Inside, if you're working at a computer, it's a little bit more tricky. So outside, something that you can do is wear sunglasses. So a lot of times when you're looking at a computer, when you're reading, when you're driving on bright, sunny days. Usually, they'll come up when you're looking at bright backgrounds. Either your brain will start to filter out the floater or gravity will actually bring it down in the eye, so it's not in your visual axis. if you get a new floater, it usually goes away with time. Zaugg: Well, generally speaking, they do decrease with time. Interviewer:And is there anything that you can do about, first of all, the annoying floaters?ĭr. But generally, as long as the floaters are the same old floaters, I'm fine? So getting a complete eye exam by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist can help to distinguish if it's a more serious eye condition. Sometimes you have no symptoms other than the floater. So those are times when you really want to get an eye exam to really determine, because you're not going to know for sure if you're having a retinal tear or detachment. Zaugg: So if you're over the age of 50 and you're getting a lot of new floaters, then you're a little bit more worried about it, because you're getting the complete collapse or separation of the vitreous from the retina, and it can pull the retina with it. Zaugg: It's more common the older you get. How often does it get into that serious world, generally?ĭr. Interviewer: But with some of those other symptoms you mentioned, then that can be an indication of a more serious issue? Interviewer: So if I understand correctly, floaters on their own without other symptoms just are part of life. That could mean that the retina has folded over on itself and it's detaching, and that can mean that you're having a more serious complication from floaters. The other thing that's really bad with floaters is if you have a dark curtain blocking part of your peripheral vision. So if something stimulates it, it sends a message back to the brain that you saw light. So if you have flashing lights, that can mean that there's some tugging or mechanical motion that's happening to the retina. If you have a retinal detachment or a tear in the retina, those can be, not life threatening, but vision threatening symptoms. A new floater can be a sign of, what we most commonly fear is a retinal detachment. There are definitely associated symptoms that you should pay attention to. Zaugg: So when you get new floaters, you should always be thinking about anything else that's going on with the eye. Is it something that I should really be worried about, beyond just an annoyance? Potential Ailments Associated with Floatersĭr. Zaugg: So when you get the new floaters coming in, they're very annoying, they're large, there's many of them, and then over time they usually do settle down. Zaugg: Well, it usually gets better after the initial onset of the floaters.ĭr. So it's not going to get any better on its own for me?ĭr. Interviewer: You might see more the older you get, as well? So they generally get more annoying the older you get if you get floaters. Where it's more tightly adherent as it pulls away from there, it creates larger floaters. It's kind of adherent to the retina in a few places. When it shrinks, it pulls away from the retina. As those floaters move around, they create a little shadowing on the retina, so the light can't get to the retina and it creates a floater-like symptom for you.Īs you get older, that vitreous continues to liquefy and as it liquefies, it actually shrinks. When you're younger, it'll liquefy a little bit and collapse on itself, and you'll get little floaters of proteins floating around in the surface inside the eye. So the vitreous is a gel-like substance in the back of the eye. Generally speaking, what they are is they're condensations of a part of the eye called the vitreous. I see a lot of patients who complain of floaters every day in my clinics. Floaters, you know, those things where you close your eyes and you see little squigglies moving around, or sometimes if you're looking into a bright light, you might see them? What's going on there and should I worry about them? First of all, what are they? What Are Floaters?ĭr. I know I have them, and I know some other people that have them. Brian Zaugg is an ophthalmologist at the Moran Eye Institute. Interviewer: Those little squiggles that move around in your eyes, I'm talking about floaters, is that something you should be concerned about, and is there anything that can be done about them? We'll find out next on The Scope.ĭr.
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