Floaters before the eyes. What diseases do they accompany?

• What does the appearance of black spots before the eyes indicate?
• Destruction of the vitreous body. Kinds. Symptoms
• Causes of DST
• Types of DST
• Treatment of vitreous destruction
• Prevention

Sometimes - especially when focusing your gaze on a light background and in good lighting - you can notice “objects” in front of your eyes that are not actually there and should not normally be there.
They move when you move your gaze, and continue their movement - usually towards the temples - after the gaze is fixed. As a rule, these phenomena look like thin strings, small circles or dots: patients describe the symptom in different ways. However, many refer to it with the familiar phrase “floaters before the eyes.”
Where do these “objects” come from, what happens in the body when they appear, the causes and treatment of spots before the eyes: this is discussed in our article.

What does the appearance of black spots before the eyes indicate?

Flashing flies before your eyes can be a symptom of:

• destructive processes in the vitreous body;
• consequences of surgical interventions (for example, cataract removal);
• consequences of injuries: the eyeball itself, the skull;
• sudden changes in blood pressure (jump or drop);
• inflammatory processes in various parts of the eyeball (uveitis, etc.);
• poisoning, intoxication of the body;
• internal bleeding;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• retinal tears or detachment;
• high myopia;
• ocular migraine;
• abnormal structure or spasms of blood vessels in the eyes;
• diseases of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract in general, liver;
• stroke, cerebrovascular accident;
• prolonged oxygen starvation.

In addition, flying spots before the eyes may indicate overwork, prolonged eye strain, excessive eye strain, lack of vitamins, peculiarities of pregnancy, certain mental illnesses - as they are sometimes a sign of hallucinations.

However, experts call the destruction of the vitreous body the most common cause of the appearance of floaters before the eyes. Let's talk about it separately.

How are eye floaters treated?

Eye floaters usually do not require treatment if they appear randomly and very rarely. If they annoy you, remove them from your sight. To do this, move your eyes up and down and from right to left. Such movements trigger the flow of intraocular fluid, and the floaters move along with it.

If floaters interfere with vision, you will need surgery to remove the vitreous humor - vitrectomy. The destroyed vitreous is removed and replaced with a saline solution. The operation has side effects: retinal detachment and rupture, cataracts. However, the likelihood of complications is minimal, and the result of the operation will give you good vision without clouding.

Destruction of the vitreous body. Kinds. Symptoms

Destruction of the vitreous body (VHF) refers to various pathological processes occurring in the gelatinous (gel-like) substance located in the eyeball between the lens and the retina. Normally, the vitreous body is transparent, because it consists of 99% water, and only 1% hyaluronic acid and collagen. Collagen serves as a supporting frame for it, and hyaluronic acid gives the water a gel-like structure.

Due to disruptions in the functioning of the body (which we will discuss in more detail below), the transparency of the vitreous body is impaired. Lumps of protein compounds, crystals, blood clots formed as a result of hemorrhages, accumulations of tumor cells, etc. are formed in it. All these opacities do not have optical transparency and cast a shadow on the retina of the eye: the closer to the retina they are located, the easier it is for a person to see painful signs - floaters in front of the eyes of various shapes.

Most often, destructive processes in the vitreous body are observed in old age, but experts note that the disease is “getting younger”: it can increasingly be found in patients under the age of 40 and even very young.

Prevention

There are no specific methods for preventing the appearance of floaters before the eyes. However, the following tips can help avoid their early occurrence and delay the aging of the vitreous body for a long time. So it follows:

• Undergo regular examinations with an ophthalmologist, especially for people over 40 years of age.
• Lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
• Take eye vitamins.
• Avoid eye and head injuries.

True, if trouble has already happened and floaters in front of your eyes have become a constant companion to your vision, you should not:

• Try to get rid of them with improvised means and self-medicate.
• Remain in a bent position for a long time with your head tilted down.
• Lift weights.

It must be remembered that the appearance of floaters in front of the eyes is absolutely safe only when the vitreous body is destroyed due to age-related changes. All other cases require mandatory medical care from an ophthalmologist or other medical specialists. To exclude diseases and conditions that are dangerous to humans, if floaters appear before your eyes, it is better to immediately consult an ophthalmologist.

