Is Vitreous Detachment Serious Business?

For many people, seeing spots are an everyday part of life. Some have actually learned to survive with big black or blue spots right in the center of their vision. Then, there are others that continuously swat at what looks to be gnats constantly flying around their personal space, but there is really nothing there at all. All of the situations being described above can be attributed to what is called vitreous detachment. The little spots that many go around seeing on a day to day basis are called vitreous floaters.

The vitreous is the portion of your eye that is the largest as its main function is to maintain the shape of the eyeball which is a sphere. Made of a substance that resembles jelly, the vitreous is transparent, and it must be transparent in order for light to pass through the eye with no interruption.

Typically, as a person ages, somewhere along the way, there is a greater chance that he or she will develop floaters (mentioned above as vitreous floaters). This is what occurs when the vitreous loses its gel like form and breaks apart and begins to float around in the eye. This floating around in the more liquefied vitreous causes dark shadows to be seen to the person experiencing it as spots.

Normally, there is absolutely no need to panic if seeing one or two floaters periodically and they aren’t impeding in everyday activities. However, there is a time where if suddenly there is an overwhelming number of them in a person’s line of vision, there could be trouble. This could be referencing another problem that needs immediate attention before it worsens, and that is retinal detachment. Get to an ophthalmologist immediately so that he or she can hopefully rule this very serious condition out. Also if the floaters are causing a problem in necessary activities such as driving and reading, see an eye doctor for input on how to solve this problem.