It’s enough common that many of us see spots or black/grey threads before the eyeswhich become more intense if you look at a light background, such as the white wall of a room or the blue sky. By moving the eye they seem to move and floatbut there is no way to permanently remove them, not even by rubbing your eyes. When they first appear they can be mistaken for insects which are passing very close to our eyes, for this reason they have been renamed “flying flies“, but their real name is Myodesopsia and consist of something completely different. Let’s see what they are, the causes and what can be done.
What are “Floaters” in the Eyes and What Causes Them?
“Floaters” is the common name given to what are actually called Myodesopsia (or Vitreous Floaters or Vitreous Floaters). They consist of bodies that move slowly following the movement of the eye, and that may seem like external objects, but they are not. They can be black/grayish and have the shape of dots, fillets, cobwebs or spots.
They are some collagen fiber clusterscalls condensationswhich occur due to the slight liquefaction or dehydration of the vitreous humor, that is, the transparent gelatinous substance present in the eye that serves to maintain the sphericity of the eyeball and to obtain clear vision.
When we stare at a white or light background, myodesopsies are more visible, but over time our brain learns to ignore them, making their presence less annoying. Many people suffer from them because triggering factors I am the natural vitreous aging and the myopia. Other triggers could be due to eye surgeries, for example theintervention for the cataract.
There are more serious cases, however, where you need to be careful, as there could be a complete detachment of the vitreous humor or retina. In these cases, however, myodesopsies are accompanied by other obvious symptoms, such as for example vision of bright flashes, flashvisual disturbance. These are rare cases and in any case they cannot be traced back to the sole vision of myodesopsia, a condition which, if present alone, we repeat, is absolutely harmless and normal.
How are myodysplesias treated and prevented?
Myodesopsies are recognized by the ophthalmologist by looking at the fundus oculi in a very normal eye examination. There are no remedies, but surely drink water And keep the vitreous humor hydrated helps a lot in reducing the vision of these floating bodies. There are also some specific supplementsbut generally the disorder never disappears completely.
There are also vitreous removal procedures (vitrectomy) which definitively solve the problem, but are only used in extreme cases in which the condition becomes disabling, this is due to the delicacy and theinvasiveness of this type of intervention. When the condition is not excessive, our own brain will accustom us to their vision, without disturbing our sight too much, except in particular conditions.
