Thankfully, that bit of sleep is easily removed. But what about the specks that move in and out of our line of sight and disappear as we try to look towards them? Well, these specks are known as floaters or eye floaters.
Floaters in your eye are very common and often harmless. They’re a natural part of ageing and our eyes changing. More often than not, you get used to them. However, if you notice an increase in eye floaters or eye flashes, we recommend booking an appointment with your optician.
What are Floaters in the Eye?
Floaters are shapes, dots and wiggly lines that drift in and out of your vision. They are shadows caused by fibre clumps within the vitreous liquid within your eye. This liquid sits between the eye lens and the retina. As light enters the eye and hits the retina to reflect the image you see, these moving fibre clumps within the vitreous disrupt your line of sight and cast shadows. Medically, these shadows are referred to as myodesopsias. To everyone else, they’re known as floaters. They’re often grey or black in colour and can appear as dots, lines, rings, cobweb-shaped or occasionally as flashes of light.
What Causes Floaters?
Floaters are a normal side-effect of ageing. That’s why they’re more common in older people. The cause of floaters is due to an occurrence within your eye called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). This is a painless process where the gel-like substance (known as vitreous humour fluid) inside your eye thickens and creates tension on the retina. This results in the fibres in the vitreous hardening and clumping together to develop floaters.
Occasionally, floaters can be linked to retinal detachment, leading to more serious eye issues. If you’re in pain or notice floaters after recent eye surgery, we recommend contacting an optician or 111 straightaway.
What Do Floaters Look Like?
Floaters usually appear as small shapes in your vision, such as dots and wiggly lines. They often appear like a floating string or cobweb. Floaters are more obvious when looking at a plain, bright background. To identify an eye floater, you’ll notice that as you try to focus on it, it moves away. Eventually, it becomes unnoticeable and drifts out of sight.
How Can You Treat Eye Floaters?
Eye floaters don’t tend to require treatment. Floaters are a natural part of ageing and shouldn’t cause any pain, discomfort or serious visual implications. At first, they can be frustrating, but it shouldn’t take too long to get used to them, and you’ll quickly start to ignore them.
If you find eye floaters are causing problems with your sight, there are two treatment methods available:
Surgery to remove eye floaters
A vitrectomy is a procedure that involves removing the vitreous within your eye and replacing it with a solution that maintains the shape and function of your eye. This is not a permanent treatment, as floaters can return.
Laser to break up eye floaters
Laser surgery can be used to disrupt and break up the fibre clumps in your eye that create eye floaters. This may help improve vision in the short term, but there is always the risk that floaters will reform.
Can I Wear Contact Lenses if I Have Eye Floaters?
If you’re experiencing eye floaters, wearing contact lenses won’t have a positive or negative impact on floaters. Contact lenses sit on the outside lens of your eye, replacing the need to wear glasses. Floaters occur on the inside of your eye, within the vitreous gel. You can continue to wear your prescribed contact lenses, but you may still experience floaters whilst wearing them.
When to Seek Help?
If you notice a more consistent number of floaters, we recommend seeing your optician. Furthermore, if you feel your vision has deteriorated or become blurry or are in pain or discomfort, we recommend seeking medical help. Regular eye checks are always worthwhile to ensure you’re wearing the correct prescription lenses and to share any concerns about your vision with an expert.
