You may occasionally notice small spots or threads in your field of vision that disappear when you try to look directly at them. These eye floaters can become annoying if numerous. While often benign, you should still schedule an appointment with an optometrist in Wilmette, such as New Vision Optical Wilmette to ensure that a more serious condition is not at the root.

What Causes Eye Floaters

Eye floaters happen for several reasons. Most of the time, they occur from aging as the gel-like substance in the eye shrinks and becomes stringy. This benign cause of eye floaters is not a reason to feel concern. In many cases, the visible floaters will settle in your eyes over time. However, in some cases, floaters could be signs of an injury to the eye, internal bleeding, infection, inflammation, or a retina tear. The only way to know the cause of your floaters is with a comprehensive eye exam.

Are Floaters Dangerous?

Floaters could indicate severe problems, especially if you have had a recent injury to the eye or are younger than 50. Regardless of your age, you should get your eyes checked out when you see floaters to prevent severe damage to your vision from the serious causes of floaters such as retinal tears or hemorrhaging.

Treatment For Eye Floaters

The treatment for eye floaters depends on how severe they are. In many cases, you can simply wait them out until they naturally settle. You may consider consulting with a vision therapist in Wilmette to help you learn ways to move your eyes to not see the floaters. Talk to the optometrist to see if you can benefit from vision therapy for your eye floaters.

For more serious cases in which you have vision impairment from eye floaters, you may need laser treatment to break up the floaters or surgery to replace the gel substance in your eye with a special solution. You will need a referral to an ophthalmologist for these treatment options.

Schedule a Visit With Our Optometrist in Wilmette

If you have floaters across your vision, you need to know whether they are from a treatable cause. Schedule an appointment with us at New Vision Optical Wilmette. After an eye exam, the optometrist can recommend treatments for you, such as vision therapy, waiting, or getting surgery. In addition to our general eye exams, we also have a vision therapist in Wilmette and an optical center for your glasses and contacts. Phone us at (847) 230-4796 to learn more about how we can help you.