Causes of eye floaters

Floaters in the eye appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. While some of the people see it as tiny specks there are others who see larger floaters appearing in their field of vision all the time. Sometimes, they also take the form of cobwebs or fine lines. In some case, they only appear in one part of the eye while the other remains free of floaters.

So what is the real cause behind these floaters? And can they actually be prevented? Let us try to find answers to some of these questions through this short piece of article.

When it comes to the causes of floaters, they can actually be categorized into two main categories:
•    Posterior vitreous detachment: In this case, the vitreous humor gets detached from the back of the eye ball called retina and leaves behind certain debris, which then appear in the form of floaters in the field of vision.

•    Syneresis: It is that part of the eye where protein collagen gets deposited in clumps due to its thickening over a period of time, due to a variety of reasons, age being one of the factors. This shrinkage of vitreous humor and its transformation into fluid leads to the thickening of protein strands, which then get clumped up together and cast a shadow on the retina. These shadows then appear in the field of vision as different types of structures floating in front of our eyes.

The unfortunate part about these floaters is that they cannot be prevent, as they usually result due to ageing, which in itself is an irreversible process.

There are a few other causes of floaters in the eyes, some of which are much more serious than the ones mentioned above. For instance, a vitreous hemorrhage can also cause floaters. This is a case where blood enters the vitreous humor due to hemorrhage. If only tiny droplets of blood enter the vitreous, then one would see tiny specks in the field of his or her vision. However, if the blood enter in large amounts then it can severely affect the patient’s visibility. In such a scenario, one should rush to the nearest eye specialist and get this condition treated. Else it could easily impair his vision permanently.

Some other causes of floaters include inflammation, retinal detachments and diabetic retinopathy among others.

So if you are experiencing this problem, then get your eyes tested before it is too late.