Ever been looking at something and wondering what those weird little smudges or wiggly lines are only to realise there’s nothing there?
Most of us have probably experienced the odd rare ‘floater’ in our eyes and let’s be honest, they’re well annoying.
But while they can be very common, it’s worth keeping, well, an eye on them. And a health expert has explained what you should do if you do start seeing those pesky ‘floaters’.
What are 'floaters'?
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists’ Dr Daniel Polya explained that floaters are a result of vitreous fibres (these make up around 80 percent of the eye) clogging together.
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He explained to Daily Mail Australia: “It's the condensation of the collagen fibres. Large molecules of collagen clog together and cast shadows on your retina which you perceive as eye floaters.”
And those clogs create the shape of those dark blobs or squiggly lines we often see after looking at a bright light or white wall.
What the floaters can mean
“What's really disappointing is when someone will come in with retinal detachment from a posterior vitreous detachment that hasn’t been examined earlier,” the expert said.
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is a common condition which is typically a harmless process where the gel inside your eyes changes. Though sometimes it can be caused by retinal detachment and causes a large ring-shaped floater in the eye.
“For those that get PVD, there's a five percent chance it's developing a tear in the retina, and if a tear does occur, there's a 50 percent chance of retinal detachment,” Dr Polya said.
A retinal tear is still treatable using laser surgery, but the expert adds that this is why it’s so important to catch it early as there can be further damage.
“PVD is common and not that disappointing to see, whereas retinal detachment is disappointing to see in a patient who could have had an earlier exam when they first got floaters,” Dr Polya said.
When to see an optician
While you might be used to seeing them in your eyes, it’s important to see an optician when new ones appear.
Dr Polya stresses it’s ‘so important to see an optician when a floater first appears’.
For most people, they can be part of everyday life and we learn to ignore them.
The expert added: “Laser surgery can also be performed to break up big, problematic floaters, but it has risks associated.”
Jess Battison