By EKalman November 28, 2022 - 7:58am

As you age, shapes known as eye floaters may start to emerge in your vision. Floaters are actually inside your eye, even if they appear to be in front of your eyes. In some severe cases, receiving treatment for eye floaters is necessary to improve your vision. Eye floaters can make particles in your field of vision seem.

When gazing at an empty wall, floor, or sky, you might experience eye floaters. The floaters move with your vision or seem to disappear quickly when you blink or move your eye to try to clear them away. It resembles having a camera lens covered in specks of dust or dirt.

In the vitreous, or jelly-like portion of the eye, floaters are collections of cells or gel. The vitreous shrinks and gets more liquid as you age. As a result, minute vitreous fibers clump together and cast shadows on your retina. Eye floaters are the shadows you see.

Eye floaters pass through the macula of the eye as they slowly move through the vitreous in your body. This is the retina's central region. You may see the minute particles once they have crossed the macula.

Other Causes of Floaters
Eye floaters typically start to appear as you age. There are some additional causes, though.

Retinal tear
Your retina may tear if the vitreous tugs on it too firmly. Retinal detachment may result from untreated retinal tears. The retina pulls away from the rear of your eye at this point. In order to prevent more issues, such as vision loss, this needs to be treated.

Bleeding in the eye
Floaters could result from blood in the eye. This is frequently connected to diabetes. Blood from the retina may enter the vitreous if diabetes is the root cause. Diabetic retinopathy is the name of the condition. As a result, you might perceive dark patches instead of just fuzzily defined objects or lines. Having routine vision exams is crucial if you have diabetes so that your retinopathy doesn't worsen.

Inflammation
Inflammation is a less frequent cause of vitreous floaters. Your eye may bulge as a result of uveitis, an inflammatory disorder of the eye. You get floaters due to this edema. To determine what is causing the inflammation, it is crucial to have your eyes examined.

Treatments for Eye Floaters
Your doctor will perform an eye examination if you notice floaters to make sure your retina is not injured. To keep a check on your vitreous, your doctor might also recommend that you get routine eye exams.

Mild floaters
You probably don't need therapy if the reason for your vitreous floaters is merely aging and they don't interfere with your vision. As the floaters settle at the bottom of your eye over time, they could start to fade in visibility. They persist, yet they may choose a location where you rarely notice them. There aren't any natural cures or therapies available for eye floaters yet.

Bothersome floaters
The most frequent therapy for floaters that impair everyday life or vision is a procedure called a vitrectomy. You undergo it as an outpatient treatment while you are sedated. People who have a lot of eye floaters that make it difficult to accomplish everyday tasks like reading or driving a car are advised to get this procedure. ‌

People are only advised to have vitrectomies when eye floaters significantly reduce their quality of life. Your doctor will perform a risky procedure to remove the vitreous, which involves making tiny incisions in your eye. Your doctor will then insert an artificial vitreous solution into your eye to replace it.

Laser surgery is a different approach to treating eye floaters that is still in its infancy. This treatment aims to reduce large floaters into tiny fragments such that they are undetectable. This method is currently being tested to determine its safety and efficacy. Although some medical professionals will try laser surgery, it hasn't yet gained widespread acceptance.