4 Conditions Linked with Eye Floaters

Eye floaters are a real nuisance, especially when you can't seem to kick them from your sight. However, they're primarily annoying and don't lead to further issues.

If eye floaters affect your vision or cause other concerning symptoms, you should seek treatment at Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge for an evaluation.

Four experienced ophthalmologists lead our team, offering general eye exams, diabetic eye care, and treatments for retinal diseases and other eye issues.

Understanding eye floaters

Eye floaters are small clumps or dots that appear in your vision when looking at a blank background. They sometimes occur with flashes in your visual field. The medical term for floaters is miodesopsias.

The symptoms of eye floaters involve seeing spots or dots in your sight that may obstruct vision. Other signs of floaters include:

• Tiny shapes in your field of vision
• What looks like floating strings
• Dark spots that move with your eyes
• Seeing spots when looking at a plain background
• Tiny strings or shapes that move out of your sight

Floaters happen when the vitreous humor, or gel-like substance in the middle of the eye, lifts, creating tension in the retina. This occurrence happens with age but often leads to floaters, a nuisance to many people.

Four conditions that cause floaters

People experience floaters for various reasons, most of which aren't concerning. You could see floaters from looking at a light for too long, or they may appear after an eye injury. Other prevalent causes of floaters include:

1. Uveitis

Uveitis is swelling of the middle portion of the eye. It can occur for many reasons, including injuries, autoimmune disorders, and infections. Other symptoms of uveitis include eye redness, pain, and blurred vision.

2. Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy causes blood vessel damage in the retina. Because that area affects light sensitivity, floaters often develop in diabetic retinopathy patients. Bleeding within the eye from the damaged blood vessels also contributes to floaters.

3. Infections

Certain eye infections contribute to the development of floaters in some people. Herpes of the eye, toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus all contribute to eye floaters.

4. Retinal detachment

Retinal detachment is a serious condition when the retina moves from its normal position. It's responsible for light sensitivity and leads to permanent vision loss if you don't seek treatment promptly.

How do I eliminate floaters?

Floaters are a nuisance, but they aren't usually a problem that requires treatment. In most cases, we monitor your eyes through regular eye exams to ensure no other issues arise.

We usually take the watch-and-wait approach to floaters. Although annoying, most people learn to live with them and eventually see fewer of them.

There’s a surgical option for severe floaters, but it comes with risks. Surgery to remove floaters is called a vitrectomy, but we reserve it for severe eye floaters that negatively impact your vision.

You should seek treatment immediately if you notice a significant change in floaters or see multiple showers of floaters. This could signal a retinal detachment, an emergency requiring immediate treatment.

Call us at Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge today to make an appointment for floaters, or click here to book online.