Eye Doctor Near Bonita Springs, Florida
Do you work on a computer screen all day long, only to retire for the evening and watch television or watch movies on a tablet? If so, you may have noticed small black specs floating around in front of your eyes. It is a good idea to see an eye doctor, and if you are near Bonita Springs, Florida, Elmquist Eye Group is close by. We have two convenient locations in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, and each one is about 30 minutes away from Bonita Springs.
Floaters
While looking at a lighter background, if you have seen what appear to be floating black specks, these are called floaters. Blinking a few times doesn’t fix the problem; the floaters are still there. These specks are actually inside your eye. A gel-like substance fills the eye to give shape to the eyeball. Sometimes, clumps of jelly float around inside the eye and cast a shadow on the back of the eye. What you see is a speck or floater.
You are much more likely to see floaters when you are looking at something with a lighter background, like a computer screen, white wall or blue sky. Floaters can appear as black specks or as floating strings and they move when your eyes move. Eventually, the floaters do settle down and drift out of your line of sight.
In most cases, floaters are harmless. Eventually they’ll disappear, and you won’t see them as much. In certain cases, however, floaters may indicate something more serious and you should see an eye doctor right away. These instances include:
- Seeing bright flashes of light
- Seeing numerous floaters that are new and of sudden onset
- Seeing many more floaters than usual
- Seeing a black curtain over one eye
- Loss of peripheral vision on one or both sides of your vision
Any of the above signs are usually painless but could indicate a retinal tear or retinal detachment. These conditions threaten your sight and do require immediate medical attention.
What causes floaters?
Age-related changes in the eye are the usual reason a person has floaters. Eye floaters may be caused by the normal aging process. The gel inside the eye begins to liquefy over time, and that liquid debris can bloc some of the light passing through the eye, thus causing floaters.
Floaters can also occur when the back layers of the eye (called the uvea) have inflammation which releases debris into the gel-like substance. Infection or other causes can create this inflammation. Sometimes, bleeding in the eye can create floaters. High blood pressure, diabetes, and injury can cause release of blood cells which cause floaters.
If you are over age 50, you have an increased risk of floaters. People who have eye inflammation or eye trauma are also at increased risk, as are individuals with nearsightedness, diabetic retinopathy or complications from cataract surgery.
Come see us
If you have floaters and are concerned about it, come see our eye doctor near Bonita Springs, Florida. Either our Fort Myers or Cape Coral locations are convenient from Bonita Springs, and we will perform a comprehensive eye exam and check your eyes for underlying eye disease as well as evaluate how well your eyes work together. Stop worrying and give us a call to schedule your appointment today.