Common Eye Conditions

Floaters

Briefly:

Debris found in the main chamber of the eye,
normally of no consequence but can be signs of more serious problems particularly if associated with flashing lights.

Fuller Explanation:

To give them their full name – Vitreous floaters.
The main chamber if the eye is full of a jellyish substance called the vitreous humour. I use the term jellyish as the vitreous starts life as quite a solid substance that is supported by a lattice of collagen fibres, these are the scaffolding that supports the vitreous. As the eye ages the vitreous breaks down leaving small particles suspended in what is now a mixture of a jelly and a liquid. As the light shines through the eye it will sometimes cause a shadow of these bits of debris to be thrown on to the retina.

The eye projects this shadow forwards and interprets it as something dark
in the distance. As you move your eye the vitreous swishes about and so the debris now creates a shadow that appears to move. This is why when you notice these changes you try to focus on them but as you move your eyes to look at them they move in the direction you moved your eye and often appear to drift down a little when you stop moving the eye.

Floaters are very common and most people will experience them
at some time in their life (more so as we get older) and are most apparent when in bright light, particularly if looking at a plain, light background, as the contrast of the shadow is greater. Most floaters are not a problem, merely an annoyance.

Floaters can sometimes be associated with problems in the eye
and any sudden occurrence of a large amount should always be investigated urgently. This is particularly true if the floaters are associated with flashing lights. The vitreous is attached to the retina at the back of the eye and sometimes as the vitreous breaks down and shrinks it pulls itself away from the retina. When it does this it causes the receptors on the retina to trigger as if there had been a light shone on them, we see this as a sudden flash of light.

Although the vitreous normally detaches from the retina
(a vitreous detatchment) sometimes the adhesion between the vitreous and the retina is so strong that it pulls the retina off the back of the eye (a retinal detachment).

Retinal detachment is a serious condition that requires urgent attention
as early treatment is much more effective.

A brief summary is that although most floaters are of no consequence if they are large, many or are associated with flashing lights urgent review should be undertaken.