Floaters can be a natural side effect of the aging process. There are certain risk factors that increase the chances of a patient developing floaters, and one of these is cataract surgery. However, cataracts do not cause floaters. In fact, cataracts and floaters affect two completely different areas of the eye.
Floaters are dark shapes in your vision, looking like spots, threads, squiggly lines, or cobwebs. These shapes are small pieces of your vitreous, the substance filling the middle of the eye, which stick together and create shadows on your retina.
If you notice a sudden increase in eye floaters, contact an eye specialist immediately — especially if you also see light flashes or lose your vision. These can be symptoms of an emergency that requires prompt attention.
Vitreous detachment (when the vitreous pulls away from the retina) Retinal tear (when vitreous detachment tears a hole in the retina) Retinal detachment (when the retina gets pulled away from the back of the eye)
Blurry vision
When you have cataracts, one of the most common symptoms is blurry vision. This occurs because the eye's natural lens becomes cloudy and harder to see through. Proteins in the lens, which are normally separate from each other, begin to clump together in the center of the lens.
In the early stages of a cataract, you may not notice any significant changes to the clarity of your vision. At this stage, you may be more sensitive to glare around lights when driving at night, or if the sun is low. As a cataract progress further, you may then begin to notice your vision becoming cloudy or blurry.
Most of the time floaters are harmless. However, they can be a symptom of a tear in the retina. (The retina is the layer in the back of the eye.) If you notice a sudden increase in floaters or if you see floaters along with flashes of light in your side vision, this may be a symptom of a retinal tear or detachment.
Options may include surgery to remove the vitreous or a laser to disrupt the floaters, although both procedures are rarely done. Surgery to remove the vitreous. An ophthalmologist who is a specialist in retina and vitreous surgery removes the vitreous through a small incision (vitrectomy).
Want to know if an optometrist can treat eye floaters? Yes, they can. According to the Mayo Clinic, eye floaters are spots in your vision that may look like black or gray specks, strings or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes and appear to dart away when you try to look at them directly.
“If you have floaters plus flashes and a loss of side vision, it's an urgent matter and you need to see an eye specialist or go to the emergency room immediately,” Dr. Newman said.
Eye floaters are usually harmless. If they are caused by a serious condition that is left untreated, you may experience vision loss.
The vitreous might shrink in one eye a little faster than in the other. Often, you'll have floaters in one eye at a time. It can happen to both of your eyes but usually not at the same time.
Floaters look like small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. While they seem to be in front of your eye, they are floating inside.
No, cataract surgery will not get rid of floaters in the eye. Removal of the cataract may make floaters more noticeable. When do floaters go away after cataract surgery? In some cases, floaters disappear on their own over the course of weeks or months.
Do Floaters Ever Go Away? When the vitreous detachment is clean and gradual, any increase in eye floaters usually subsides in one to six months. An occasional floater may appear now and then, but knowing they are harmless, most people learn to live with them.
Vitamins & Supplements
Ginkgo biloba, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc are recommended by dieticians and natural medicine advocates for improving blood flow and promoting better vision, and this may be a tool to mitigate the presence of floaters.
If you frequently experience stress you might wonder, can stress cause eye floaters? The simple answer is, stress alone is not responsible for eye floaters appearing. Eye floaters are caused by deterioration of the vitreous humor which often happens as people age.
For many, floaters may begin showing up between 50 and 70 years old. "Vitreous degeneration is accelerated by nearsightedness (myopia), inflammation, trauma and rare inherited abnormalities," adds Dr. Worrall. "Highly nearsighted patients tend to have more floaters than average."
High blood pressure and vision disturbance
Increased pressure in the eyes can damage the blood vessels and surrounding tissues over time, leading to various vision changes, including blurring, eye floaters and seeing double.
Most people become accustomed to floaters and they can ignore them, but there are some instances when you should not ignore floaters. It may be necessary to call your eye doctor if you notice an increase in eye floaters, eye pain, changes in peripheral vision or see flashes of light.
This often happens as you age and it's very normal. However, if you start to notice a lot more floaters than you've experienced in the past or many flashes, you should call your doctor. This could be a sign of a serious vision problem like a detached retina. If you have a detached or torn retina, you'll need treatment.
Age is the greatest risk factor for cataracts. Age-related cataracts may develop between 40 and 50 years old. Where you live. Recent studies have shown that people who live in high altitudes are more at risk of developing cataracts.
If left untreated, a cataract will naturally continue to progress. In some cases, the maturing cataract becomes completely white and can be seen in the mirror or by others.
In the case of age-related cataracts, the condition usually progresses slowly over a number of months or years. While some patients can be tempted to wait until their vision is sufficiently affected, you may also undergo surgery to fully restore your vision at any stage of cataract development.