When you focus on a plain or brightly lit background, or gaze into an open space, you may notice distinct shadows appearing in your vision. These shadows can take various forms, such as tadpole-like shapes, circular patterns, dots, lines, threads, or cobweb-like patterns. As long as you keep your eyes still, these shadows will continue to float and move. However, when you try to directly look at them, the shadows disappear without a trace. This phenomenon is likely caused by eye floaters, also known as vitreous floaters or floaters in the eye.

How Do Eye Floaters Occur?

Eye floaters are a degenerative condition of the eye that primarily stems from structural abnormalities in the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance inside the eyeball. These abnormalities cause visual disturbances in individuals, and eye floaters can be categorized into 3 types: degenerative, physiological, and pathological. The vitreous humor, originally a transparent gel-like substance, fills and maintains the shape of the eyeball.

．Degenerative: As one ages, the vitreous humor gradually shrinks and may even detach from the retina, creating circular shadows. However, this condition does not pose a threat to eye health and is more common in individuals aged 40 and above.

．Physiological: The liquefaction of the vitreous humor causes proteins within it to condense into small dots or fibers, resulting in cloudy impurities. This leads to the appearance of black spots while looking at objects, but it does not significantly affect vision. Physiological eye floaters are more prevalent in individuals below the age of 40.

．Pathological: This type of eye floaters is relatively rare but carries the highest risk and requires immediate treatment. It can occur due to conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, eye inflammation, ocular trauma, previous eye surgery, vitreous hemorrhage, or retinal diseases. In these cases, inflammation of the surrounding tissues of the vitreous humor leads to the leakage of white blood cells, resulting in a large area of dense shadows that severely impair vision.

Do Eye Floaters Require Treatment?

Currently, eye floaters can be treated through laser therapy or vitrectomy surgery. However, these treatment methods have certain limitations and may not completely eliminate the floaters. Laser therapy can only break down larger floaters into smaller fragments, making them less noticeable to the patient. On the other hand, vitrectomy surgery is an invasive procedure that involves creating an incision in the eye, and it carries significant risks. As a result, most ophthalmologists do not recommend it as a first-line treatment option.

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