What Is Meant By The Term ‘Eye Floaters’?
20th July 2010 by Cataracts No CommentsOur eyes and our eyesight are crucial to the way were live our lives, and without them most people’s quality of life would be drastically reduced. We therefore need to do as good a job as possible when it comes to looking after our eyes and our eyesight; that means getting them checked out by a professional.
Whilst there’s no need to panic should something unexpected happen with your eyes, it’s always worth getting them checked. It may be something simple, or you may need prescription glasses, or it could be something serious, but either way acting early on can make the difference in any situation.
A common issue for people (those both with and without glasses) is eye floaters. These are small spots that appear in front of your eyes, particularly when you look at very bright backgrounds. They occur because of debris which has built it in the eye, as they move with the eyeball itself, they can be extremely difficult (or impossible) to remove by simply washing or even rubbing your eyes.
Eye floaters most commonly appear as small dots, although they can appear in any shape (sometimes even looking like small hair). When floaters appear individually, they’re generally harmless (just annoying), however when they start to appear in great numbers and more regularly, you should go and have an eye test. Ignoring this issue can, in some cases, lead to serious damage to your internal eye structure.
The causes of eye floaters are numerous, it could be anything from looking at bright surfaces, inflamation of the yes, vitreous detachment, etc.. You would be well advised to see an optician, who will be able to give you a course of treatment, as well as identifying the underlying cause. If you suffer from eye floaters and want a cure, you’re only real option is to get your eyes tested, as you need to figure out the cause before appropriate treatement can be recommended.
You should be aiming to prevent eye floaters from occurring in the first instance; making sure you wear sunglasses whenever you go out into bright sunlight should make a difference. You can also make sure your diet is healthy and contains lots of water, vegetables and fruit, as a good diet can have a positive impact on your eye health.
