Black floaters in the eye (or both eyes) can be a symptom of a dangerous disease, so they should not be ignored.
Eye floaters look like small spots that drift through your field of view. They may stick out when you look at something bright, like white paper or a blue sky. They might irritate you, but they shouldn’t disrupt your sight.
When you visit your ophthalmologist, talk in detail about your condition, the black dots floating in the eye that you notice, and follow the doctor’s further recommendations.
If you have a large black floater, it can cast a small shadow over your vision. But this tends to happen just in specific types of light.
You can discover how to deal with floaters and ignore them. You might see them less as time left. Only rarely do they get bad enough to require treatment.
Symptoms
Black floaters make their name by moving around in your eye. They tend to dart away when you try to focus on them.
They can be found in many different shapes:
- Black or gray dots
- Squiggly lines
- Threadlike hairs, which can be knobby and nearly transparent
- Cobwebs
- Rings
- When you get them, they usually do not go away. But you usually observe them less with time.
What Causes Black Floaters in Eyes?
A lot of floaters are little flecks of a protein called collagen. They’re part of a gel-like substance in the back of your eye called the vitreous.
As you age, the protein fibers that comprise the vitreous shrink down to little shreds that clump together. The shadows they cast on your retina are floaters. If you see a flash, it’s since the vitreous has actually pulled away from the retina. If that occurs, see your optometrist ASAP.
These modifications can occur at any age, however normally take place in between 50 and 75. You’re most likely to have them if you’re nearsighted or have recently had cataract surgery.
It’s rare, however black floaters can likewise arise from:
- Eye disease
- Eye injury
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Crystal-like deposits that form in the vitreous
- Eye tumors
Major eye conditions connected with black floaters include:
- Detached retina
- Torn retina
- Bleeding in your vitreous
- Irritated vitreous or retina caused by infections or an autoimmune condition
- Eye tumors
Something that may resemble a floater is the visual aura that can include a migraine headache. It might look like what you see when you put your eye to a kaleidoscope. It may even move. It’s different from the floaters and flashbulb type “flashes” that include other eye issues.
This normally lasts a couple of minutes and might include the vision in both eyes. But then it totally resolves unless you have another episode.
When to See the Doctor
If you only have a couple of black eye floaters that don’t alter gradually, don’t sweat it.
Go to the doctor ASAP if you discover:
- A sudden increase in the variety of floaters
- A loss of side vision
- Flashes of light
- Modifications that begin rapidly and become worse with time
- Floaters after eye surgery or eye trauma
- Eye pain
Pick a doctor who has experience with retina issues. If you do not get assist immediately, you could lose your sight.
Black Floaters Treatment
Benign ones practically never need medical treatment. However, if there is a doctor’s conclusion that your black floaters found in the eye require treatment, then you should start it immediately.
If they irritate you, try to get them from your field of view. Move your eyes – this moves the fluid around. Look up and down, that generally works much better than side to side.
If you have so many that they obstruct your vision, your optometrist might recommend surgery called a vitrectomy. He’ll remove the vitreous and change it with a salt solution.
You might have complications like:
- Removed retina
- Torn retina
- Cataracts
The risk is low, however if these issues occur, the black floaters can permanently damage your vision.
Q&A
Are black floaters serious?
Not always. In fact, most of the time they are NOT DANGEROUS. These spots can appear and disappear quite painlessly. However, if you have black floaters in your eye and they persist for a long time, you should see an ophthalmologist.
Should I be worried about black floaters?
As I wrote above, you should only worry if you have black floaters and they persist for a long time. This suggests that there may be a serious cause for these black floaters that is worth investigating.
Can dehydration cause black eye floaters?
Yes, it is possible and it is not dangerous. You just need to rid your body of dehydration, and as a result, these spots should disappear on their own.
Can black floaters cause blindness?
Here’s where I need to clarify. The very black floaters you find in your eyes are not triggers for blindness. It is correct to consider them as one of the symptoms of retinal detachment, which in turn can lead to blindness. That is why I pointed out several times in the article that only a visit to a qualified ophthalmologist will help to determine the cause of black floaters and, if necessary, to prescribe treatment for your eyes.
