OUT, DAMNED SPOTS!

WRITER: FRED HILTON

Most of you—probably all of you—have had spots before your eyes at one time or another. We’re not talking about seeing those cheesy cartoon stars and bells, like the ones that Wile E. Coyote sees when the Road Runner drops an Acme Corporation anvil on his head. The spots before your eyes are those weird-looking dots or lines that seem to wander around aimlessly and float across your line of vision.

Appropriately, they’re known as “floaters” and they usually go away when you try to focus on them. You’ve certainly seen them and they have probably increased in numbers as you’ve grown older. “Floaters are little ‘cobwebs’ or specks that float about in your field of vision,” according to the National Eye Institute. “They are small, dark, shadowy shapes that can look like spots, thread-like strands, or squiggly lines. They move as your eyes move and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly.

They do not follow your eye movements precisely, and usually drift when your eyes stop moving.” They occur most often between ages 50 and 75, especially in people who are very nearsighted or have had cataract surgery.

So where do they come from?

“Floaters are caused by an irregularity in the vitreous ‘gel’ that fills your eye,” says the Eye Institute of New Zealand. “The irregularity casts a shadow onto your retina, blocking small areas of your vision, which you perceive as floaters.” These irregularities are caused by small flecks of protein called collagen. The ancient Romans called them “muscae volitantes,” or “flying flies.”

The good news is that, nearly always, floaters do no harm and no treatment for them is needed or recommended.

Sometimes, floaters can become so numerous they hinder vision. The problem can be resolved by a vitrectomy, a surgical procedure that removes floaters from the vitreous.

On very rare occasions, eye floaters can be a sign of a more serious condition. If there is a sudden increase in the number of floaters, you should seek immediate medical attention.

This is especially important if the floaters are accompanied by flashes of light or a loss of side vision. These symptoms could be a sign of bleeding within the eye or a retinal detachment or tear. Without immediate treatment, you could have permanent vision loss.

You should also seek immediate attention if the spots are caused by an Acme Corporation anvil.

Sources

“Eye Floaters and Flashers,” Eye Institute, Vision Corrective Specialists, Auckland, New Zealand http://www.eyeinstitute.co.nz/the-eye/eye-problems-and-symptoms/eyefloaters-and-flashes.htm

“Eye Floaters: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment,” WebMD http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/benign-eye-floaters

“Spots Before Your Eyes,” Rand Eye Institute, Deerfield Beach, FL https://www.randeye.com/spots-before-your-eyes/

“What Are Those Dark Spots I’m Seeing in My Eyes?” by Dr. Michelle Calder-Cardwell, Urban Optiques Vision & Eyewear, Northville, MI https://www.vsp.com/eye-floaters.html

“Facts About Floaters,” National Eye Institute, the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services https://nei.nih.gov/health/floaters/floaters