Do eye floaters go away with cataract surgery? A number of questions arise from the presence of eye floaters in the eyes. Do eye floaters go away? If they do, after how long? Here are the causes of eye floaters, their various treatments and removal techniques. Can black eye floaters go away by themselves or on their own?
According to the WebMD, eye floaters are small moving spots that appear in your field of vision. These are most noticeable when one looks at bright things such as the blue sky or white paper. Other than being an annoyance, they do rarely interfere with sight.
Do eye floaters go away? How do you remove them? Image courtesy of BerwickEye
At times though it is possible for large eye floaters to cast subtle shadows over your vision in specific types of light. With time, people who decide to live with them realize that they become less noticeable.
Do eye floaters go away ever, by themselves, on their own?
The question “do eye floaters go away?” is commonly asked by individuals who get them before seeking treatment. For most people who have had them and had no interventions done, the feeling is that eye floaters can go away naturally on their own. However, according to Williamsoneyeinstitute.com, the floaters do not go away because they are made up of tissue.
Instead, what happens is that when they are given time, most eye floaters tend to reduce in size. They tend to gradually diminish over time something that gives the impression that they have gone away. The brain will also tend to adapt to their presence and notice them less. When this happens, the eyes are not bothersome and you do not need to seek any treatment.
How long do Eye Floaters take to go away?
In case you decide to wait for the floaters to disappear without treatment, you may be wondering how long it takes them to fade away. The first few months after you notice them, there may not be much change in shape or size.
Eye exercises can help you get rid of floaters inside eye white fast.
You should not be scared though because you have a floater in eye that won’t go away. Normally, after around six months they may start to settle down. By nine months they will start diminishing. Large floaters may however take up to several years to go away. Generally, given enough time most floaters eventually become invisible.
Where a patient is suffering floaters due to bleeding which may be as a result of diabetic retinopathy or after retinal detachment or an injury, the floaters will decrease with time as the blood gets absorbed. A doctor is best placed in advising whether any treatment is necessary.
Eye Floater Causes
The structure of the eye is such that the back compartment contains a substance known as vitreous humor which is a gel like substance. With aging, the vitreous as well as collagen fibers shrink. They become shred like and the shreds easily accumulate within the vitreous. The vitreous gel also tends to decrease and is insufficient to fill the space it filled previously. It also pulls from the retina. The areas where it was previously attached are what is seen as floaters. This is because they freely float within the vitreous gel. Most of the times, eye floaters result from small flecks of collagen.
In most cases, eye floaters occur between the age of 50 and 70 years. It is also possible to suffer the floaters after a cataract eye surgery. Other than age, other factors contributing to formation of eye floaters include:
- Eye injury
- Lymphoma and other eye tumors
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Eye disease
What are Eye Floaters a Symptom of?
Apart from the above, there are some serious eye disorders that are associated with them and which eye floaters are a symptom of. These include:
- Retinal tear
- Vitreous bleeding
- Retinal detachment
- Inflammation in the eye
Eye Floater Removal
Eye floaters can be an annoyance although they rarely are a health problem. Fortunately there are different ways through which you can get rid of them. These include some home remedies as well as medical processes for more serious conditions.
How to Make Eye Floaters go Away Naturally
By relaxing you manage to get rid of stress as well as give your eyes a break from normal straining. Concentrate on exercises that will keep the eyes relaxed such as closing your eyes and relaxing its muscles. This will help in getting rid of the eye floaters.
Massaging the eyes could also be of great help. Soak a piece of cloth in warm water and after a while massage the area around the eyes and the temples. Another way would be to rub your palms together and place them while still warm on the eyes.
Eye Exercises to get rid of eye floaters fast
Keeping your eyes focused through exercises can help if done consistently. Learn to exercise them by rolling them in circular motion. Start off in a clockwise then anticlockwise movement. Spread the exercise through the day ten times. You can also exercise focus by holding a pencil or straw with hand fully stretched. Fixate your gaze on it and then slowly move it towards you while still looking. Repeat ten times at regular intervals.
Lifestyle Change
The modern day person spends too much time on the screens of electronic gadgets. To prevent floaters, limit the use of smart phones, tablets, computers and television.
Bilberry remedy for eye floaters
These contain high antioxidant levels and will help in strengthening retinol tissue. This way eye floaters are prevented. It also helps in enhancing the vision function. Consume it fresh or use it as an ingredient in juices or jams.
Bilberry is known to be a good home remedy for white floaters in the eye.
Water
At times the causes of floaters in eyes is accumulated toxins. Drinking water goes a long way in helping to flush out the harmful toxins from the body. Drink enough water to help in getting rid of eye floaters.
Take food rich in antioxidants to remove floaters in the eye
Consuming foods that are rich in antioxidants improves circulation as well as strengthens retinal tissue. Eat strawberries, oranges, kiwi fruits and green leafy vegetables. Consuming green tea can also go a long way in reaping the antioxidant benefits.
Others ways to treat eye floaters quickly
Some other treatments that are touted as being effective for treatment include vitamins and eye drops for floaters. These though have not been proven using any clinical trials. Where the cause of the floaters is infection or inflammation of the white blood cells, antibiotics and other anti-inflammatory drugs can be issued. These may be in the form of eye drops or ointments.
Medical Vitreous Floaters Solutions
Despite many advertisements claiming so, most remedies do not make the floaters go away. They only help in managing them to a point where they are no longer bothersome. This can as well happen overtime but the use of various remedies helps hasten it. In case this does not happen and you wish to get rid of them, you can consult your doctor to have a procedure so you can be free of them.
Laser Treatment for Floaters in the eye
With this, YAG laser technology is used to break down the floaters. This procedure can be of great help to those with floaters behind the lens and thus on the anterior vitreous cavity. Unfortunately, most of these are found in the posterior and therefore the method is not widely used.
Do eye floaters go away after cataract Surgery
Where the floaters are interfering with a patient’s daily activities, they can opt for cataract eye surgery. With this, the vitreous gel is removed and in its place a clear saline solution put. Not all surgeons are open to this treatment though. Though it is not without risks, the procedure helps in getting rid of the symptoms and is highly successful.
Sources and references
- com: Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Floaters
- nih.gov: Facts About Floaters
- uk: Floaters Causes
- com: Eye Floaters
- com: Young People with Floaters
- org: Eye Floaters
1 comment
I had capsulotomy post cataract surgery..now I have, a black fly looking floater, that is much blacker than the other multiple floaters in my eyes…it moves into my vision and I can see it very clearly. Can this be lasered?