Seeing Spots? Here's What You Should Know
Watch out! Those spots in your vision, or "eye floaters," could be hiding a serious problem.
Seeing Spots?
This is a common occurrence that most of us who have experienced eye floaters have learned to ignore. Eye floaters are small dark specks that might appear in your vision, usually after you look into the light.
Eye floaters can affect as much as 70 percent of the population. And you're not just seeing things — they are actually little specks of protein fibers that float around in your eye.
What Causes Eye Floaters?
Think of your eye like a camera. The cornea focuses light rays in your eye, kind of like a lens. It covers the iris and pupil, which controls how much light is let in, very much like the aperture. After passing through the cornea, light enters the vitreous, the gelatinous part of the eye, on its way to the retina.
The tricky thing about the gel in the vitreous is that it is never replenished. Over time, this part of the eye shrinks and turns to liquid. This shrinking causes eye floaters.
As they move over your eye, floaters can block the light and cause small shadows. These are the spots that we see without knowing where they come from. In most cases these spots disappear or we simply stop noticing them. But in other cases, eye floaters can be dangerous .
If these spots start to appear more often, it might be time to visit the ophthalmologist. In older people, this may be a sign of retinal tear or detachment. If left untreated, it can even lead to blindness.
In more advanced cases, a retinal laser operation is necessary. You may also have to surgically replace the lost vitreous humor with saline solution. This treatment has its downsides, as it may lead to cataracts.
If you want to avoid this kind of problem, try to give your eyes a break and spend less time in front of your devices. You can also check your vision by placing a small object in front of you and following it with your eyes, from left to right and up and down. And if you see that the spots in your vision are getting bigger, don't hesitate to see a doctor.
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