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Posts Tagged ‘aging’

Dealing with ‘Floaters’ in Your Eyes

by admin on: August 31st, 2011

You squint to look for the plane in the sky and see stringy translucent flecks that float around in your field of vision. Surprisingly, this is a common part of the aging process. After awhile though, these annoying floaters can become more noticeable and prominent enough to seek medical attention.

Individuals have explained the specks as wiggling bugs, lines or webs. If you use a microscope, binoculars, stare into the sky or at a bright wall they’ll be very visible. Near-sighted people and those individuals who’ve had cataract surgery will be plagued more often.

The cause of the floaters is an interesting biology lesson. At birth, a blood vessel nourishes the eyes then disintegrates over time, but not completely in those with this condition. The floating debris in the vitreous gel of your eye is the remaining particulates. When light passes through the vitreous, the particles are shadows that float past your vision. As you age, your vitreous becomes stringy, adding to the floaters in your eye. Injuries and disease can add to this and before long, you’re visiting your ophthalmologist.

A doctor can determine the best course of treatment with an examination of your eyes. In the meantime, for quick relief from floaters, shift your eyes quickly up, down, and side-to-side. Surgery is the only known method to pull all that debris out of the vitreous gel in your eye. You should discuss the risks of surgery over the benefits of removing the floaters. If they are numerous, very dense and make reading too difficult, then you may find lasting relief with surgery.

It is rare for floaters to cause detrimental changes in your daily activities. Floating debris is a natural process of aging such as wrinkles and graying hair. Your ophthalmologist can make suggestions to overcome any obstacles as you age.