Floaters
Before going in to the details here it must be said that if you notice Floaters or Flashers you must consult your optician immediately.
Floaters are deposits of various sizes which reside in the Vitreous Humour. The Vitreous Humour is the fluid like gel that fills the eye. Floaters are not uncommon and for most people they do not cause too much trouble. However, at first they can be quite a distraction if they constantly drift across our vision.
Usually floaters are caused when the Vitreous Humour shrinks. This causes the Collagen in the Vitreous Humour to breakdown in to what we call Fibrils (Floaters) they tend to be few and linear in form.
However, floaters can be caused in many other ways such as Retinal Detachments, Posterior Vitreous Detachments, Retinal Tears, Cataract Operations or Trauma to the eye to name a few.
They can appear in various shapes and sizes. However, if you notice a sudden appearance of floaters you MUST consult your optician immediately as this could be the signs of a retinal detachment and could easily lead to blindness.
Normally there is no treatment for floaters. Procedures such as a Vitrectomy (a procedure to remove some or all of the Vitreous Humour from the eye) are not normally justified due to the complications and potential for causing blindness, bearing in mind most people live and get used to floaters as time goes by, In fact some have become so used to them that they just don’t notice them anymore.
To summarise floaters come in many different shapes, sizes and causes so needless to say the only person who can inform you of your particular condition is your optician. If for some reason you feel that your optician has not explained your situation clearly enough simply ask them to go over it again I am sure they will be happy to help.
Many Thanks