Invisible or black spots before the eyes

“Flying spots” before the eyes or floating opacities are small lines or spots that form in a person’s field of vision. They are easily detected when looking at some uniform light background, for example, the sky or white surfaces. This phenomenon in itself is not harmful and does not impair vision, although eye floaters may cause some discomfort or irritation. Quite rarely, but still a large clouding occurs, as a result of which, in certain lighting, some blurring of vision may appear, but it is insignificant.

It must be said that after appearance, the size of the flies can greatly decrease after a few months. Ophthalmic care is required only in very rare cases. Most often, a person very quickly gets used to “flying spots” and stops paying attention to them.

Signs

Floaters usually move in accordance with the movement of the eyeballs. If you try to focus on them, they disappear from view.

Floaters before the eyes vary in shape:

• in the form of gray and black dots;
• in the form of granular or translucent thread-like strips;
• in the form of rings;
• in the form of curved lines;
• in the form of cobwebs.

Physically flying floaters remain in the vitreous body of the eye, moving out of the field of vision, and extremely rarely disappear on their own.

Floaters before the eyes: general concepts

Black spots in front of the eyes are especially noticeable when looking at a source of bright light, as well as when looking at a uniform blue or white surface. Floaters are dark spots of multiple or single nature.

This visual effect occurs at absolutely any age and for various reasons. Most often found in elderly and myopic people . Moreover, many people notice them only at the very beginning, and then they get used to them and do not pay attention to them, not thinking at all about what the flies mean before their eyes. But at the same time, seemingly harmless appearances in some cases can make the eyes completely blind.

Naturally, it also happens that their number decreases or they disappear completely. But at the same time, there is a high probability of the opposite outcome: when their number increases. And in this case, a person is faced with a logical question: what should he do to make the spots disappear before his eyes?

However, most people try to overcome them on their own. But you need to understand that only a qualified doctor can accurately determine why floaters appear before the eyes, and only an ophthalmologist can prescribe adequate treatment to remove them.

Reasons for the appearance of floaters before the eyes

Almost always, spots appear before the eyes due to age-related changes. Elderly people over 50 years of age, especially those suffering from myopia, are at risk.

With age, the individual components of the vitreous body of the eye disintegrate, as well as collagen fibers rupture. An accumulation of flaps and debris may occur, resulting in a decrease in the amount of light received by the retina. Ophthalmologists gave this process a name - destruction of the vitreous body (VHF). This is the main reason why spots appear in the eyes.

Less commonly, floaters appear before the eyes due to:

• injuries to the eye structures;
• foreign body entry;
• migraine attacks;
• poisoning with certain poisons;
• intraocular oncological diseases;
• diabetes mellitus (retinopathy);
• crystalline deposits in the vitreous mass.

Also, the reasons why flies flash before the eyes can be due to serious pathologies. If the amount of clouding increases, peripheral vision deteriorates, or flashes and sparks appear in the eyes, you should see a specialist as soon as possible. This may happen due to:

• hemorrhages in the ocular structures;
• ruptures or detachment of the retina of the eye;
• hemophthalmos;
• viral, autoimmune, fungal lesions of the retina and vitreous body;
• vitreous detachment.

When to see a doctor?

It is believed that one should not seek medical help if a person sees several midges, and they do not change over time.

But a doctor’s consultation is necessary in the following cases:

• blurred vision increases over time,
• a sudden increase in the number of flies is a very dangerous symptom that requires immediate treatment,
• pain in the eyes with floaters,
• in addition to flies, sparks or light flashes are felt,
• floaters began to appear after the person underwent surgery.

In the above cases, the symptoms are very dangerous. They signal that the retina has become detached, ruptured, blood pressure has increased, or bleeding has occurred.

Diagnostics

You should not seek medical help if you have a few spots or floaters that do not cause much discomfort.

Symptoms that require you to see a doctor:

• the number of spots before the eyes has increased sharply;
• in addition to cloudiness, flashes, sparks and lightning appear in the eyes;
• flying floaters appeared after an eye injury or eye surgery;
• in addition to floaters, painful sensations occur in the eyes;
• in addition to opacities, the “picture” splits;
• vision deteriorated sharply.

For an accurate diagnosis in these cases, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist and a neurologist. In addition, examinations should be carried out using special instruments.

Useful video

The appearance of flickering does not always indicate the presence of pathological conditions of the visual apparatus. The symptom signals the presence of problems in the blood circulation of the brain or changes in hormonal levels. It is necessary to contact medical personnel if the size and number of spots before the eyes increase in order to determine the root cause and eliminate the pathology.

