What Are Floaters?
What Are Floaters If you've just been told by your doctor that you have eye floaters, then you've come to the right place.
By the time you're done reading this article, you'll have some idea what floaters are and how they got into your eye(s).
Or even if you just happen to be someone who's curious about them, this is a good place to start.
What Are Floaters Called Eye floaters have other names which are rarely used - muscae volitantes, myodesopsia or mouches volantes.
Eye floaters are also called vitreous floaters, simply because they are mostly found in the vitreous.
You can't understand what floaters are without understanding what a vitreous is.
The vitreous or vitreous humor, is the transparent gooey substance that fills the cavity between the lens and the retina of your eye.
The vitreous is 99% water, with salt, hyaluronic acid (HA) and protein fibers making up the rest.
Although the vitreous is mainly water, it has a firm, elastic consistency that helps keep the eye round.
What Are Floaters Made Of Most articles that talk about floaters in the eye do not say what exactly floaters are made of.
This is probably one of a few articles on floaters you'll find that will give you just that little bit of information that's always missing in the other articles.
The floaters in the eye can be broadly categorized into 3 types; A.
With aging, parts of the vitreous liquefies, creating pockets of liquid.
This is called syneresis.
When this happens, some of the protein fibers in the vitreous clump together.
These protein aggregates look like a twisted rope or a ball of tangled thread.
B.
As syneresis progresses, the liquefied vitreous leaks into the space between the vitreous layer and the retina.
This causes the vitreous to detach from the retina.
This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).
Some of the cells from the retina (glial tissue) where the vitreous detaches remain attached to the back of the vitreous layer.
Debris from PVD is another source of floaters.
C.
Hemorrhages can occur as a result of certain eye conditions.
This causes blood to leak into the vitreous, causing the patient to see grey dots or floaters.
Most Common Type Of Eye Floaters [1] In a study performed on 148 eyes affected by floaters, 83% were found to have PVD.
In those eyes, type B floaters were the most common while a minimal number of floaters were due to type C.
In patients without PVD, the floaters were mainly of type A.
What Are Floaters Patients Options While the more fortunate ones have been able to adapt or learned to accept floaters as part of their vision, a large number of sufferers are not able to get accustomed to them.
Some find them disturbing, distracting or troublesome, while others become anxious at the thought that these floaters will become a permanent part of their visual experience.
I had floaters for 8 years, and I NEVER got used to them.
They didn't drive me insane fortunately, but I was constantly reminded of their presence.
Surgery was never an option, firstly because I couldn't afford it, secondly I did not want to risk having post-surgery complications, and thirdly surgery only cleans up existing floaters - it does not prevent new floaters from appearing.
There are only a few well-researched solutions for floaters that are currently available on the Internet.
Be patient, and I wish you the best in finding something that works for you! References
By the time you're done reading this article, you'll have some idea what floaters are and how they got into your eye(s).
Or even if you just happen to be someone who's curious about them, this is a good place to start.
What Are Floaters Called Eye floaters have other names which are rarely used - muscae volitantes, myodesopsia or mouches volantes.
Eye floaters are also called vitreous floaters, simply because they are mostly found in the vitreous.
You can't understand what floaters are without understanding what a vitreous is.
The vitreous or vitreous humor, is the transparent gooey substance that fills the cavity between the lens and the retina of your eye.
The vitreous is 99% water, with salt, hyaluronic acid (HA) and protein fibers making up the rest.
Although the vitreous is mainly water, it has a firm, elastic consistency that helps keep the eye round.
What Are Floaters Made Of Most articles that talk about floaters in the eye do not say what exactly floaters are made of.
This is probably one of a few articles on floaters you'll find that will give you just that little bit of information that's always missing in the other articles.
The floaters in the eye can be broadly categorized into 3 types; A.
With aging, parts of the vitreous liquefies, creating pockets of liquid.
This is called syneresis.
When this happens, some of the protein fibers in the vitreous clump together.
These protein aggregates look like a twisted rope or a ball of tangled thread.
B.
As syneresis progresses, the liquefied vitreous leaks into the space between the vitreous layer and the retina.
This causes the vitreous to detach from the retina.
This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).
Some of the cells from the retina (glial tissue) where the vitreous detaches remain attached to the back of the vitreous layer.
Debris from PVD is another source of floaters.
C.
Hemorrhages can occur as a result of certain eye conditions.
This causes blood to leak into the vitreous, causing the patient to see grey dots or floaters.
Most Common Type Of Eye Floaters [1] In a study performed on 148 eyes affected by floaters, 83% were found to have PVD.
In those eyes, type B floaters were the most common while a minimal number of floaters were due to type C.
In patients without PVD, the floaters were mainly of type A.
What Are Floaters Patients Options While the more fortunate ones have been able to adapt or learned to accept floaters as part of their vision, a large number of sufferers are not able to get accustomed to them.
Some find them disturbing, distracting or troublesome, while others become anxious at the thought that these floaters will become a permanent part of their visual experience.
I had floaters for 8 years, and I NEVER got used to them.
They didn't drive me insane fortunately, but I was constantly reminded of their presence.
Surgery was never an option, firstly because I couldn't afford it, secondly I did not want to risk having post-surgery complications, and thirdly surgery only cleans up existing floaters - it does not prevent new floaters from appearing.
There are only a few well-researched solutions for floaters that are currently available on the Internet.
Be patient, and I wish you the best in finding something that works for you! References
- Murakami K, Jalkh AE, Avila MD, et al (1983): Vitreous floaters.
Ophthalmology 90: 1271-1276.