Floaters are little “specks” or dots that float about in your field of vision. They appear as small thread- like strands, spots or squiggly lines. They move as your eye moves and seem to dart away as you try to focus on them directly. Usually they drift away when your eyes stop moving. They are generally ignored until they become numerous or more prominent. Floaters can become more apparent when you look at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky.
Floaters are clumps of protein. They are harmless in nature but can be annoying. There are ways to prevent them through proper diet.
What causes floaters?
- They are the by-product of cells that remain in the vitreous humor after birth and float around when the vitreous becomes more liquefied in later stages of life.
- They are commonly found in people with food allergies and candidiasis and also in nearsighted people. The highest rate of complaints of floaters is found in people who are over the age of 70.
- Some floaters can be caused by little bits of proteins trapped within the eye during pregnancy.
- Trauma to the eye or breakdown of the vitreous humour may also cause floaters. They remain in the eye for a long time before they disappear gradually.
- Most floaters are age related because degenerative changes of the vitreous humour or retina takes place over a period of time. It finally results in the release of connective tissue (protein) into the vitreous humor.
- According to Chinese Medicine, floaters are an indication of liver, colon and kidney congestion.
- Finally, there is a strong belief that chronic stress in one’s life may also lead to the formation of floaters. So, a daily routine of relaxation and medication is very important.
Conventional Treatment
Specific treatments are not available for treating this condition. In severe cases, the doctor may consider doing a vitrectomy. It involves removal of the vitreous fluid and replacing it with an artificial gel.
Few doctors perform laser surgery for floaters, but one of the major concern is the location of the spots in the vitreous fluid. This procedure has not been accepted yet by the medical community,probably due to the associated risk.
