Are black floaters serious?

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asked Dec 27, 2022 in Eye Health by HimonBiony (600 points)
Are black floaters serious?

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answered Dec 27, 2022 by callfromme (11,030 points)
Black floaters and eye floaters are usually not serious and most often go away on their own.

However in some cases black floaters or eye floaters can be caused by other issues that may be serious such as retinal detachment or vitreous detachment.

The main cause and most common cause eye floaters and flashes and floaters in the eye is PVD or Posterior Vitreous detachment.

Posterior vitreous detachment is an age related change where the vitreous degenerates, shrinks and then separates from your retina.

Eye floaters themselves cannot make you blind.

Although if the eye floaters get worse and are left untreated then the eye floaters can lead to other issues that can cause blindness.

For example if your retina has a bleeding hole, is inflamed, even has retinal detachment, and you do not receive proper treatment, it may lead to blindness.

It's normal to have eye floaters everyday unless they get too severe.

In most cases, the occasional eye floater or flash in your vision isn't something you need to worry about.

This often happens as you age and it's very normal.

However, if you start to notice a lot more floaters than you've experienced in the past or many flashes, you should call your doctor.

Eye floaters are an ordinary part of the aging process because the clear substance inside the eye (vitreous gel) changes with age.

When the vitreous gel shrinks or thickens, particles form in the gel.

If dry eyes get too bad and get worse then in rare cases the dry eyes can cause floaters but it's usually from other conditions.

There are no eye drops, medications, vitamins or diets that will reduce or eliminate floaters once they have formed.

Dry eyes can cause blurry vision.

Dry eye can be serious if it does not go away as our eyes need proper lubrication and moisture or we can suffer from burning eyes, red eyes, itchy eyes and possible blurred vision.

If left untreated, severe dry eyes may lead to eye inflammation, abrasion of the corneal surface, corneal ulcers and vision loss.

Decreased quality of life. Dry eyes can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as reading.

Crying does help with dry eyes.

Your tears are a natural eye lubricator and moisturizer so by crying or creating tears you can help get rid of your dry eyes.

Saline is not really good for dry eyes as it can sometimes actually make the condition worse.

However you want to use a lubricating eye drop to lubricate your eyes with which are known as artificial tears.

Artificial tears are eyedrops used to lubricate dry eyes and help maintain moisture on the outer surface of your eyes.

Such eyedrops may be used to treat dry eyes that result from aging, certain medications, a medical condition, eye surgery or environmental factors, such as smoky or windy conditions.

B12 can cause dry eyes when you're lacking the B12 vitamin.

Having a B12 deficiency is associated with severe dry eye and eye pain.

B12 does help with eyesight and can help prevent macular degeneration which is a condition in which your retina deteriorates over time, causing blurry vision.

When you see cobwebs in your eyes it means that the Vitreous "which is a jelly like material in your eyes" becomes more liquid.

And when this happens the microscopic collagen fibers within the vitreous tend to clump together.

These bits of debris cast tiny shadows onto your retina, and you perceive these shadows as eye floaters.

Strings, blobs, and cobwebs: they all describe types of specks that may appear to float across your field of vision.

These "floaters" are usually just a nuisance.

"In many cases, floaters become less noticeable or more tolerable over time, and can even disappear entirely.

Although cobwebs are a common floater type, you may see more of them after a detachment.

It may also appear as if you are viewing the world through a mist.

Keep in mind that a sudden increase in floaters, a decrease in vision, and flashing lights can be signs of a retinal detachment.

The floaters often subside starting within a few days, and all but a few settle to the bottom of the eye and disappear within a 6-month period. Some residual floaters can be seen for life.

If the floaters are a major nuisance or severely hinder your vision, the best way to get rid of them is through either vitrectomy or the use of lasers.

A vitrectomy is a procedure in which your doctor will remove the gel-like substance (vitreous) that keeps the shape of your eye round.

They mainly don't negatively impact vision and are more of an occasional annoyance.

In time, you may even learn to ignore them even if they don't disappear entirely.

As a result, treatment is rarely recommended for common floaters if they aren't impacting vision significantly.

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