What the specialist told me: with vertebrobasilar insufficiency, the blood flow through the vertebral arteries is disturbed, which affects the blood supply to some parts of the brain, including those responsible for visual function. Clinically it manifests itself as black floaters and darkening of the eyes, short-term loss of vision.
Chorioiditis (inflammation of the vasculature), retinitis (inflammation of the retina), chorioretinitis (inflammation of both structures) can also cause black floaters in the eyes. In addition, the patient experiences flashes of light (photopsia), decreased visual acuity, and impaired vision in the dark. A disease of infectious nature in neglected cases leads to blindness.
What doctors should I go to if I have flickering black floaters in front of my eyes?
Since the flickering of flickers before the eyes can be caused not only by eye pathologies, but also by diseases of the internal organs, it is necessary to consult not only an ophthalmologist, but also a therapist. If necessary, a visit to a neurologist, an endocrinologist for pregnant women – an obstetrician-gynecologist may be additionally recommended.
Here’s what I know about Treatment for Black Floaters in the Eye
The choice of therapy depends on the cause of the Floaters.
In case of vitreous body destruction, conservative therapy with medications is carried out; if its effectiveness is low and the patient’s quality of life is significantly impaired, the inclusion is destroyed by laser, and surgery for partial or complete replacement of the vitreous body is performed.
Correction of retinal detachment is performed by cold coagulation of the retina or by laser.
With retinopathies it is necessary to monitor the level of blood pressure and blood sugar and take medications to normalize the level of lipids in the blood.
Retinitis requires active antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic (depending on the causative agent), and anti-inflammatory therapy.
In vertebrobasilar insufficiency caused by cervical spine osteochondrosis, the doctor may recommend courses of therapeutic massage, physical therapy, physiotherapy, reflexology, as well as courses of neurometabolic and vasoactive drug therapy. In some cases, it may be necessary to consult a neurosurgeon to determine the treatment strategy.
You know that feeling when you’re staring at a sunset and a little speck floats into your field of vision? Sure, it’s annoying, but it’s also totally normal. That’s because most people have floaters that come and go, and they often don’t need treatment. But sometimes floaters can be a sign of a more serious eye condition. So if you notice new floaters that appear suddenly and don’t go away, it’s important to tell your eye doctor.
Retinal tears are common among people over 60 years old as a result of aging. They are usually not painful, but they can cause visual impairment or blindness if left untreated. The symptoms include dark spots in your vision, flashes of light when you move your eyes quickly or close them tightly, double vision, or reduced acuity.
Retinal detachment is a serious condition that occurs when the retina separates from its underlying layers. It can lead to blindness if left untreated. Symptoms include black spots in your vision that do not change color when you look at different objects; blind spots that vary in size; flashing lights; an inability to read print words on an eye chart; loss of peripheral vision; poor night vision; halos around lights; double vision or multiple images of objects when looking at them straight on.
Black floaters include dots, zigzags, dust, strokes, commas and other figures appearing before the eyes for various reasons. This is a frequent phenomenon in people of different ages.
When a person sees floating spots (white and black flies in front of the eyes), it is often associated with age-related changes in the visual organs, eye diseases.
Destruction of the vitreous body is the reason for the constant presence of additional inclusions in the field of vision. It appears against the background of a decrease in the ratio of fluid and other components of the vitreous body gel due to natural aging or after mechanical damage or surgical interventions on the eye.
Another reason is retinal or vitreous detachment. In this situation, in addition to flies, there is a sharp deterioration in visual acuity. If you don’t visit a specialist in time, there is a high probability of blindness. The risk of detachment is greatly increased in people who suffer from a high degree of myopia.
Other possible causes include chorioiditis (inflammation of the vasculature) and retinitis (inflammation of the retina). In such cases, in addition to floating spots, the person feels flashes of light, his visual acuity is reduced and vision in the dark is impaired. Diseases of infectious nature in neglected clinical cases lead to blindness.