Eye Floaters Are Not Typically Cause For Alarm

Have you ever been staring up at the blue sky, or at a blank, bright surface, and suddenly noticed that your view is interrupted by unusual shapes that seem to be floating around? Then, when you try hard to focus on one, it moves out of your view as you move you eye? These are commonly referred to as “eye floaters” that often look like small lines, dots or a combination of both.

Floaters are not an optical illusion or a figment of your imagination. They actually exist inside of your eyes. Everyone has eye floaters, but not everyone notices them.

What Causes Floaters?

The inside of our eyes are filled with a liquid called the vitreous humor. The vitreous humor is primarily water, with collagen and a little hyaluronic acid. Occasionally, little pieces of this substance break off and float through our eyes. When these pass through light, our eye sees the shadows of these floating pieces. Eye floaters can become more common as we age.

More Detail About Eye Floaters

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“Are Floaters Something I Should Worry About?”

Typically, no. But because floaters are so common, it’s hard to know when they may be an indication of something more serious. That’s another reason why it’s important to have regular eye exams.

If you notice anything else that’s unusual in connection with floaters, be sure to call us. These may include:

• Eye floaters that seem to get worse over time. This is especially noteworthy if the changes happen quickly.
• Flashes of light or any type of vision loss accompanying the floaters.
• Any type of eye pain.

We’re grateful you’ve chosen our practice for your eye health needs. Thank you. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us!