What Causes Eye Floaters?

Seeing dots or lines in your vision can be concerning for some people. Your vision is precious so anything new occurring can be a cause for worry. However, dots or lines (otherwise known as eye floaters) are incredibly common. 

What are Eye Floaters?

Eye floaters are simply spots in your vision. They can take a variety of appearances, sometimes looking like strings or lines, rings, cobwebs, or even like black or grey specks. They’re mainly noticeable when you look at a clear sky, blank wall, or blank piece of paper.[1]

They’re caused by aqueous humour and vitreous humour. The aqueous humour flows in and out of the eye to keep the proper ocular pressure in your eye. It’s a water like fluid that keeps your eye inflated and provides nourishment. The vitreous humour is the transparent, gelatinous tissue that fills the eyeball behind the lens and provides the nutrients you need to keep your eye in shape. [2]

When this humour goes through posterior vitreous detachment (when the vitreous pulls on the retina creating tension), it solidifies, causing the appearance of floaters as they pass in front of the macula.[1] Eye floaters are essentially the shadows these fibres cast on the retina and they’re usually harmless. [3]

However, just because they’re harmless and often a natural part of the aging process doesn’t mean they can’t interfere with your quality of life and cause issues.

Flashes of Light in your Eye

If you struggle from floaters, you may also notice flashes of light in your vision. It’s often described as ‘seeing stars’ and it may appear like sparkles, prisms, or streaks of light.[4] This is something known as Photopsias. This is often caused by migraine headaches, eye trauma, traumatic brain injury, retinal detachment, or other medical conditions. However, it’s also a common party of the aging process so it may not be a cause for concern.[5]

Are Eye Floaters Serious?

While Eye Floaters aren’t always a sign of something serious, they can cause problems and indicate further issues. You should speak to your doctor if your floaters are starting to affect your vision as they may need to be investigated and a treatment may need to be advised to help you see more clearly.

Additionally, to assess your current eye health and see if your vision is impaired, you should notify your doctor or optician if:

You are experiencing more eye floaters or eye flashes than usual
Your eye floaters are appearing more suddenly
You are also experiencing Photopsias in the same eye
You have darkness in the sides of your vision (peripheral vision loss)[6]
Eye floaters can be linked to serious conditions such a retinal detachment which can lead to permanent vision loss if it isn’t diagnosed and treated so you should monitor your symptoms carefully and make your doctor aware if anything changes.[7]

What Causes Eye Floaters?

There are various conditions that can be linked to eye floaters, but the most common cause is aging.

Aging and eye floaters

Your body and your eyes go through significant changes when you age. This is a normal part of life, and for many people, they’ll experience the onset of disorders such as Dry Eye Disease that can be managed due to the fluctuations of hormones in their body.

Eye floaters are primarily caused by the vitreous in the eyes clumping and forming strings, casting shadows on your retina. This happens due to the vitreous consisting largely of collagen and hyaluronan which can change as you age, often liquifying which causes the vitreous to pull away from the eyeballs surface.[8]

Other Causes of Eye Floaters and Eye Flashes

As we’ve discussed there can be many things that cause this condition to appear. Bleeding in the eye, such as from an injury like retinal detachment, or a medical condition such as diabetes, blocked blood vessels, and high blood pressure can cause floaters as blood cells appear across the vision.

Additionally, many diseases can cause inflammation in the back of the eye, creating floaters in the vitreous. Torn retinas can lead to retinal detachment which can be permanent if not treated and may first appear as floaters.[9]

Finally, certain eye surgeries and medians can cause eye floaters as bubbles appear when medication or silicone oil is injected into the eye.[8]

Is There a Link Between Dry Eye Disease and Floaters?

Many people may report suffering simultaneously from Dry Eye Disease and Eye floaters, but is there a link between the two ocular conditions? Medical experts don’t believe there is, but as age is a primary factor in both conditions, it’s common for people of a certain age demographic to suffer from both. [10]

The treatment for the two conditions is often extremely different but it’s important to observe your symptoms for both of them and inform a medical professional if they’re impacting your vision or quality of life.

Is There a Link Between Cataracts and Eye Floaters?

Another common eye condition that many people may find themselves struggling with at a certain age is cataracts. They’re the leading cause of vision loss in individuals over the age of 40. [11] However, other than the conditions often both increasing with age there’s little link between cataracts and eye floaters. Cataracts affect a different area of the eye than floaters as cataracts build on the lens while floaters develop in the posterior of the eye.

While not a causational link, after cataract surgery is often when patients may start reporting eye floaters. When patients go through cataract surgery to remove the cataracts and restore vision in their eyes, they may notice floaters. This is due to vision improving and the patient being able to notice more small imperfections in their sight – like floaters.[11] Another link between floaters and cataract surgery is the vitreous shifting during the procedure, meaning patients may notice floaters once their vision is repaired. This is usually temporary as the lose cells that have been dislodged will settle. [12]

Suffering from floaters should not disqualify a patient from undergoing cataract surgery, however if you are experiencing this vision condition, doctors will want to determine the cause for the floaters before surgery. This is due to the fact retinal problems such as retinal tears can cause the appearance of eye floaters and could lead to further issues with your vision.

How Can I Get Rid of Floaters in the Eye?

There are treatments for eye floaters than can improve your vision, however often it’s not necessary. Eye floaters can go away over time as your brain adjusts to their presence. This is similar to your nose being in your line of site, but our brains have become so used to its presence that most people don’t see their nose in their vision unless they choose to pay attention to it.[13]

If your eye floaters are particular dark or large and are impacting your vision, you can seek YAG Laser Treatment (Vitreolysis). This procedure can break up floaters using lasers, moving them to the edge of your eye so you’re less likely to notice them. [14]

A surgery called a vitrectomy is also available. This operation removes floaters and vitreous debris, but it carries many risks including retinal tears, cataract formation, and even vision loss.[15]

An option to help provide relief from those suffering from eye floaters is VISUfly®, a specially formulated food supplement. With active ingredients such as papain, glutathione, ficain, and bromelain, it’s able to protect cells against oxidative stress. Plus, in easy sachets, it can be taken with your breakfast just once a day. If you’d like to purchase VISUfly® you can visit this link.

Eye floaters can become bothersome and cause stress in your life, but you don’t have to suffer in silence. There’s help and support for the people who need it. For more information about eye health and conditions, you can read further articles on your blog.

References

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