Eye Floaters (cont.)
Are eye floaters dangerous?
Eye floaters can be annoying, but by themselves they are not dangerous. The
majority of eye floaters are caused by normal aging changes within the eye. However,
a person developing symptoms of eye floaters should be checked by an ophthalmologist
to make certain that there is no associated eye abnormality which requires
treatment. A sudden onset of many eye floaters or the onset of eye floaters associated
with flashing lights could signify a retinal tear that requires treatment to
prevent retinal detachment. A curtain or cloud in the vision or a loss of side
vision could be a symptom of associated retinal detachment.
How are eye floaters diagnosed?
When you go to your ophthalmologist with the symptom of eye floaters, he or she
will first ask you questions about them. The ophthalmologist will check your
vision, look at the front of your eyes with a slit lamp, and then place drops in
the eyes to dilate the pupils. After the pupils are dilated, the retina and
vitreous will be examined with bright lights from an ophthalmoscope. The
ophthalmologist will be able to see the eye floaters themselves and will be able to
tell you whether there are any associated abnormalities which require further
tests or treatments.
Do eye floaters go away?
Most eye floaters decrease in size and darkness with time. Some of this is due to
actual absorption of the floater through the natural processes within the eye.
Eye floaters may also shift in position within the eye, resulting in less of a
shadow effect. In addition, the nerves within the brain adapt to and often
becomes used to the presence of eye floaters, ignoring them in a manner similar to
your only noticing the feeling of shoes on your feet when you think about it.
Eye floaters eventually tend to become less bothersome.
Next: How do I get rid of eye floater? »
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