Guide To Common Eye Problems In Seniors And What To Do About Them

Eye Floaters

When individuals get older, they're also more likely to experience eye floaters. 'Floaters' are rings, weblike lines, or spots that seem to move or swim through an individual's vision. The floaters might look like gray or black specks individuals can't quite focus on directly. Even though floaters appear to be in the environment surrounding an individual, they're actually within the eye itself. Most eye floaters aren't cause for alarm, but they can indicate individuals have an underlying health issue or eye condition. Many cases of eye floaters will vanish by themselves, so an effective treatment is to simply ignore them.

For more serious cases, patients can undergo a vitrectomy. This removes eye floaters, but it is an invasive surgery. Laser therapy can also sometimes be used to break up eye floaters by aiming lasers at them. However, this does come with the risk of damaging the retina if the lasers are incorrectly aimed. Individuals can't necessarily prevent eye floaters or the diseases that cause them, but they can be proactive about their eye health by receiving regular eye exams.