Eye Floaters

Floaters are a common issue with vision, and often they go away by themselves. However, there are sometimes that seeing floaters indicates that someone needs to see an optometrist. If it's been a while since you've seen the eye doctor, you may need to make an appointment for an eye exam if you are at risk for certain eye diseases. Call our optometry office, Andrew Stone Optometry, serving Columbia, MO, to make your appointment, and talk to our optometrist on our optometry team about your floaters.

Floaters

What Is a Floater?

A very common sight, floaters are small shapes that appear dark as they float across your visual field. They come in different shapes, including threads, cobwebs, spots, and wavy lines. As you move your eyes, the floaters also move. If you attempt to look directly at them, they will move away from your gaze. When you stop moving your eyes, they will drift through your visual field. If you look at something that's bright, it will make your floaters more noticeable. Most people do get them from time to time, and they usually don't require any treatment. However, it's possible for them to be a sign that the patient is suffering from a serious eye problem. If you see new ones that show up suddenly and stay, you may need to discuss this with an eye doctor. 

Who Is at Risk?

Nearly everyone eventually will have floaters over the years, but there are some who have a higher risk of developing them. People who have a high degree of nearsightedness have a higher risk of them. Those who are diabetic or have had cataract surgery also have an elevated risk.

Causes of Floaters

The normal changes that occur in your eyes are the general cause of floaters. As people get older, small pieces of the fluid that is inside the eye can get stuck together. When this happens, it casts a shadow on the eye's retina. These shadows across your vision are seen as floaters. There can also be causes that are more serious. These causes may include eye injuries, bleeding within the eye, eye infections, the inflammation of the eye, a tear in the retina, fluid being separated from the retina, and retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is a serious condition when the retina is detached from the back part of the eye. Therefore, it's so important to talk to your optometrist about the floaters you see and whether they appear suddenly or with other symptoms that may indicate a more serious condition. 

Call Our Optometrist to Get More Information about Floaters

When it's time for you to see the eye doctor, don't wait. It's important to get your regular eye exam to check for several eye diseases and conditions if you are at risk. Call us at (573) 445-7750 for Andrew Stone Optometry serving Columbia, MO, to make your appointment for your eye exam. 

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