Many people experience floaters, which are dark spots that pass through vision. Floaters often occur when the thick fluid that fills the back of your eye, called vitreous, ages and clumps together, forming strands or spots you see in your vision. In some cases, floaters appear when vitreous shifts against the lining of the back of your eye, tearing off a small piece of tissue. No matter the cause for floaters, specific foods or your diet in general cannot treat floaters.
Treatment
Once you have floaters in your eyes, these floaters will stay with you. Floaters do not have any known medication that will dissolve or eliminate them from the vitreous. In fact, the only known way to remove floaters is with a surgical procedure called a vitrectomy. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the vitreous from the back of your eye and replaces this with a saline solution. A vitrectomy may result in serious complications, such as a retinal detachment, so your doctor will only recommend a vitrectomy if you have many floaters or a large floater that disrupts your vision.
Prevention
Food products may not help eliminate floaters, but the nutrients found in certain foods may help reduce your risk for floaters. These nutrients may include antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin. Antioxidants may help prevent the breakdown of your vitreous and the retinal tissue, as well as promote general eye health. Foods rich in vitamin A include carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, beef liver and chicken liver. You can eat foods with vitamin C by selecting produce such as oranges, grapefruits, tomatoes, bananas and spinach. For vitamin E, choose nuts and seeds like almonds and sunflower seeds. Foods with lutein and zeaxanthin include kale, spinach and turnip greens.
Warning
The appearance of many new floaters in your vision or a dark area of missing vision may indicate a retinal detachment. This condition requires prompt attention from a doctor, even if this happens at night or during the weekend. If you have a retinal detachment, you may need surgery, and prompt treatment could prevent permanent vision loss.
Considerations
If you have new floaters, this may not indicate a complication or problem, but you should contact your doctor. She will ask you to describe your symptoms and the severity of the floaters. If necessary, your doctor will have you come into the office for an evaluation. In the case of a single floater, your doctor may have you monitor your side vision for changes and contact her office with any additional floaters or symptoms.
