Floaters

Eye Floaters

Eye floaters are those tiny spots, specks, flecks and "cobwebs" that drift aimlessly around in your field of vision. While annoying, ordinary eye floaters and spots are very common and usually aren't cause for alarm. You'll also notice that these specks never seem to stay still when you try to focus on them. Floaters and spots move when your eye moves, creating the impression that they are "drifting."

Causes of Eye Floaters

When we are born and throughout our youth, the vitreous has a gel-like consistency. But as we age, the vitreous begins to dissolve and liquefy to create a watery center and imperfections gradually develop. The common type of floater, which is present in most people’s eyes, is due to degenerative changes of the vitreous humour. The perception of floaters is known as myodesopsia, or less commonly as myodaeopsia, myiodeopsia, myiodesopsia.

Treatment in Serious Cases

Vitrectomy may be successful in treating more severe cases; The technique usually involves making three openings through the part of the sclera known as the pars plana. Of these small gauge instruments, one is an infusion port to resupply a saline solution and maintain the pressure of the eye, the second is a fiber optic light source, and the third is a vitrector. The vitrector has a reciprocating cutting tip attached to a suction device. This design reduces traction on the retina via the vitreous material. A variant sutureless, self-sealing technique is sometimes used.

For most cases, vitrectomies for floaters are successful but complications do occur. Complications include cataracts, retinal detachment, macular edema, hypotony, residual floaters, anterior vitreous detachment and optic nerve damage.

Laser vitreolysis: In this procedure an ophthalmic laser (usually an Yttrium aluminium garnet "YAG" laser) is focused onto the floater and in a series of brief bursts, the laser vaporizes and lyses (cuts) the collagen strands of the floater. It is an outpatient process, which is much less invasive to the eye than a vitrectomy, with potentially fewer side effects. As of July 2010, laser treatment is not widely practiced and is performed by very few specialists.