Why do we always see "mosquitoes" flying in front of our eyes when we stare at a white wall?

Have you ever had this experience? Under a bright sky, or when you stare at a white wall, there are always some small black dots and lines floating in front of your eyes, as if a group of "mosquitoes" are flying in your field of vision, and you can't get rid of them no matter what!

This situation is most likely "floaters"!

According to Wang Hu, director of the Department of Fundus Trauma at Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Jinan University, floaters are the common name for "vitreous opacities". The normal vitreous is like a transparent "jelly gel". Over time, the originally transparent "jelly" may liquefy and collapse, becoming turbid, and black shadows like "mosquitoes" will appear in the field of vision. This is a common physiological floaters.

The specific manifestation is that there are small black shadows floating in front of the eyes in the form of dots, sheets or strips. These mosquito-like flying shadows are more obvious when looking at a bright white background, and sometimes they are accompanied by a sense of flashing. The middle-aged and elderly people, patients with severe myopia, and people who overuse electronic products are the high-risk groups for floaters.

What are the hazards of floaters? Although physiological floaters do not cause blindness directly, they can seriously damage the patient's visual quality. For drivers and aerial workers who have high demands for visual quality, floaters may pose a safety hazard; and for people who need to face computers for a long time, such as designers and editors, floaters can also cause great inconvenience. Many patients have suffered from anxiety and even depression due to long-term troubles with floaters.

It is worth noting that the symptoms caused by blinding diseases such as retinal hemorrhage, inflammation, and holes may be similar to those of floaters. This condition is pathological floaters and requires vigilance. If left untreated, it may lead to worsening of the disease or even blindness.

Dongguan Aier Eye Hospital Tips

Simple self-test method to distinguish "good and bad mosquitoes"

Are the mosquitoes floating in front of you "good mosquitoes" that disappear quickly, or "bad mosquitoes" that affect your health? How can we make a preliminary judgment? You can use three simple self-tests to distinguish whether "mosquitoes" are good or bad.

Look at the frequency of floaters : Physiological floaters are usually black spots that appear occasionally in front of the eyes, or cocoon-like, or like a curved line, a fly wing, etc. Pathological floaters are very dense "mosquitoes" in front of the eyes, and they don't disperse for a long time.

Look at the number of floaters : If there are only one or two, or three or five "floaters" in front of your eyes, generally speaking, this is physiological; but if a large number of countless floaters or even black shadows suddenly appear, this is pathological floaters and you should go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time. It is likely that vitreous hemorrhage caused by fundus lesions is at work.

See if the appearance of floaters affects vision : Although physiological floaters may interfere with vision, they do not affect vision. When floaters fly in front of your eyes, you only need to turn your eyes or blink to make them "fly" away, and there is no substantial change in the fundus.

However, pathological floaters will affect vision and will not change no matter how you turn your eyes or blink. They may be accompanied by flashes and examination may reveal pathological changes in the fundus.

How to treat eye floaters?

Floaters are a common eye disease. If you find that you have "bad floaters" after a simple self-test, you should pay attention to it and go to a regular specialist hospital immediately for treatment. If you cannot judge whether "floaters are good or bad", it is best to go to the hospital under the guidance of a professional ophthalmologist to check and eliminate bad floaters to avoid serious vision damage.