You might have heard about the term eye floaters. They are random spots that pop in and out of your line of vision. Generally, these floaters are not indicative of any major underlying condition, but there are instances when they must be treated to keep the condition from getting worse.
Eye floaters may appear black or grey, cobweb-like or may drift and dart when you move your eyes. Most of the eye floaters appear as a result of ageing. Usually, when the jelly-like substance in your eye becomes liquified, it starts floating within the eye. These floating heads are known as eye floaters.
Why are Eye Floaters Caused?
Retinal tears are one of the most common causes of eye floaters. The development of the eyes causes the vitreous gel to fill the back of the eye, which then attaches to the surface of the retina. The centre of the gel liquifies over time, and then it dilutes to the extent where it can no longer support the weight of the concentrated peripheral vitreous gel. The peripheral layer collapses into the central layer; detaching itself from the retina. These concentrations float in the interior part of the eye, where the vitreous gel is diluted. Some other causes are as follows:
- Cataract surgery
- Diabetes
- Inflammation in the interior of the eyes
- YAG laser eye surgery
- Nearsightedness
If the floaters appear and increase very quickly, then it’s time to see an eye doctor right away. There can be many factors responsible for this condition. So, before you go for an eye checkup, try some of the following home remedies to get rid of these floaters naturally:
Eye Massage
Try to massage the temples gently while your eyes are closed and covered with a warm cloth to increase the blood flow. You can also rub your hands and then place them over your eyelids to provide warmth to the eyes. Sometimes when your eyes are tired or strained, it could contribute to these floaters. Take adequate rest after the massage to ensure your eyes are relaxed completely.
Easy-to-do Eye Exercises
Some home-based exercises are a must to keep your eyes healthy and relaxed. Roll your eyes in a circular motion. Do it clockwise first, and then, anticlockwise. Repeat this few times a day to get the best results. It enables your eyes to throw out all the dust particles from the eyes; ensuring a focused, unstrained vision.
Another thing you could do is get an object in front of you like a pencil and hold it as far away as possible. Now focus on the object dedicatedly, and slowly bring it closer to your face. Repeat this at least four times a day. This will not only enhance your focus but also help relax your eye muscles and give them time to rest.
Give Your Eyes Some Antioxidants
Apart from the many digestive and beauty benefits that antioxidants offer, floater protection is also one of the few popular ones. Food products that are rich in antioxidants, like blueberries, kale, pomegranate, oranges, and strawberries, help fight free radical damage, which is the primary reason behind eye floaters.
Also, it’s best to avoid an inflammatory diet that includes deep fried foods, processed meat, red meat and various body-harming products.
Reduce Screen Time
These days we often find ourselves staring at a digital screen for hours continuously. It is quite straining and damaging to your eyes and can contribute to the appearance of eye floaters significantly. One of the best ways to get rid of these floaters is to minimise the screen time each day and give your eyes sufficient time to relax. The smaller the screen size, the more harmful it is because our eyes need to focus much harder; increasing the possibility of eye floaters drastically.
Increase Water Intake
Consuming an adequate amount of water plays a significant role in detoxifying the body. This is crucial in case of eye floaters as well because they can appear due to the accumulation of toxins in the body. So, similar to antioxidants, water consumption also provides more than one benefit to the body.
Wear Protective Glasses
It is important to know that an excessive UV exposure could be very damaging to the eye. Wearing good quality sunglasses when you are out in the sun helps to fight the UV light. Many people go for cheap, low-quality glasses, but what they don’t realise is not only the glass are ineffective against sunlight, they may also increase the damage by being an obstruction to the vision. Moreover, it would help if you also wore anti-glare glasses when you are working in front of the screen to minimise the impact.
All of the tips mentioned above emphasise on the fact that you must not strain your eyes, make sure that you give enough time to your eyes to relax and it is not apparent to have eye floaters, so don’t ignore them. Even if you don’t have a perfect 20/20 vision, you must not entertain for eye floaters.
When natural remedies don’t work, medical treatment is required to treat the eye floaters and prevent severe eye conditions. Some of the options available are:
- Use laser surgery for eye floaters – In this surgery a laser disrupts the floaters breaking them up and making them less noticeable.
- Removing the vitreous humour surgically using laser floater removal technique. It is also known as vitrectomy, where an ophthalmologist removes the vitreous with the help of a small incision to replace it with a resembling chemical solution to maintain the shape of the eye. However, retinal tears and bleeding are some of the many side-effects of vitrectomy.
It is critical to visit a doctor immediately if there is a sudden onset of floaters and you begin to see flashes of light frequently or if the problem is increasing day by day because if these symptoms are not taken seriously immediately, then it can lead to vision loss in the future. A slight carelessness may have adverse effects!
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