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Vitreous Detachment & Floaters
The center of the eye is filled with a jelly-like substance called
"vitreous". At a young age, this substance is very thick with a consistency
somewhat like "Jell-o". As a natural process of aging, the vitreous becomes more
liquefied as one gets older. The vitreous is usually completely attached to the
retina, which is the seeing membrane in the back of the eye.
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| The vitreous jelly has pulled away from the retina in
the back of the eye. |
As the vitreous becomes progressively liquefied, it begins to move around
inside the eye. Eventually, the vitreous becomes so loose that it "pulls away"
from the retina behind it. This is called a "vitreous detachment" and is a
result of a natural process of life. Some people get this in their 30's and 40's
but usually the process occurs after age 50.
As the vitreous pulls away from the back of the eye, sometimes small pieces
of the vitreous "break away" and float inside the liquefying jelly. These are
"floaters" and appear as black spots or specks in your vision that often move
around, especially with eye movement. As the vitreous continues to detach, these
floaters usually settle to the bottom of the eye and become less bothersome.
Sometimes, it takes several months for the symptoms to improve. There is no
medication, glasses, or surgery that will make these symptoms improve
faster.
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| A retinal detachment can occur by creating a tear in
the retina shown by the arrow. The tear occurs as the vitreous jelly pulls the
retina while detaching from the retina. Fluid inside the eye goes through the
newly created hole (see arrow) and the fluid pulls the rest of the retina off
the back of the eye (Retinal Detachment) |
Rarely, the retina behind the vitreous can be pulled as the vitreous detaches
producing a "retinal detachment" or a tear in the retina. This could require
laser or other surgical treatment to prevent the tear from enlarging and pulling
the retina away from the back of the eye, which would require more extensive
treatment. Your retina should be examined if you have any of the following
symptoms:
- Onset of floaters or increase in number of floaters.
- Any association with flashing lights in your peripheral or "side" vision, or
an increase in flashing lights.
- A black curtain covering your peripheral vision and coming from above,
below, or from the side. You can check each eye by covering one eye at a time.
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| Sometimes tears in the retina are treated
with laser surgery. At the left, a retinal tear is present shaped like a
horseshoe! At the right, laser application surrounding the tear seals down the
tear preventing it from getting bigger and allowing for resorption of fluid
beneath the retina. |
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