Don’t ignore floaters, as they can cause blindness in severe cases!

The official name of floaters is "vitreous opacities" or "vitreous floaters", which is named because black spots are seen flying in front of the eyes, just like flying mosquitoes. In addition, there is another beautiful name "cloudy eyes", which is the feeling of cloud-like black shadows flying and drifting in front of the eyes, sometimes dark and sometimes clear. But whether there are black spots or black shadows in front of the eyes, you should be careful whether it is floaters.

Floaters are generally more common in middle-aged and elderly people over 40 years old, or young myopic people, especially those with high myopia, and some patients after cataract surgery. Most floaters are a natural manifestation of eye aging and are classified as common geriatric diseases. However, many young people stare at mobile phones and computers for a long time, which leads to excessive eye use, high myopia, etc., and the vitreous body becomes liquefied and turbid. They often feel that dark shadows are blocking their eyes and their vision is blurred, and they get geriatric diseases in advance. If these conditions are carefully examined, if no significant organic lesions are found, then this type of floaters is physiological and generally does not require treatment.

Physiological floaters are "good mosquitoes" and can mostly heal on their own as long as you get enough rest and pay attention to eye hygiene. However, there are some "bad mosquitoes" that are difficult to heal on their own, which are pathological floaters, the second leading cause of blindness after cataracts.

There are three characteristics to determine whether floaters are pathological:

1. Are there any abnormal flashes in the eyes?

2. Is the number of floaters increasing over a short period of time?

3. Does your vision feel blocked?

When the above situation occurs, you must go to the hospital for treatment in time, because pathological floaters are often accompanied by serious eye diseases, such as vitreous hemorrhage, retinal tears, and even retinal detachment. If you do not pay attention to it and treat the cause, it may lead to blindness. In addition, patients with high myopia of more than 600 degrees should also be vigilant when they have floaters. The eyeballs of patients with high myopia are elongated and deformed, and the sudden appearance of "floaters" is likely to be pathological.

Suffering from floaters not only affects the normal vision of the eyes, but also makes people more likely to have negative emotions such as anxiety and irritability over time, which has a lingering impact on the patient's life. The "little flies" in the eyes are often with them, and some patients even suffer from depression due to years of suffering from floaters. So how can we prevent floaters?

First of all, we should pay attention to our daily routine and eye habits. Ensure adequate sleep and try not to stay up late; be careful not to overuse your eyes to prevent myopia, and avoid staring at your phone or computer for a long time; when using electronic products, you need to keep a distance of 40-60 cm; if you use your eyes continuously, you should massage your eyes to relieve visual fatigue; be cautious when choosing eye drops, cosmetic contact lenses, etc., and try to avoid irritating ingredients from entering your eyes.

Secondly, properly supplement the nutrients needed by the eyes. Eat a balanced diet, eat more seafood rich in trace elements such as iodine, zinc, and selenium, and vegetables, fruits and melons rich in vitamin A; drink more water to relieve dry eyes. In addition, maintain a good mood and strengthen exercise (people with high myopia should avoid strenuous exercise).

Although physiological floaters do not endanger vision, the visual interference they cause also brings a lot of inconvenience to people's lives and work. Pathological floaters are serious eye diseases, and you must go to the hospital to see a specialist and undergo relevant surgical treatment if necessary to prevent blindness. Eyes are the windows to the soul, so don't let them be covered with dust. Protecting your eyes starts from daily life, preventing problems before they happen, relieving eye pressure, and preventing our eyes from "dancing with mosquitoes."