Floaters
are an eye condition that can be an annoyance and may even be frightening.
Floaters may appear as tiny specks or “cobwebs” or as small dark shadows,
“thread-like” strands or even “squiggly” lines that actually float around in your
field of vision. They tend to move as your eyes move, but not necessarily in
the same direction, and often just drift away when your eyes stop moving. The
“back of the eye” is filled with a gel-like substance called the vitreous gel
which tends to shrink and become somewhat “stringy” as we age. These strands of
vitreous cast shadows on the retina and creates the appearance of floaters. The
likelihood of experiencing floaters increases as we get older and is more common if you are very nearsighted.
We know that as it becomes more liquid like, occasionally, a small section of
the vitreous gel may pull away from the retina all at once instead of slowly
and gradually and result in a noticeable and sudden increase in the number of
floaters that you see and can be frightening. This is called a Posterior
Vitreous Detachment (PVD) and is NOT sight threatening. However, we know from multiple studies that PVD
sometimes is accompanied by retinal tears. Further, if the floaters are accompanied by seeing flashes of light or a
distortion or a decrease in your side vision accompanies it, it could be a
retinal detachment, which is a sight threatening medical emergency.
If you experience any of these symptoms you should
explain these symptoms to the receptionist and ask for an immediate appointment
at The Eye Clinic of Texas, an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, at
800-423-3937, visit The Eye Clinic of Texas, Google or facebook.com/ecot.lasik.
The Eye Clinic of
Texas is an affiliate of Houston Eye Associates, the largest ophthalmology
clinic in the nation. We are a leading eye care practice serving the greater
Houston, Galveston & League City with offices at 1100 Gulf Freeway, Suite
114, League City, Texas 77573 and 2302 Avenue P, Galveston, Texas.
No comments:
Post a Comment