaters can also be caused by eye diseases such as retinal detachment, please go to see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.