Eye Floaters - Causes

Eye floaters, also known as vitreous floaters refer to the tiny specks that float around in your field of vision. These floaters cast shadows over the retina which in turn sends visual signals to the brain resulting in the visibility of the small specks. These are even more prominent in certain lights and against some backgrounds such as a blue sky. Eye floaters are actually tiny deposits of condensation in the vitreous jelly of the eye. They usually look like specks, strands, webs or other shapes floating around the eye which move 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.

These vitreous floaters in the eye appear as spots, straight and curved lines, strings, or "O" or "C" shaped blobs. While some people may see just a single line, others may observe hundreds of such spots. There are many causes of eye floaters and spots appearing in the eyes.

Causes of Eye Floaters

Ophthalmologists usually classify the causes of eye floaters into primary and secondary causes.

Primary Cause - Aging: The degeneration inside the vitreous itself, due to old age, is one of the most common causes of this eye problem. As one gets older, changes begin within the vitreous humor of the eye. The vitreous jelly undergoes some liquefaction, resulting in small pockets of more liquid vitreous, lying within the firmer gel known, as vitreous syneresis. The boundary between each liquid pocket and the gel may be noticeable, as one or more eye floaters. In addition, it is normal for the collagen fibers within the vitreous, to become thickened and denser with age, resulting in eye floaters. This shrinkage and pulling back of the vitreous also known as posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) or posterior vitreous separation, may result in eye floaters due to aging. So, any person who is over 50 will have these changes within their eyes, with the degree of eye floaters produced by these typical changes, varying from person to person.

Secondary Causes - Eye Diseases and Injuries: Floaters result from changes in the surrounding tissues, in cases of inflammations and infections such as cyclitis or chorioditis and in cases of vitreous hemorrhage. Vitreous hemorrhage usually occurs in cases of trauma to the eye, diabetic retinopathy, central vein occlusion and blood diseases. In addition to this, an inflammation in the vitreous may be caused by uveitis, injury, infection, or eye surgery. Eye surgeries done to remove cataracts, or a YAG laser eye surgery after cataract surgery can cause eye floaters. The major diseases which cause eye floaters are:

• Tuberculosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Syphilis
• Toxoplasmosis of the eye
• Asteroid hyalosis
• Tumors in the eye
• Lymphoma
• Leukemia

Eye floaters are extremely common in adults with almost everyone over the age of 70 being affected by it. Although, they can be annoying but the presence of eye floaters is hardly dangerous in itself. However, it is best for a person developing eye floaters, to consult an ophthalmologist to rule out any chances of eye abnormalities. For example, 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. Most of these floaters may decrease in size and intensity with time or shift position within the eye, leading to a shadow effect. Usually, the nerves within the brain adapt to and often become used to the presence of eye floaters, thus, ignoring them and making them less bothersome for you.