Eye Floaters
What Our Optometrist Wants You to Know
We've all had them: little black or gray specks, strings, or cobweb like shapes that drift in and out of our field of vision. Optometry experts agree that floaters are usually no big deal, but that they can certainly be alarming if you begin to notice them. Our optometrists at Cleveland Eye Care in Shelby are here to educate you about eye floater causes and when it's a good idea to get your eye floaters checked out by an eye doctor.
Causes of Eye Floaters
For many people, eye floaters are simply related to age. As we get older, the jelly like substance inside our eyeballs becomes more liquid. As this change occurs, tiny fibers in the liquid tend to clump together, causing shadows. This is what we're actually seeing when we see floaters. The shadows appear much larger than the microscopic fibers that cause them. Age related floaters are of no health concern, and typically will pass with time. Inflammation in the back of the eye can also cause floaters to occur. Inflammation can cause debris to release into the jelly like substance in the eye, and when this debris clumps together, floaters may be seen.
More serious conditions, such as retinal detachment, bleeding in the eye, and complications from eye surgery can also cause floaters. Often, these more serious conditions come with other symptoms, such as eye pain, but this is not always the case. If you suddenly notice more floaters than usual, or they are accompanied by eye pain, it's important to talk to an optometry professional right away. If you notice flashes of light along with floaters, or a loss of peripheral vision (blindness or darkness on one or both sides of your vision field), it's also important to see an eye doctor right away.
Call our Shelby Eye Doctor
If you are experiencing eye floaters and are concerned about your vision health, or if you're simply in need of your annual vision checkup, our optometrists at Cleveland Eyecare in Shelby are here to help. Please call our office at 704-482-1234 to schedule your first appointment. If you have any of the concerning symptoms listed above with your eye floaters, please be sure to alert our receptionist so we can get you in to see our eye doctor as soon as possible. We look forward to helping you with all of your future eye care needs.