From the Guidelines
Eye floaters are medically known as myodesopsia or more specifically, symptoms of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) 1. These small, dark, shadowy shapes that appear in your vision are caused by tiny pieces of debris floating in the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance that fills the back of your eye. As you age, the vitreous can shrink and become more liquid, causing the collagen fibers within it to clump together, casting shadows on your retina that appear as floaters. Some key points to consider about eye floaters include:
- Most floaters are harmless and don't require treatment, though they can be annoying 1.
- However, a sudden increase in floaters, especially when accompanied by flashes of light or a curtain-like shadow across your vision, could indicate a retinal tear or detachment, which requires immediate medical attention.
- While most people learn to ignore their floaters over time, persistent, bothersome floaters can sometimes be treated with procedures like pars plana vitrectomy, which has been shown to improve contrast sensitivity function and patient satisfaction 1.
- Other treatments, such as laser therapy, have been proposed but currently lack sufficient evidence to support their use, except for Nd:YAG laser which has shown moderate resolution of symptoms 1.
From the Research
Definition of Eye Floaters
- Eye floaters are characterized by the perception of spots or shadows in the visual field, commonly resulting from posterior vitreous detachment 2.
- They are also referred to as vitreous floaters, which can cause chronic symptoms in affected patients 2, 3.
Medical Terminology
- Vitreous floaters are the medical term used to describe the condition of seeing spots or shadows in the visual field 4, 5.
- Posterior vitreous detachment is a condition that can cause vitreous floaters, and it is typically determined clinically and can sometimes be confirmed with optical coherence topography (OCT) 2.