Everything you need to know about eye floaters

Have you ever noticed tiny particles in your field of vision and wondered what they are? The answer is vitreous floaters, commonly referred to as “eye floaters.” Read on to find out what causes floaters, treatments available, and when to be concerned about them.

Are you seeing eye floaters?

Eye floaters are those little spots in your line of sight that look like particles. Their scientific term is called “muscae volitantes” which is Latin for “flying flies,” a term that accurately describes this condition. If you’re seeing eye floaters, you may think you have some dust in your eye, but, in fact, eye floaters come from inside your eye.

While they manifest differently in every pair of eyes, people generally see the same thing: grey dots, cobwebs, and squiggly lines—in some cases, they can even look like concentric rings. Not sure if what you’re seeing is an eye floater? Try looking at a bare wall or a blue sky on a clear day. If little specks start to dance across your eyes, then you may have eye floaters.

What causes eye floaters?

Eye floaters are typically the result of age-related changes that occur in the eye’s vitreous body. The vitreous body is a clear gel that occupies the space between the eye’s natural lens and the retina; it makes up about 80% of the eye itself and helps it maintain its spherical shape. You might sometimes see it referred to as the vitreous humour or even just the “vitreous”.

Your vitreous body plays an important role in the function of vision. With age, its functionality diminishes because the gel starts to shrink, causing the fibres of the vitreous to clump up. This usually starts in one’s 40s and continues through ages 50 to 75. The floaters that you see are actually the shadows of these clumps cast onto the retina, and not physical substances on the surface of your eye.

Eye floater treatments

Sometimes eye floaters are very small and few in numbers; these can disappear after six months or so, without any intervention. If you’re living with persistent eye floaters, there are some steps you can take to help calm the symptoms.

• Massaging your temples or eye exercises: by generating heat or doing eye exercises like moving your eyes in circles, you may be able to stave off some stubborn floaters.
• Cutting back on screen time.
• Eating anti-oxidant rich foods: foods like blueberries, kale, oranges, or strawberries might help remedy eye floaters.
• Eating taurine-rich foods: Foods like meat and seafood contain an amino acid called taurine. Whether you take it in supplement-form or from food, this nutrient may help with your eye floaters. Taurine is often found in energy drinks—but many health professionals say that this isn’t the best way to get taurine, as these types of drinks aren’t the healthiest option.
• In rare cases, a procedure called a vitrectomy may be performed; this is when some, or all of the vitreous is removed.

If you have eye floaters that are very bothersome, you should consult with an eye care professional before determining which course of action is best for you.

When to worry about eye floaters

Eye floaters are typically harmless but in some cases, they can signal more serious issues at hand:

• Retinal tears and detachment: Eye floaters may signal retinal detachment, perhaps one of the biggest concerns linked to floaters and flashes of light that won’t go away. Retinal detachment can lead to significant damage and vision loss, so you’ll want to get this checked out as soon as possible.
• Sarcoidosis: This inflammatory disease can affect many organs, including the eyes. Sarcoidosis triggers heightened immunity, which then damages the body’s tissue. If sarcoidosis is present, it can target the eyes in different ways such as dry eyes, burning, blurry vision, or eye floaters.
• Tuberculosis: Though tuberculosis is rare, it can cause a variety of symptoms which includes eye floaters.
• Diabetic retinopathy: New floaters found in the eye can be caused by a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Make sure you tell your eye care professional if you have diabetes.

If you are under the age of 16, you should also consult an eye care professional as floaters are not common at such a young age. Furthermore, talk to your doctor if, at any age, you notice a sudden increase in floaters, that they are persisting, or if you have eye floaters accompanied by other types of conditions (such as migraines).

Am I still a candidate for LASIK even if I have eye floaters?

Yes! Eye floaters won’t get in the way of you getting LASIK. However, if you’re planning on getting a vision correction procedure, you should know that doing so will not get rid of any eye floaters. However, a vision correction procedure can help you correct eye conditions like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.