Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
"I am a 45 year old female who began to have major floaters about 5 years ago. In the last year they have gotten worse. I have to focus on something a few seconds before the floaters move enough to allow me to see it clearly. This makes it very difficult to drive on unfamiliar roads at night. My ophthalmologist says nothing can be done and the fact that I am extremely nearsighted makes the floaters even more obvious to me! She has also told me that the surgeons who claim to get rid of the floaters simply "bust up" the floaters and they become smaller, but all the gel is still there."
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What are eye floaters?
"Eye floaters" are deposits or condensation in the vitreous jelly of the eye.
People use the term eye floaters to describe seeing floating spots within their
vision when they look around. Eye floaters may be present in only one eye or both
eyes.
Why do people notice eye floaters?
The structures in the front of the eye (the cornea and lens) focus rays of
light onto the retina. Light focused onto the retina allows one to see. The
light going to the retina passes through the vitreous humor, which is a
jellylike material which occupies the back 2/3 of the eye. At birth and during
childhood years, the vitreous gel is totally clear. Later in life, sometimes
strands, deposits, or liquid pockets develop within the vitreous jelly. Each of
these strands casts a small shadow onto the surface of the retina, and these
shadows are perceived by the patient as eye floaters. As the eye moves from side to
side or up and down, these strands, deposits, or pockets also shift in position
within the eye, making the shadows also move and appear to float or undulate.
What do eye floaters look like?
People describe eye floaters as spots, straight and curved lines, strings, or "O"
or "C" shaped blobs. Some people see a single floater while others may think
they see hundreds. The lines may be thick or thin, and they sometimes appear to
be branched. To most people, they appear grey or dark in color. The density of
different eye floaters will vary within an individual eye. Eye floaters may be more
noticeable under certain lighting conditions and be more apparent when looking
at a bright sky.
Like fingerprints, no two people have exactly identical patterns of eye floaters.
If a person has eye floaters in both eyes, the pattern of the eye floaters in each eye
will be different. In any eye that has eye floaters, that pattern of eye floaters may
also change over time.
Eye floaters always appear darker than the background and cannot be seen in
darkness or with the eyes closed. This is unlike flashes, which often are seen
in the dark and with your eyes closed.
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood cells in which the growth and development of the blood cells are abnormal. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to cancer of the white blood cells (the leukocytes) but in practice it can apply to malignancy of any cellular element in the blood or bone marrow, as in red cell leukemia (erythroleukemia).
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 (insulin dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin dependent). Symptoms of diabetes include increased urine output, thirst, hunger, and fatigue. Treatment of diabetes depends on the type.
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. Symptoms include weakness, fever, weight loss, night sweats and in worse cases, chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood. A person with an active infection (a positive TB skin test, abnormal chest x-ray and TB bacteria in their sputum) requires treatment with izoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol and pyrazinaide.
Sarcoidosis, a disease resulting from chronic inflammation, causes small lumps (granulomas) to develop in a great range of body tissues and can appear in almost any body organ. However, sarcoidosis most often starts in the lungs or lymph nodes.
Retinal detachment is the separation of the retina from its attachments to the underlying eye tissue. Symptoms of retinal detachment include flashing lights and floaters. Highly nearsighted young adults and those who've had cataract surgery are at higher risk for retinal detachment.
Hodgkin's disease is a cancer of the lymphatic system with symptoms that include unexplained, recurring fevers, unexplained weight loss, itchy skin, and painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, and groin. Treatment for adult Hodgkin's disease depends on the staging of the disease, the lymph nodes' size, and the health of the patient.
A cataract is an eye disease that causes the eye's lens to become cloudy and opaque with decreased vision. Causes of cataracts include diabetes, hypothyroidism, certain genetic illnesses, hyperparathyroidism, atopic dermatitis, and certain medications. Symptoms and signs include a decrease in vision and a whitish color to the affected eye. Treatment depends upon the patient's specific visual needs and may involve cataract surgery.
Toxoplasmosis (toxo) is a parasitic infection that causes flulike symptoms, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches and pains that may last from a few days to several weeks. Toxoplasmosis can be contracted by touching the hands to the mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat's litter box, or anything that came into contact with cat feces. Toxoplasmosis can also be contracted by eating raw or partly cooked meat, especially pork or lamb, or touching the hands to the mouth after contact with raw or undercooked meat.
Many common eye disorders resolve without treatment and some may be managed with over-the-counter (OTC) products. It's important to visit a physician or ophthalmologist is the problem involves the eyeball itself or the condition hasn't improved after 72 hours of use of an eye-care OTC product.
Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease, is caused by a microscopic, wormlike bacterial organism called a spirochete. There are three stages of syphilis. The first involves the formation of the chancre. The second stage often includes hair loss, a sore throat, white patches in the nose, mouth, and vagina, fever, headaches, and a skin rash. The third stage can cause extensive damage to the internal organs and the brain, and can lead to death. Though early infection often resolves on its own, treatment usually varies based on the stage of the infection at the time of diagnosis.
Uveitis is inflammation of the eye. Symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, eye redness, and floating spots before the eyes. Treatment may involve prescription eyedrops, antibiotics, and wearing dark glasses.
Diabetes and eye problems are generally caused by high blood sugar levels over an extended period of time. Types of eye problems in a person with diabetes include glaucoma, cataracts, and retinopathy. Examples of symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, eye aches, pain, halos around lights, loss of vision, watering eyes. Treatment for eye problems in people with diabetes depend on the type of eye problem. Prevention of eye problems include reducing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, quitting smoking, and maintaining proper blood glucose levels.
eye. Read about symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
Coats' disease is a rare eye condition that typically progresses to vision loss or blindness in one eye. Gradual vision loss is usually the first symptom, followed by a cloudy white or yellow pupil due to the presence of a cataract. Treatment focuses on limiting the blood vessel progression and may involve cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation.
In 1912, Dr. George Coats described one sharply outlined form of exudative retinitis,
clinically characterized as follows:
Occurrence in infantile or juvenile male patients
Unilaterality
Absence of systemic diseases
Exudates below the retinal vessels
Retinal hemorrhages
Slow progression to retinal detachment,
cataract, atrophy, or glaucoma
Today little has been added. This rare condition is not inherited and may be
successfully treated if caught early. However, since is not usually diagnosed
early, it usually progresses to cause a marked
loss of vision or blindness in
one eye.
What are causes and risk factors for Coats' disease?
No causes or risk
factors are known.
At this point, although there is no known hereditary
component or any other cause, there may be some evidence to suggest that Coats'
disease is caus...
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