Floaters are tiny specks, dots, squiggly strands or other shapes that appear to float across the visual field. According to the National Eye Institute, they occur when the gel-like vitreous shrinks and becomes stringy strands that create shadows on the retina. Floaters are usually just annoying and harmless. However, an abundance of new floaters can be a symptom of a serious eye problem that can cause vision loss.
Aging
A gel-like substance called the "vitreous" fills the back portion of the eye between the lens and retina. The vitreous slowly shrinks as people age and is considered annoying but harmless. According to the website EverydayHealth, the shadows on the retina that are seen as floaters can be caused by protein pieces clumping in the vitreous gel, the shrinking vitreous pulling on blood vessels or debris from the site where the vitreous gel pulls away---drifting into it. The authors of the website AllAboutVision report that more than half of all people will have a vitreous detachment by the time they reach 80 years of age.
Supplements and Nutrient Deficiency
According to the Ohio Lions Eye Research Foundation, vitamin A supplements may cause floaters, although this has not been confirmed by research. Optometrists Marc Grossman and Glen Swartwout report that floaters are common in people who are nearsighted, and there is higher incidence in people who have food allergies, diabetes and candidiasis. They suggest that diets rich in vitamin C, calcium, chromium, copper, manganese and phosphorus may prevent floaters. This seems to suggest that a lack of essential nutrients may contribute to the development of floaters. The authors on the website RegenerativeNutrition note that antioxidants are essential for eye health, and adds that stress may also be a factor in the development of floaters.
Sunlight
Doctors Grossman and Swartwout report that ultraviolet light causes shrinkage and clumping of the proteins that become floaters. They suggest that wearing sunglasses is especially important for older people who are at a higher risk of developing them. According to "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," the condition called fibrillar degeneration of the vitreous, where the floaters coalesce into long, stringy strands, is usually caused by excessive exposure to sunlight.
Diabetes
Diabetes causes blood vessels in the eyes to become blocked. The National Eye Institute reports that the retina then sends signals to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment. The new vessels are abnormal and fragile, and may leak, causing vision loss. Diabetics are at high risk of experiencing floaters that indicate a serious medical condition, especially if the is a sudden abundance of them.
According to "The Diabetes Eye Care Sourcebook," floaters can be caused by bleeding inside the eye, separation of the vitreous from the retina, a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and in diabetics a combination of causes. Diabetics may experience PVD earlier in life without vision loss. However, a vitreous hemorrhage inside the eye can cause sudden vision loss, leading to more bleeding from new blood vessels growing along the retina's surface. In addition to floaters, the person may experience the sensation of flashing lights as the retina becomes separated from the back of the eye.
Cataract Surgery
According to "The Diabetes Eye Care Sourcebook," age and diabetes are common causes of cataracts. The eye's lens which focuses entering light becomes abnormally cloudy, causing vision loss. The National Eye Institute reports that surgery to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial one is usually very successful. In about 90 percent of cases, this procedure improves vision. However, cataract surgery slightly increases the risk of retinal detachment which may be indicated by a sudden increase in floaters and flashing lights. Patients with diabetes are at greater risk of this complication, and are also less likely to achieve improved vision after the surgery.
