Vision change one eye: Eye Floaters: Should I Worry?
Eye Floaters: Should I Worry?
Dr. Russel Lazarus, February 11, 2021
Eye floaters can be a sign of serious disease, but now eye doctors can successfully treat with a range of very effective options.
What are eye floaters?
Eye floaters are small spots that can appear in a variety of shapes and shadows. They tend to drift or “float” through the visual field, and have the tendency to become even more noticeable after looking at a bright image or walking to the outside from indoors.
It is estimated that around 30 percent of the population notice eye floaters, yet the impact of this common visual problem on our quality of life remains hugely underestimated.
Though floaters may be irritating, they generally become less noticeable overtime, and they should not interfere with your clarity of vision.
However, if eye floaters start to bother you or affect your quality of life your eye doctor may be able to help you.
If you have floaters, you may see:
- Spots
- Squiggly lines
- Thread-like strands
- Small shadowy shapes
- Black or very dark spots
If eye floaters come on suddenly or change in shape or size, or you suddenly begin to see flashes in your visual field, contact your eye doctor immediately, as this may a sign of a serious retinal disease.
What causes eye floaters?
Floaters are made up of tiny pieces of protein, called collagen, that break off of the vitreous, or the jelly-like substance located in the back of the eye.
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)
As we age, the vitreous inside the eye begins to shrink and detach itself from the retina, this is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).
PVD is the most common cause of floaters and occurs when tiny fibers of collagen break away from the vitreous and join together, casting shadows onto the retina— and manifesting as floaters in your visual field.
Floaters can appear at any age, but typically begin to occur between ages 50 and 75. People who are nearsighted or who have undergone cataract surgery are more likely to experience floaters.
In rare cases, floaters can also result from:
- Eye injury
- Eye disease
- Eye tumors
- Diabetic retinopathy
Serious eye conditions that can cause floaters include:
- Retinal detachment
- Retinal tear
- Bleeding in the vitreous
- Inflamed vitreous or retina
- Eye tumors
If you suspect you have an eye condition, contact an eye doctor near you, who can diagnose and treat the condition.
SEE RELATED: The 4 Frequent Eye Conditions
Find an eye doctor near you
When should I worry about eye floaters?
Contact your eye doctor immediately if you notice any of the following symptoms:
- A sudden and dramatic increase in the number of floaters
- Flashes of light
- Loss of peripheral vision
- Progressive changes to your vision
- Eye pain
The sooner you receive medical care, the greater your chances of protecting your vision and preventing vision loss.
How can I get rid of floaters?
Floaters are a common occurrence and are a part of the natural aging process. If they begin to get on your nerves, believe it or not, moving your eyes up and down can make floaters disappear, at least temporarily.
Shifting your eyes up and down helps to move the eye fluid around and consequently, the collagen fibers as well.
In most cases, if floaters are not disrupting your quality of life, there is no need to treat them.
However, if floaters begin to affect your vision clarity, your eye doctor may recommend a surgical procedure called a vitrectomy. This procedure involves removing the vitreous and replacing it with a specific saline solution.
It is important to be aware though, that while uncommon, this surgery can pose some risks to your vision, such as:
- Retinal detachment
- Retinal tear
- Cataracts
If you notice floaters in your visual field, you can rest assured that in most cases, they are not a cause for concern.
LEARN MORE: Guide to Eye Conditions
It is always a good idea to schedule an eye exam if you experience any type of vision changes to rule out any serious eye conditions.
Keeping up with your regular eye exams is the best way to protect your eyes and to ensure a lifetime of good eye health and vision.
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8 ‘Do Not Ignore’ Warning Signs of Serious Eye Problems
Serious eye problems often do not cause any pain. Here are 8 warning signs that should not be ignored.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 21 million Americans are impacted by vision problems. Many of these issues are comparatively minor, such as mild hyperopia (farsightedness) or myopia (nearsightedness), both of which can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
However, eye conditions such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and wet age-related macular degeneration can cause sudden damage to your eyes – even complete and permanent blindness, if your eye doctor doesn’t detect and treat them early.
It’s important to know the signs and symptoms of these serious eye conditions, so you can alert your eye doctor immediately if you are experiencing them.
Here are 8 “Do Not Ignore” warning signs of serious eye problems.
1. Sudden blurry or distorted vision
This symptom may be the most obvious one for patients to notice.
