What Are Eye Floaters? Plus Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

Cataract Surgery Complications

A patient's floaters can be the result of one of many possible cataract surgery complications. After an individual has cataract surgery to remove their cataracts and replace their lens, there are certain biochemical changes that happen in the vitreous gel. Individuals who have surgery to remove their cataract that involves the opening up of their posterior lens capsule are more likely to experience these vitreous changes. These changes can cause the vitreous gel to shrink in volume and slowly pull itself away from the patient's retina. This condition is called posterior vitreous detachment. Floaters are a common symptom that occurs in individuals who are affected by posterior vitreous detachment. The floaters from this condition usually resolve over several months if the vitreous does not cause a blood vessel tear or a retinal tear. Floaters are often already present in the vision of some patients who have cataracts. The surgical removal of the cloudy cataract and lens replacement can cause an individual to be able to see the pre-existing floaters when they were previously impeded by the cataract.

Treatment Options

Most patients do not require treatment as eye floaters occur naturally with aging. Some floaters are not harmful to the eyes and can gradually become less bothersome as the brain adapts to their presence in a process called neuroadaptation.

Looking up and down shifts the fluid around better than side to side movements when trying to get eye floaters out of the field of vision. However, persistent floaters that are bothersome and significantly interfere with vision, particularly when flashes are present, require medical treatment. Floaters due to traumatic injury and detachment may cause complications and often need treatment as a result.