Do you see specks, strings, or shadowy shapes wandering in your line of sight? If you do, you may have eye floaters.
While they seem to be in front of your eye, they’re actually floating inside. Eye floaters are often not a cause for concern, but sometimes, they can be a sign of an eye emergency.
Keep reading to learn more about whether eye floaters are dangerous.
What are Eye Floaters?
Eye floaters are small shapes that drift across your field of vision. They’re often visible when looking at something bright or plain, such as a white wall, blue sky, or blank paper.
Eye floaters develop when microscopic collagen fibers break down and clump in the vitreous humor, casting shadows on your retina. The vitreous humor is the clear gel-like fluid that fills the back of your eye.
Since eye floaters are inside the vitreous humor in your eye, they move as your eyes move and dart away whenever you look right at them. Eye floaters come in various shapes.
They may look like gray or black dots, tiny shadows, threadlike strands, cobwebs, rings, or squiggly lines and may be present in one or both eyes.
What Causes Eye Floaters?
Eye floaters tend to develop as you grow older. You’re also more likely to get eye floaters if you are nearsighted or have undergone cataract surgery.
Other causes of eye floaters include:
Inflammation
Inflammation or swelling in your eye, usually caused by an infection, can cause eye floaters to appear.
Vitreous Hemorrhage
A vitreous hemorrhage is when there’s bleeding inside the vitreous humor, which can be caused by various factors, including injury and diabetic retinopathy. Small amounts of blood in the vitreous can cause blurry vision, while large amounts can cause almost complete vision loss.
A large number of eye floaters could be a warning sign of vitreous hemorrhage. Vitreous hemorrhage requires urgent medical attention because it can lead to permanent vision loss.
Retinal Tear
A retinal tear is a hole or break in the retina that can happen when the vitreous pulls on your retina. You may suddenly see eye floaters if you have a retinal tear.
A torn retina is a serious eye condition that should be treated immediately. Otherwise, it may cause a retinal detachment, and you might lose your vision.
Retinal Detachment
A retinal detachment occurs when your retina is pulled away from its usual position. Symptoms of retinal detachment include the abrupt appearance of eye floaters.
A retinal detachment is a medical emergency that can lead to permanent and complete vision loss.
When Should You Worry About Eye Floaters?
There’s no cause for concern if you have a few eye floaters that don’t change with time. However, if you experience the following symptoms, contact your eye doctor or go to the emergency room immediately:
- A sudden onset of new eye floaters
- Eye pain
- Blurred vision
- Flashes of light
- Darkness in your side or peripheral vision
- Vision changes that come on quickly and worsen over time
Eye floaters combined with these symptoms could be warning signs of a more serious complication, such as a retinal tear or detachment that can cause vision loss.
Do you want to get to the root cause of your eye floaters? Schedule an appointment at Stahl Eyecare in Manhattan, NY, today!