If you experience sudden blurriness or a distortion in your vision, like a straight line that appears wavy, consult your eye doctor immediately.
Sudden blurry vision can affect either your peripheral vision or in your central vision, and can be a sign of many very serious eye conditions.
Some of these conditions require immediate attention from an eye care professional in order to prevent permanent total or partial blindness.
Conditions that may cause blurry or distorted vision include:
- Detached retina
- Angle-closure glaucoma
- Corneal infection
- Wet age-related macular degeneration
- Macular edema
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
- Diabetic retinopathy
2.
Swelling on or around the eye
Inflammation and irritation of the eyelids and the tissues surrounding the eye can cause the eye to swell and become discolored.
Swelling around the eye can be caused by trauma anywhere on the head, face or neck, or from a mild to severe allergic reaction to bug bites, pollen, animal dander or other allergens and irritants in the environment.
Usually, the swelling goes down as the affected area heals, or the allergens causing the swelling are removed.
However, if swelling persists over a longer period of time, this may be a sign of a more serious issue, such as:
- Black eye
- Corneal ulcer
- Graves’ disease
- Cellulitis
- Scleritis
- Blocked tear duct
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
- Blepharitis
3. Headaches
Headaches can feel different depending on what is causing them.
Individuals can feel a dull ache or sharp pain behind their eyes or in the temples.
Headaches can come and go quickly, or they can linger for hours or days.
If there are no serious underlying issues, over-the-counter medications can be very helpful.
However, if regular headache medications aren’t working and the pain persists, it is advisable to consult healthcare professionals.
Although they are often a sign of emotional or physical stress, headaches can also be a symptom of serious eye conditions as well.
Some of these conditions may be emergencies requiring an urgent call to your eye doctor immediately.
Eye conditions that can cause headaches include:
- Photokeratitis (sunburn of the eye)
- Angle-closure glaucoma
- Migraine
- Corneal infection
- Eyestrain
SEE RELATED: Pressure Behind the Eye: 6 Frequent Causes
If you are experiencing any signs on this page you may have an eye disease or injury that requires immediate attention.
Contact an eye doctor immediately.
Find an eye doctor near you
4. Red eyes
When your eyes become irritated or inflamed, the blood vessels expand, causing the white parts of your eyes to appear pink or red. This can be caused by a number of factors, including allergies, smoke and pollutants in the air around you.
If you suddenly notice red eyes, you may have an eye condition that, in serious cases, can potentially cause long-term eye damage and even blindness.
Injuries and conditions that can cause extended red eye are:
- Uveitis
- Blepharitis
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
- Glaucoma
5. Oversensitivity to light
Our eyes are naturally equipped to deal with varying degrees of light.
However, when the eye is unable to cope with the amount of incoming light, it causes what’s known as photophobia, or light sensitivity.
Some mild photophobia is normal, as when you walk outside after a movie at the theater, or when first waking up in the morning to sunlight in your room.
But severe photophobia that lingers may be a sign of something more serious.
Severe or extended photophobia may signal:
- Migraine
- Cataracts
- Strabismus (eye turn, either inward or outward)
- Allergies
- Keratoconus
- Corneal abrasion (a scratch on the eye)
5. Floaters
Floaters are the little lines, dots, specks and webs that seem to float around in your vision, especially when you’re looking at plain or blank objects, such as a white wall or blank computer screen.
If you experience a sudden onset of floaters, or more floaters than you’re accustomed to, you should contact your eye doctor immediately.
Although they seem to be floating around in front of your eyes, what you are actually seeing is clumps of cells floating inside your eyes.
These clumps cast shadows on the retina, at the back of your eye, and appear as floaters.
As with many things on this list, occasional floaters in small numbers should not be cause for concern.
Some conditions that may cause severe floaters are:
- Uveitis
- Torn retina
- Detached retina
- Ocular lymphoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Posterior vitreous detachment
6. Night blindness
Normally the eye is well equipped to handle low-light situations. The pupil will expand to take in as much available light as possible, allowing us to see in poorly-lit environments.
Some serious eye conditions limit the eye’s ability to take in this light or to process it, making it difficult to see at night or in dimly lit environments.
Conditions that can cause night blindness include:
- Nystagmus
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Retinitis pigmentosa
7.
Flashes
Sudden flashes in your vision can be common as you age, as this usually happens as a result of vitreous fluid tugging or rubbing on the retina, at the back of your eye.