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D. Aleaxndrescu

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Treatment of floaters before the eyes

The method of treating floaters before the eyes depends on the cause of their appearance. Destruction of the vitreous can be treated in two ways:

Drug treatment

At the moment, there are no drugs that could completely eliminate floaters from before the eyes. An ophthalmologist, as a rule, prescribes medications that activate metabolic processes, for example: Emoxipin 1% eye drops, Wobenzym, neurometabolic stimulants (nootropics), as well as various immunomodulators. This causes the opacities to decrease in size. This therapy can also be supplemented with mineral and vitamin complexes containing lutein.

Surgery

Surgery, although a very effective method, is associated with a high risk of complications after surgery. Among them are cataracts, detachment and rupture of the retina, so it is used extremely rarely, only in very severe cases. Eye floaters can be surgically removed using two methods:

• laser vitreolysis – precise local laser action on cloudy areas of the vitreous, which leads to their fragmentation;
• vitrectomy - complete or partial removal of the vitreous body and filling the resulting space with a special solution.

Despite the fact that eye floaters are very common, modern medical science has not yet developed a single effective and safe method for getting rid of this problem.

Root causes of floaters before eyes

Various factors provoke the formation of flickering.

Pathological conditions of the vascular system

Sometimes floaters can be triggered by changes in blood pressure. Due to a sharp change in the intensity of blood supply, the functionality of the visual apparatus is disrupted. Spasm of the vascular network leads to tears and thinning of the capillaries inside the visual organs, which provokes the appearance of flashes in only one eye.

Ophthalmological pathologies

Floaters appear due to the progression of diseases of the visual apparatus:

• retinal disinsertion;
• effusion of blood into the area of ​​the organ of vision;
• eye damage;
• vitreous detachment in the posterior part;
• degenerative processes in the retina;
• uveitis

Retinal detachment leads to complete loss of vision. The presence of the disease is indicated by the formation of shiny flies.

Anemia

When bleeding, the patient experiences a critical decrease in hemoglobin in the bloodstream, which negatively affects brain activity. If the patient has weakness, fainting or flickering, this is a reason to go to the hospital for medical help.

Migraine

Depending on the intensity of the migraine, not only floaters are observed, but also additional signs of the pathological condition:

• flashes before the organs of vision;
• flickering sticks or spots;
• formation of a veil.

Osteochondrosis of the neck

Deformation of the cervical vertebrae leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain and visual apparatus. Additional symptoms of the pathology are:

• crunching sounds when turning the head;
• soreness in the head;
• spots before the eyes;
• dizziness.

Sclerosis

Elderly people are susceptible to sclerotic disorders. Due to the presence of sclerosis, the patient develops problems with coordination of movements and spots appear before the eyes.

Intoxication

Visual disturbances appear both in case of poisoning with alcoholic beverages and other chemical compounds. Intoxication is accompanied by small threads in front of the organs of vision or flies.

Diabetes

Due to the progression of the pathology, there is a decrease in the tone of the vessels that provide blood supply to the organs of vision. When the first flies appear due to sugar pathology, you should seek the advice of a specialist.

Brain diseases

The appearance of flies is facilitated by neurological pathologies, such as tumor processes, in the back of the head. Additional symptoms for neurological lesions are:

• dizziness;
• attacks of nausea or vomiting;
• loss of consciousness;
• speech disorder;
• headache;
• memory loss.

Flashing before the eyes can be caused by a traumatic brain injury, which is accompanied by:

• blurred visual image;
• light flashes;
• hallucinations.

Cardiopsychoneurosis

The disease is characterized by various symptomatic manifestations. Among them is the appearance of spots in front of the organs of vision.

Floaters during pregnancy

Flashing in front of the visual apparatus in women during pregnancy is associated with hormonal changes and the appearance of toxicosis. During pregnancy, there is an increase in blood circulation in all structural systems and organs. Late toxicosis is especially dangerous, which manifests itself:

• dizziness;
• attacks of nausea;
• swelling of the face;
• the presence of protein in the urine;
• removal of vomit;
• increase in pressure level.

Complications of gestosis manifest themselves through:

• placental abruption;
• pulmonary edema;
• bleeding;
• fainting;
• cerebral edema.

If there is flickering and additional symptoms in a woman during pregnancy, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Transparent spots before the eyes

The causes of transparent spots before the eyes can be:

• Destruction of the vitreous body.
• Inflammatory process in the eye.
• Eye damage.
• Severe degree of myopia.

