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Floaters and Retinal Detachment 

Floaters

 Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous that fills your eye. Floaters look like small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. What you see are the shadows these clumps cast on your retina. You usually notice floaters when looking at something plain, like a blank wall or a blue sky.  

 

As we age, our vitreous starts to thicken or shrink. Sometimes clumps or strands form in the vitreous. If floaters usually happen when the vitreous pulls away from the back of the eye (posterior vitreous detachment). They are not serious, and they tend to fade or go away over time. Severe floaters can be removed by surgery, but this has risks and is rarely necessary. 

Symptoms:

  • Small shapes in your vision that appear as dark specks or knobby, transparent strings of floating material

  • Spots that move when you move your eyes

  • Spots that are most noticeable when you look at a plain bright background, such as a blue sky or a white wall

  • Small shapes or strings that eventually settle down and drift out of the line of vision

Treatments:

  • Most floaters are not a problem, constant monitoring with your ophthalmologist is key

  • Floaters can be a symptom of a much serious condition known as Retinal tear/ detachment. 

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For more information, visit:https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-floaters-flashes

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If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

Flashes

Flashes

Flashes are flashes of light that occasionally appear in your vision which are caused by a couple of factors. One of them being the tugging or rubbing of the the vitreous on the retina moving the retina fro its normal position. Another potential cause of flashes are migraines that are caused by a spasm of blood vessel in the brain. In severe causes flashes can be caused by small retinal tears or retinal detachment. Read about retinal detachment here.

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Symptoms:

  • A flash of light intermittently comes into your vision.

  • A streak of light comes into your vision.

  • "Star" like patterns appear in your vision

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Treatments:

  • Like floaters, occasional flashes are not a big issue so no treatment is needed

  • Constant monitoring with your ophthalmologist 

  • In severe cases where flashes are caused by a retinal tear/ detachment surgery might be needed.

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For more information, visit:https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-floaters-flashes

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If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

PVD

Posterior Vitreous Detachment 

Posterior vitreous detachment or PVD is an eye condition that naturally occurs as you age. As you age the gel like substance that fills your eyeball begins to turn more fluid like and this causes the eyeball to condense. Generally when it condenses the vitreous fibers holding onto the vitreous detaches and the vitreous can safely detach from the membrane. In some cases the vitreous does not detach properly and causes retinal tears or retinal detachment, you can read more about retinal detachment here.

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Symptoms:

  • Floaters and flashes 

  • In some cases there are no noticeable symptoms 

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Treatments:

  • In most cases PVD needs no treatment

  • In severe cases PVD can cause retinal detachment and will need surgery to fix. 

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If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

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Retinal Detachment

Retinal Detachment

A detached retina is when the retina lifts away from the back of the eye. When this occurs, the retina is unable to work and causes the vision to be blurry. 

Our vitreous starts to shrink and get thinner as we get older. Normally, the vitreous moves around the retina as the eye moves without causing any problems. However, the vitreous may stick to the retina and pull hard enough to tear it; fluid can pass through the tear and detach the retina. 

Symptoms:

  • Seeing flashing lights all of a sudden

  • Noticing many new floaters at once

  • A shadow appearing in your peripheral (side) vision.

  • A gray curtain covering part of your field of vision.

Treatments:

  • Laser Surgery (photocoagulation)

    • Your surgeon directs a laser beam into the eye through the pupil. The laser makes burns around the retinal tear, causing scarring. The scars usually “welds” the retina to underlying tissue. 

  • If retinal detachment occurs, your ophthalmologist will refer you to a retinal specialist. 

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For more information, visit: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/detached-torn-retina

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If you are experiencing any symptoms or want to see what treatments are right for you please contact us to make an appointment.

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