Reduce Floaters

Eye floaters are dark specks or lines that appear in one's vision and drift about with eye movements. They are caused when pieces of debris floating in the jelly-like substance of the vitreous humor, which fills the middle of an eyeball, cause shadows on the retina at the back of the eye.

While rarely a cause for concern, they can be annoying enough for some to want to learn how to reduce floaters. There is no single cure to reduce floaters. Time and adaptation are generally recommended, with surgical techniques only used in severe cases.

Steps

Following Standard Recommendations

1. Shift your eye. If you happen to focus on a floater, try moving your eye up and down or side to side. The movement of the eye can shift the floater and provide relief.
2. Talk to your doctor about floaters. If you have floaters that frequently disrupt your vision, new floaters that suddenly appear, or just have questions about them, talk to your ophthalmologist or physician. These professionals can help you determine if your floaters require medical intervention, based on your symptoms.
   • Although most eye floaters can be chalked up to a normal part of the aging process and treatment for eye floaters is not always needed, some rare cases require targeted medical intervention.
   • Have your eyes checked by an optometrist or ophthalmologist at least once every two years or more often if you have certain medical conditions (like diabetes).
3. Do nothing at all. Although floaters may be annoying, they usually don't interfere with your vision so much that you can't perform daily tasks. Normally, your brain learns to ignore floaters and adapts your vision accordingly.
   • Nearsighted people or those with previous eye injury or certain conditions such as diabetes are more likely to experience floaters, or to experience them more frequently.
   • You may have floaters for years, and they may fade in time. If you notice new ones, however, contact your ophthalmologist for an examination.

Seeking Treatment for Severe Cases

1. See a doctor immediately if floaters are accompanied by flashes of light or a loss of side vision. If not treated immediately, the underlying condition could cause a loss of vision. Serious conditions associated with floaters include:
   • Vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding between the lens and the retina)
   • Vitreous and retinal inflammation (caused by infections or autoimmune inflammation)
   • Eye tumors
   • A tear in the retina (when numerous floaters suddenly appear)
   • A detached retina (when accompanied by blurry or clouded vision)
2. Talk to your ophthalmologist about special treatments if the eye floaters are causing serious vision disturbances. Severe cases of floaters can be treated with surgical techniques. Surgery to remove the incidence of floaters comes with serious risks. Most often, the risks associated with surgery are deemed far worse than the minor annoyance of an occasional floater. Your ophthalmologist can help you decide if surgery is needed or advisable, given your particular case.
   • Risks associated with eye surgery include cataracts, retinal tears, and retinal detachment, so surgical treatment is only recommended in extreme cases.
   • Surgery may not be a permanent solution for floaters, since new ones can appear at any time.
3. Undergo surgery if it is deemed necessary. If you and your ophthalmologist decide that special treatments are necessary to reduce your floaters, there are a few options available. Make sure to ask your ophthalmologist any questions you may have about these procedures.
   • A procedure known as vitrectomy removes the actual vitreous from the eye and replaces it with a saline solution, eliminating the eye floaters in the process.
   • Freezing therapy or laser therapy which super cools the eye, may be needed to correct retinal tears, and to reduce floaters.

Trying Unverified Home Remedies

1. Try dietary supplements to reduce floaters. Some health professionals believe that certain nutritional supplements may help get rid of eye floaters. Nutritional supplements have not been clinically shown to reduce floaters, but some people may find them to be helpful. Discuss these treatments with your ophthalmologist before starting any of them:
   • Try antioxidant-rich substances such as turmeric and rose hips. There is some evidence that these antioxidants are effective in treating macular degeneration, but not in directly reducing floaters. Rose hips are commonly available as an herbal tea, and turmeric as a spice.
   • Consider hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid has been shown to be effective in helping eyes heal after cataract surgery. Some use hyaluronic acid to treat floaters, although no established medical connection has yet been formed.
2. Take supplements that increase blood flow. The idea is that increased blood flow will help your eyes better flush out the gelatinous protein from the vitreous. No proven connection, however, has been formed by the following supplements and floater reduction, so discuss these treatments with your ophthalmologist before starting them:
   • Try Ginkgo biloba. Ginkgo biloba has been proven effective in increasing ocular blood flow and is used by patients suffering from glaucoma.
   • Try lysine. Lysine is a vasodilator, which means that it widens blood vessels, particular in large veins. Lysine has proven effective in widening blood vessels in some areas, but not necessarily in the eyes.
   • Try bilberry. Bilberry is used both for improving eyesight and for widening blood vessels. More tests are needed to investigate the efficacy of bilberry in treating floaters.
3. Find ways to reduce stress. Another potential irritant for eye floaters is stress, so practicing stress management techniques may reduce the visibility of them. Meditation, prayer or spending time in nature are some options people find helpful to lower stress levels. Daily exercise like yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi can also reduce stress and help you develop a more relaxing lifestyle.

Tips

• No eye drops are known to help reduce floaters.

Sources and Citations

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