Eye floaters and flashes are one of the common eye issues that one can have. While they are not absolutely dangerous, they are definitely disturbing and a warning sign of future trouble in the eye. While floaters appear as specks, thread, or cobweb-like images drifting across your line of vision, flashes are sparks or strands of light flickering across the visual field.
Floaters are caused when there is a tiny cluster of cells or protein lodged in the vitreous gel of the eye. This raw egg white coloured gel fills the rear two-thirds of the eyeball, providing a pathway for light coming in through the lens. This vitreous connects to the retina which captures images and sends them to the brain via the optic nerve. This vitreous slowly shrinks away with age, causing it to become stringy, which casts a shadow on the retina, thus appearing as floaters. Almost 1/4th of the population experience this problem by their 60s; and 2/3rds by their 80s. Similarly, flashes occur when the vitreous gel rubs or bumps against the retina.
While the shrinking vitreous is generally harmful, there is a one in a six chance of the retina tearing due to the posterior vitreous detachment caused when the vitreous pulls away from the retina. And, when the retina tears, fluid from inside the eye can seep through the tear and separate the retina from the tissues that nourish it. This condition is called retinal detachment, which can lead to permanent vision loss!
Because the entire procedure is painless, you need to be aware of the other symptoms that you can experience in the eye to signal eye floaters and flashes. First and foremost, you will see strings and cobweb-like structures floating around, or you will experience flashes of light in the eye. Other symptoms may include gradual shading of vision from one side of the eye, and rapid decline in central vision.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, you need to rush to an eye checkup clinic in Oshiwara to have your eyes checked and confirm for any such problems. When your eyes experience retinal tear, you will need the help of an ophthalmologist, who will use a laser to make a series of tiny burns around the tear, which will create a barrier of scar tissue which will stop the tear from getting bigger. Thus, if the retinal tear is detected early, treatment can prevent the retina from detaching altogether. However, if the damage of retinal detachment is already done, a procedure involving cold and laser light being paired with the injection of a gas bubble into the eye can repair the detached retina. Sclera buckling and vitrectomy are two other surgical procedures that can help to reattach the retina.
Arohi Eye Hospital is where you can go to have all your eye issues diagnosed and treated at the earliest and in the most efficient manner. Here, there is a team of the best eye doctors and surgeons who have helped the hospital in earning the name of the most reliable Eye specialist in mumbai!
Dr. Shradha Goel
Dr. Shradha Goel, Chief Surgeon at Arohi Eye Hospital, is a renowned Phaco-LASIK surgeon with over 10,000 surgeries to her credit. She earned her MBBS from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, and a Master’s in Ophthalmology from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. As a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Goel specialises in LASIK, refractive errors, and cataract treatments.