Are eye floaters a cause for concern?

Eye floaters are a very common condition, often affecting short-sighted individuals. In this interesting new interview, leading ophthalmologist Mr Mohamed El-Ashry gives his expert insight into the condition.

What is meant by floaters in the eyes?

Floaters are spots that appear in your vision. They may look like grey or black specks, dots, strings or squiggly lines that drift away when you move your eyes, or try to look at them. They usually appear suddenly and they may be accompanied by changes in the vision, or come with no changes at all. Some of the other visual symptoms that can accompany floaters are flashes of light, or a black curtain appearing in front of the vision, blurred vision or a loss of peripheral vision.

 Why do I see spots in my eyes?

These spots can happen due to changes in the gel inside your eyes, called the vitreous. If this gel becomes more liquid, collagen fibres start to clump together causing the floaters to appear. These changes usually happen due to a condition called posterior vitreous detachment. In most patients, these changes are usually benign, without any further damage to the eye.

Floaters can also appear due to other causes, such as injury, trauma to the eye, inflammation in the eye, or maybe due to bleeding in the eye. This bleeding could occur if the patient has a bleeding tendency or diabetes.

In more serious situations, floaters can appear if you have a tear in the retina or retinal detachment. In that case, the floaters will appear suddenly.  This can be accompanied by other symptoms in the eye like flashes of light, or full or partial loss of vision.

 Are floaters a serious eye problem?

When you notice floaters in your eye it is advisable that you seek advice from your ophthalmologist. The sudden appearance of floaters in the eye warrants examination. The examination is usually carried out using eye drops which dilate the pupil, allowing the ophthalmologist to look at the back of the eyes and perform a fundus examination. The ophthalmologist will then be able to identify if these changes are due to liquification of the gel and clumped collagen fibres, or another cause.

When vitreous separation occurs, it can pull on the retina causing a tear or break, something quite serious. This usually requires some sort of treatment, typically laser treatment.

This laser treatment is done to stop the tear or break from stretching further. If we leave this tear or break in the retina in the presence of vitreous liquification, the liquid will enter into the break which could a much more serious condition known as retinal detachment.

If the doctor does an examination and finds no other problems in the eye, he will assure you that it is not a serious condition. However, he will tell you to watch out for new symptoms such as a lot more floaters or flashes of light, or a change in peripheral vision. If you have these symptoms, you should seek immediate emergency advice.

When should I get my eyes checked out of floaters?

I would recommend getting your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist if you have never experienced floaters before, and they appear suddenly. If you have had floaters before, you get new ones, or if a floater becomes bigger or affects your quality of life, you may require treatment. An ophthalmologist might offer you an operation to remove these floaters, especially if they severely affect your vision, or if they affect your daily activities. This operation is known as a vitrectomy, and is only justified in severe cases.

You should seek urgent advice from an ophthalmologist if the floaters come with a loss in peripheral vision, flashes of light or shadows.

Can migraines lead to spots in vision?

Migraines can lead to various eye symptoms. Migraines can mimic different eye conditions, presenting with spots in the vision, loss of the field of vision, or flashes of light. Changes in the quality of vision due to migraines may come with or without headaches.

Mr Mohamed El-Ashry is a leading ophthalmologist with over 15 years of experience. If you would like to book a consultation with Mr El-Ashry regarding any eye condition that may be worrying you, you can do so via his Top Doctors profile.