Eye Floaters - Causes, Symptoms and Medical Attention

What is Eye Floater?

Eye floater is actually an image formed by a deposit of protein drifting about in the vitreous, the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the middle of the eye. It comes and keeps moving in front of the eye, but it does not block vision.

What causes eye-floaters?

The floater is a result of debris from the vitreous casting a shadow on the retina. As we age, the vitreous and its millions of fine collagen fibers shrink and become shred-like. Shreds can accumulate in the vitreous. This can cause a change in the amount of light that hits the retina. This change causes the symptoms of eye floaters. It is described by people as spots, strands, or little flies. Rarely, floaters are caused from a separation of the vitreous gel from the retina, called posterior vitreous detachment. This is generally not a serious condition. But it can be if it is interrupting in vision and there are more numbers of floaters in the eye . Generally, floaters in the eye occur between age of 50 and 75. Especially people, who are very nearsighted or have had cataract surgery, can get floaters in eye, but it is not restricted to it. They can appear or happen at any age. Also, occasionally they can result from other eye surgery or eye disease, eye injury. Some health and medical conditions can be associated with them too, like diabetic retinopathy and crystal-like deposits that form in the vitreous and eye tumors such as lymphoma.

Eye disorders associated with eye floaters

There can serious eye-disorders coupled with eye-floaters like, Retinal detachment, Retinal tear, Vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding) and Vitreous and retinal inflammation caused by viral infections, fungal infections, or auto-immune inflammation. There can be eye tumors as well. For information, there is a unique form of eye floaters which is linked with the visual aura of migraine headaches.

Need of Medical Attention for Eye Floaters

You must see a doctor and seek a medical attention to treat eye floaters in the eye, if they seem to worsen over time, especially if the changes are sudden in onset. You might experience flashes of light or any vision loss accompanied by eye floaters then it is a call that you need to go to see a doctor. If you find eye floaters are developed after any eye surgery or eye trauma, you have just undergone. You need a medical attention if you have eye pain along with eye floaters.