The vitreous is a colorless transparent gel that contains 99% water and 1% collagen. The gel fills the entire eyeball from the inside and normally conducts light rays without hindrance.

With the onset of age-related changes in the eye (after 40 years), collagen delamination occurs, individual fibers tear off and, floating in the vitreous fluid, cast a shadow as rays pass onto the fundus. As a result, images of oblong “worms” and “bubbles” appear, which become clearer the brighter the light enters the eye.

Similar “floaters” can also occur during inflammatory processes, eye injuries, when its internal environment is affected . It is characteristic that the appearance of transparent “flies” is most often a temporary phenomenon. The inflammatory process takes place, the exfoliated collagen fibers settle or dissolve, and the vitreous body becomes transparent again.

A high degree of myopia as a result of “stretching” the eyeball contributes to the detachment of collagen fibers and the appearance of transparent “floaters”.

Treatment

“Floaters” and “cobwebs” before the eyes are not pathological processes, so therapy should be aimed at combating the underlying disease, which the doctor will identify after a detailed examination.

However, if the ophthalmologist claims that everything is fine with the visual apparatus, but the problem persists, it is necessary to visit other doctors (therapist, neurologist and endocrine system specialist).

Drug therapy

There are no medications as such that will help get rid of floaters. Because this is not a disease, but a separate symptomatology characteristic of many ailments. Medicines to combat blackheads are prescribed only if the root cause of their appearance relates to the field of ophthalmology. Most often, doctors prescribe Wobenzym tablets or Emoxipin (eye drops 1% solution).

This group of medications normalizes metabolism, due to which blood flow in the vitreous body is stabilized and floaters disappear. Wobenzym should be taken three times a day, five tablets. The course of therapy ranges from two to four weeks. "Emoxipin" is instilled three times a day, a drop in each eye for a month.

Doctors also recommend drinking a vitamin-mineral complex containing lutein.

Surgical correction

If the cause of the appearance of “cobwebs” is hidden in the destructive processes occurring in the vitreous body, surgery may be performed.

Vitrectomy is prescribed to partially remove the contents of the CT; instead, an identical amount of saline solution is injected. Despite the fact that modern medicine uses unique equipment and innovative technologies, the risk of complications remains with any surgical intervention. After vitrectomy, it is possible to develop cataracts, retinal detachment, or hemorrhage into the organ of vision.

Vitreolysis is considered a safer procedure. During this process, a laser beam is directed at opaque microparticles, which cause a “spider web” effect. The device crushes them into tiny elements that are unable to cause optical discomfort.

Eye exercises

If there are no indications for drug treatment, and there are no pathologies in the vitreous body, and the reason for the appearance of “floaters” lies in the weak tone of the eye muscles, then it is worth trying to perform special gymnastics for a certain time.

Sit on a chair with your back straight and look forward. At the same time, the head remains motionless, then look sharply all the way to the left side and then to the right. Then look up and down. According to the theory, such an exercise helps to evenly distribute the intraocular fluid. In this case, the “front sights” do not disappear, but disappear from view.

Gymnastics must be performed several times during the day whenever black spots appear before the eyes. Return to contents

Are “floaters” before the eyes dangerous?

To a certain extent, destruction of the vitreous body does not pose a threat to eye health and only causes psychological discomfort. If “floaters” appear before your eyes, it is advisable to see a doctor, since similar symptoms can be caused by some other pathologies (increased blood pressure, vitreous hemorrhages, diabetes mellitus, etc.) that require specific treatment.

It happens that the number of “floaters” before your eyes suddenly increases sharply for no apparent reason, in these cases you should definitely see a doctor. Such an increase in optical defects in the field of view can sometimes indicate serious pathologies of the retina, in particular, indicate the beginning of the process of retinal detachment. Particular attention should be paid to those persons who experience “flares”, “lightning”, halos and other suspicious symptoms against the background of floating dots. To preserve their vision, people with such symptoms should immediately consult an ophthalmologist.

Floaters before the eyes: what are they?

From a medical point of view, the “cobwebs” that appear in front of the organ of vision are polymorphic opacities located in the visual zone. They may vary in shape, size and color. Cloudiness can look like white threads, rings or dots. The easiest way to spot floaters is to look at the sky or other light background.

The anomaly may appear once or be pathological in nature. Usually patients do not pay attention to such deviations. A visit to the doctor occurs if the duration of the outbreaks increases and the number of points increases. However, you should not put off visiting the clinic until the last minute, because the sooner the cause of the anomaly is identified, the easier it is to treat.