If you notice lights that can appear as lightning flashes, flashing bulbs, or bright stars, these can be the first sign of injury or other eye conditions.
A worrying sign is seeing these after a head injury or concussion.
Conditions that can cause flashes include:
- Migraine
- Detached retina
- Torn retina
- Post-surgical complications
LEARN MORE: Guide to Eye Health
If you are experiencing any signs on this page you may have an eye disease or injury that requires immediate attention. Contact an eye doctor immediately.
It’s important to know the signs and symptoms of serious eye conditions, so you can alert your eye doctor immediately if you are experiencing them.
Early treatment of serious eye conditions could restore your vision and ensure you enjoy years of good eye health.
Visual impairment: main causes
Author
Shcheglova Zoya Pavlovna
Ophthalmologist
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Causes of visual impairment
Visual impairment can be caused by various reasons.
When working with papers and a computer , vision inevitably decreases somewhat towards the end of the day. This means that you are at risk of developing ophthalmic diseases. The risk increases if you have to strain your eyes all the time, if general fatigue accumulates, with stress, insomnia, lack of vitamins and malnutrition,
Against this background, refractive errors – myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism can progress. With age, retinal atrophy can occur (this is a common cause of visual impairment in people over 70).
One of the most common causes of visual impairment is cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye). Another possible cause is glaucoma (a disease associated with an increase in intraocular pressure caused by excessive accumulation of eye fluid). The development of glaucoma is accompanied by pain in the eyes and the appearance of iridescent circles when looking at a light source. Visual impairment can also be caused by an eye injury.
If vision falls unevenly or only in one eye, the difference between the signals received from both eyes is significant, and the image may double. If the double vision is too strong, the brain can disable the weaker eye from seeing (amblyopia). Amblyopia
becomes an additional factor that worsens vision. Especially often amblyopia develops in children 3-7 years old.
systemic diseases can also be the cause of vision loss i. Endocrine diseases such as pituitary adenoma, Basedow’s disease, diabetes mellitus can cause visual impairment.
A sharp deterioration in vision in both eyes may be the result of disorders of the central nervous system , and a drop in vision in one eye may be due to a violation of the blood supply . Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the possible causes of visual impairment.
Decreased visual function can be caused by taking certain medications. It can also be explained by poisoning and even infectious diseases (for example, botulism). In the latter case, visual impairment is only one of many severe symptoms.
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When you need a doctor’s help
In case of significant visual impairment in a short period, you should urgently contact an ophthalmologist. Also, the help of a doctor is necessary if the decrease in vision is accompanied by pain in the eye, swelling and redness of the eye.
Where to turn in Moscow in case of visual impairment?
If you notice that your vision has begun to deteriorate, contact JSC “Family Doctor”.
Experienced and qualified ophthalmologists of our polyclinics will determine the cause of visual impairment, prescribe the necessary treatment and correct visual function. If a child’s vision deteriorates, it should be shown to a pediatric ophthalmologist.
You can always choose a clinic that is conveniently close to your home or work.
Do not self-medicate. Contact our specialists who will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
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Blurry image, flies before the eyes, double vision – signs of visual impairment caused by injury or disease, and not only the eye. Age and modern lifestyle also affect eye health not in the best way, but even this should not be put up with.
If your eyes begin to see poorly, you need to seek professional help, because initially slight changes in vision worsen over time and sometimes lead to blindness. Consultation with an ophthalmologist will save you from expensive treatment and serious illnesses.
What visual problems do we have?
A person notices that he can hardly distinguish between bus numbers and squints while reading small text.
Only then does he realize that he began to see badly. But this is not the only sign of visual impairment. Typical changes that not everyone immediately pays attention to:
- fuzzy, double image;
- flies before the eyes, halo effect, light flashes;
- brightness and color reduction;
- photophobia;
- strabismus.
Why does vision deteriorate?
Most of the problems are associated with age-related changes and diseases:
- Presbyopia occurs due to the weakening of the eye muscles and lens;
- Cataract occurs in the elderly;
- Glaucoma appears more often in hypertensive patients;
- Diabetic retinopathy due to high blood sugar and high blood pressure;
- Macular degeneration is the main culprit in blindness after 60;
- Retinal detachment.
Vision sometimes deteriorates as a result of taking certain medications (antihistamines and antimalarials, for example), trauma, or excessive sun exposure.