What are floaters? Is eye floater an eye disorder? Eye floaters are small moving spots that appear before the eyes. They are usually noticeable on you looking at something bright like white paper or a blue sky. They can be annoying, but they usually do not interfere with the vision. Most people learn to ignore eye floaters and they gradually reduce in a few months or years.
Sometimes when eye floaters increase in frequency and are accompanied by flashes of light or loss of side vision they become a cause of concern and immediate medical attention is required. These symptoms can lead to permanent vision loss.
What are the causes and symptoms of eye floaters
Why do eye floaters occur? Normal symptoms of eye floaters are different shapes of black or grey dots, lines, threadlike strands, cobwebs or rings. Eye floaters are usually caused by small flecks of collagen which is a protein.
What causes eye floaters?
Most of the floaters are collagens which are small flecks of a protein. They are the part of vitreous, a substance which is gel like in the back of your eye.
With age the fibers of protein forming the vitreous reduces or shrinks to small shreds which clumps together. Floaters are nothings but the shadows cast by them on your retina. When vitreous is pulled away from the retina you will get to see a flash. In case you see a flash go to an eye specialist in Dubai as soon as you can.
This can happen to any age group but mostly in the age group of 50 – 75. In case you are near-sighted or had a surgery for cataract, you will be more likely to have floaters.
What are the symptoms of eye floaters?
The name floater was given because it floats around in your eye. Whenever you will try to focus on them they will move away.
There are many different shapes in which they come:
- Black or gray dots
- Squiggly lines
- Threadlike strands, which can be knobby and almost see-through
- Cobwebs
- Rings
They don’t go away easily once you get them but they will get better with time.
How to treat eye floaters?
Eye Floaters are lines or specks that emerge in a person’s eye and they move along with your eye movements. These eye floaters are formed in your eyes due to the deposit of protein in the form of a jelly of the vitreous humor. There are treatments to reduce the number of intensity of the lines or specks in your eye. Eye floaters can be irritating and itching and you might feel extremely uncomfortable at times even though it might obstruct your day-to-day life. You can always take a medical practitioners advice on this and you can get an eye check up that can be done in a clinic user a doctor’s prescription. You do not have to worry if you get these floaters in your eyes because there are a lot of remedies that can do in order to reduce prevent these floaters getting worse. They can be removed completely by a proper treatment and you might not get it again, but make sure that you always keep your eyes clean.
How to get rid of a floater?
Before experimenting, any treatments it is always good to consult a doctor to identify the cause for your eye floaters. In some cases a number of floaters appear together that can tear your retina and some floaters accompany with loss of side vision and flashes of light. In these cases, you should immediately consult a doctor and get proper treatments to cure it. Eye tumors, bleeding between the lens and retina and retinal inflammation are some of the serious circumstances caused by floaters.
Surgery can be done to remove eye floaters, but there are various risks that can cause damage to your retina. So, surgery should only be done after a detailed check up and only in severe cases. There are some laser treatments as well, but even these treatments have risks. The floaters may be irritating, but they do not normally disturb your vision much to perform your routine tasks, so do nothing at all. If the doctor has determined that your eye floaters has been caused by white blood cells from an illness or swelling, then, an antibiotic or an anti-inflammatory medication can be used as prescribed by the doctor.
Try changing your regular diet and lifestyle that may help you to get rid of these floaters. Take supplements that can increase your blood flow, try avoiding stress by doing yoga, meditation etc. Some floaters may reduce automatically without doing any treatments, so give it some time and if you find that the floaters are gradually reducing and then you do not need any treatments. Protect your eyes; it is your responsibility to take care of each of your body parts. Nobody else can do it. You are one who needs to take care of your health to live comfortable and happily with your family. Advice your friends or relatives all the remedies that you know to remove eye floaters from eyes at home.
Best natural cure for eye floaters
Application of Beetroot juice
Zeaxanthin and Lutein are the compounds that is found in Beetroot. It is a great product to improve the retinal as well as macular health. That is why Beetroot Juice is extremely effective in treating the problems of eye floaters. You will have to drink beetroot juice each and every day. It will be better if you consumed beetroot juice twice.
Power of Castor oil
Castor Oil is the best ayurvedic remedy. It improves a person’s eyesight and reduces inflammation that is caused in the eyes of a person. Castor Oil is rich in ricinoleic acid. Anti-oxidants and nutrients in it make castor oil the best product for keeping eyes heathy. You will have to get castor oil, that is one hundred percent pure and organic. Pour castor oil in each eye. Only one drop will be enough. This should be done once every day and it is best if you do it before you sleep.
