Floaters

What are floaters?

Floaters are spots that appear in your line of vision. They may look stringy or solid and seem to dart away whenever you move your eye. 

Floaters occur because of age-related changes in your eye. Over the years, your vitreous, a jelly-like substance inside your eye, begins to liquefy. Clumps of the vitreous break off over time, casting shadows on your retina and causing floaters.

What are the symptoms of floaters?

Symptoms of floaters include:

    • Small shapes in your vision that come and go
    • Spots that move when you move your eyes
    • Spots that are more noticeable when you look at a bright background
    • Small shapes or strings that float through your line of vision

As the condition worsens, the floaters might affect your ability to drive or do other routine activities.

What causes floaters?

Eye floaters occur for various reasons, including:

    • Age-related eye changes
    • Bleeding in the eye
    • Inflammation in the back of the eye
    • Torn retina
    • Certain eye medications

Though anyone can experience floaters, they’re especially common in people 50 and older.

How are floaters diagnosed?

To diagnose eye floaters, your Bronx Eye Associates provider reviews your medical records and asks about your symptoms, including when they started and what the floaters look like.

Next, they complete a comprehensive eye exam. Your provider dilates your pupils so they can see the back of your eyes (retina) and the vitreous. After identifying the cause of the eye floaters, your provider makes treatment recommendations.

How are eye floaters treated?

Treatment of eye floaters depends on the underlying cause and the severity of your symptoms. Mild floaters don’t always require treatment, but intervention is necessary if the floaters affect your vision or result from an underlying eye problem.

The team at Bronx Eye Associates might recommend:

Surgery to remove the vitreous

If you have lots of floaters that affect your vision and ability to drive, the team performs a vitrectomy. During treatment, your provider replaces the vitreous with a synthetic material that helps your eye maintain its shape. Surgery won’t necessarily remove all the floaters, but it can improve your vision.

Laser treatment to disrupt the floaters

If your symptoms are moderate but affect your quality of life, the team recommends laser treatment. During laser treatment, your provider uses targeted light energy to break up the clumps of vitreous in your eye, reducing the appearance of floaters.

Call Bronx Eye Associates to receive treatment for floaters today, or click the online booking feature.