All About Eye Floaters

Floaters in the eye can represent a minor annoyance or a major threat to your vision. Treatments for eye floaters can help you see more clearly and may prevent serious injury to your eyes. Working with an established eye surgeon can help you resolve eye floaters quickly to restore clear vision and improve your outlook on the world. Here are some key facts that everyone should know about floaters and their affect on eye health.

What Are Floaters?

Eye floaters typically occur when small pieces of the vitreous gel inside your eye detach from the rest of the fluid and move into your field of vision, blocking light from reaching your retinas. In some cases, you can see around these obstacles by turning your head or moving your eyes from side to side. If you have large or numerous floaters, however, you may experience impaired vision that can affect your everyday activities.

Some Floaters May Indicate a More Serious Problem

While most floaters are relatively harmless, others can be warning signs of damage to your eyes. A sudden increase in the number of floaters, especially when accompanied by flashing lights or a loss of peripheral vision, can be the initial signs of a detached retina or bleeding inside your eye. If you experience these symptoms, a visit to a laser eye surgery professional can provide expert help in addressing your eye care issues and protecting your vision from serious harm.

 Eye Floaters FAQ

Most eye floaters are harmless; however, an increase in the number of eye floaters, especially if they’re accompanied by flashing lights or a loss of peripheral vision, can be signs of damage to your eyes, for example, a detached retina or bleeding inside your eye.

In general, eye floaters don’t need to be treated. If they begin to get worse, increase in number, or begin to impair your vision, you can talk to Dr. Mattioli about treatment options like eye surgery or laser surgery.

Most eye floaters will eventually disappear on their own within 1 — 6 months. If floaters become persistent or increase in number while experiencing other vision problems, you should schedule an appointment at Mattioli Vision Professionals in Houston, TX.

The content on this page has either authored or reviewed by Dr. Fred Mattioli.

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