Benefits of Frankincense essential oil
Both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are present in Frankincense Essential Oil. Damage and degradation of retinal cells can be reversed with this miraculous essential oil. It also takes care of the problem caused by Frankincense Essential Oil.
One drop of Frankincense Essential Oil should be massaged above the eyebrows and it should also cover the cheekbones. Do this twice every day for best results.
Use of green tea
Coffee or caffeine products is a big no, when you are suffering from the problem of eye floaters. But, this doesn’t hold true for green tea. Richness of anti-oxidants in green tea helps to strengthen the vision and also takes care of eye floaters. Boil a cup of water and add one teaspoon of green tea in it. Once it starts to boil, turn off the flame. Allow the green tea to cool and drink it with a teaspoon of honey.
Relaxation for reducing eye floaters
It is the best way to avoid eye floaters. Close the eyes and relax the eye muscles after a long period of straining the eyes. Another way is to cover the eyes with the palm after rubbing them to produce heat.
Massage to keep eye floaters away
Place a cloth soaked in warm water over closed eyes and massage the temples. This helps to relieve stress and to the keep eye floaters away. Alternatively rub the two palms together and cover the eyes with them. The natural heat produced on the palms is stress relieving and soothes the tired eyes.
Eye exercises to cure floaters
How to cure eye floaters with exercises? Eye exercise can be done by rolling the eyes in a circular motion. First roll both the eyes clockwise and then roll them both anti-clockwise. Repeat this eye exercise 10 times a day for most effective results.
Another exercise can be performed by a pencil with arms completely stretched out. Focus on the pencil and then slowly pull the pencil towards the eyes Focus the eyesight on the pencil continuously… This also helps to avoid eye floaters.
Change your lifestyle to avoid eye floaters
A slight change in lifestyle may help to treat eye floaters quickly. Watching the television and working on the computer must be reduced to avoid eye floaters. It is necessary to get enough sleep. Hence regular sleeping hours must be followed to give proper rest to the eyes. Proper sleep helps to get rid of eye floaters. Caffeine and alcohol can have an adverse effect on the eyes. Hence it is better to avoid their intake or at least reduce them considerably.
Bilberry a best herbal remedy for eye floaters
Herbal remedy for treating eye floaters. The blue colour in bilberry helps in the increasing the functioning of the eye vision. This fruit has a high level of antioxidants which help to strengthen the retinal tissue and prevent eye floaters
Water is a natural remedy for reducing eye floaters
Eye floaters might be cause by the accumulation of toxins in the body. These toxins increase with age. Hence drinking lots of water helps to wash out the toxins.
How to get rid of eye floaters naturally – Change in diet
What is the best diet to get rid of eye floaters? Foods rich in antioxidants such as oranges, strawberries, kiwis, green leafy vegetables and green tea help to clear up the toxins. These antioxidants help in increasing the vision by giving strength to the retinal tissues and ibn improving the circulation of blood. Taurine rich foods like meat and sea foods are also extremely useful in maintaining proper vision…Omega-3 fatty acids and are found to relieve symptoms of eye floaters. It is found in hemp oil, fish, wheat germ and walnuts. Addition of these foods in the daily diet will help in avoiding eye floaters.
Floaters can also rarely occur due to these reasons:
- Eye disease
- Injury to the eye
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Crystal-like deposits that form in the vitreous
- Tumors on the eye
Serious eye-disorders related with floaters are:
- Detached retina
- Torn retina
- Bleeding in your vitreous
- Inflamed vitreous or retina caused by infections or an autoimmune condition
- Eye tumors
Migraine headache can also cause a special type of eye floater along with visual aura. When you put your eye to a kaleidoscope it can look like that. It may also move. It is very different than normal floaters and “flashes” like flashbulbs which is caused due to some other problems of the eye.
How floaters can be treated?
Medical treatment is not needed for the ones which are benign.
Get them out from the field of your vision if they annoy you. The fluid shifts around if you move your eyes. Try up and down rather than side to side as the former one works better.
Vitrectomy can be suggested by your doctor in case your vision is getting blocked by so many floaters. He will replace vitreous with salt solution.
You may get complications like:
- Detached retina
- Torn retina
- Cataracts
Though chances are very less but these problems can cause your vision to be damaged permanently.
When to go the doctor?
If you have very few eye floaters which are not changing with time then you don’t need to.
If you notice these then go to the doctor as soon as possible:
- A sudden increase in the number of floaters
- Flashes of light
- Side vision loss
- Quick changes that get worse with time
- Floaters after surgery of the eye or eye trauma
- Eye pain
Choose a doctor with retina problems’ experience. You can lose your sight if help is not provided right away.