Patients of our clinic have the opportunity to undergo a full diagnostic examination and receive advice from experienced specialists without tiring queues, at a time convenient for them. If necessary, the clinic will provide emergency care or prescribe adequate treatment in accordance with international standards for the provision of medical services.

Types of DST

In addition, during vitreous detachment, “special effects” in the form of lightning can be observed.

Diagnostics

During the initial examination by an ophthalmologist, it is necessary to establish under what circumstances symptoms appear (bright lighting, work at close range, at the height of a hypertensive crisis) and when they disappear. It is important to clarify the duration of the process. Basic diagnostic methods:

• Visometry.
  Vitreous opacities of small size and peripheral localization do not affect visual acuity. With a pronounced degree of impairment, visual dysfunction can be observed.
• Biomicroscopy of the eye.
  With asteroid hyalosis, a large number of small yellowish or yellowish-white shiny formations are observed in the projection of the light beam. The effect of reflection is characteristic. However, the technique does not allow assessment of peripheral structures.
• Ultrasound of the eye.
  In gray scale B-mode, individuals with asteroid hyalosis show multiple small discrete echogenic inclusions with varying acoustic density. In A-mode, repeating high-amplitude complexes are recorded in the projection of the entire anechoic space of the vitreous cavity.
• Spectral optical coherence tomography ( SD - OCT )
  . OCT makes it possible to clearly visualize vitreal lesions located preretinal. With more anterior localization, they are indirectly detected as darkening of the OCT image.
• Scanning laser ophthalmoscopy
  . Depending on the density of the opacities, they look like white-gray shadows or penumbra. Using a series of photographs, you can estimate the size and approximate density. A Weiss ring is often detected in the fundus.
• Dynamic Light Scattering ( DLS )
  . The laser nanodetector system is used to image particles ranging in size from 3 nanometers to 3 microns. An ophthalmologist can evaluate collagen fiber aggregation in myopic or diabetic vitreopathy.
• Determination of contrast sensitivity
  . In the presence of primary compactions in the vitreous body, contrast sensitivity (CS) decreases. This increases the degree of light scattering. Studies are carried out before and after surgery. Asteroid hyalosis does not affect CP indicators.

Ophthalmological examination

Treatment of vitreous destruction

An ophthalmologist will tell you how to treat destruction of the vitreous body.

For minor disorders that can be treated conservatively, the ophthalmologist may prescribe medications that help resolve pathological accumulations. In addition, the doctor will recommend taking a course of vitamins with lutein, giving up bad habits and establishing a sleep and rest routine. Perhaps the course of treatment will include special gymnastics for the eyes.

In more complex cases, surgical intervention is possible: laser crushing of clots (vitreolysis) or replacement of the affected part of the vitreous with saline solution (vitrectomy).

To treat floaters before the eyes, the cause of which was not DST, it is necessary to address the primary pathologies.

What causes glare?

Glare occurs as a result of movement or tension of the retinal nerve cells. As the vitreous shrinks over time, it can pull on the retina, causing you to “see stars” or flashes of light. The process of separation of the vitreous from the retina is called “posterior vitreous detachment.” This is not a health hazard.

In about 16% of cases, the detachment process creates tiny tears in the retina, which can lead to retinal detachment. This is already a dangerous condition; if it is not treated, blindness is possible.

Other possible reasons why you are seeing strange flashes are an eye injury or a migraine.

Where to sign up for testing

The easiest way to choose a diagnostic center in St. Petersburg is through our service. There is comprehensive information about addresses, telephone numbers, and opening hours of clinics. You can find out what protocols are used for the examination. Clarify the qualifications of doctors and equipment models. Using the website, it is easy to find out which medical centers are ready to accept patients with limited mobility, and where parking is provided on the territory of the institution. It is convenient to reserve a coupon and receive up to 1000 rubles discount on diagnostics by phone. Our specialists will answer all questions daily from 8:00 to 24:00. The service is free.

How to help yourself with a headache

If a headache radiates to the eyes after hard work, you should rest well, take a walk in the fresh air, and give yourself an acupressure massage. You can take a warm bath with chamomile infusion added to the water. Take a break from working at the computer or watching TV

Give yourself a head massage. Relax, drink warm milk with honey, tea with lemon balm. Do simple exercises to relieve headaches:

• sit on a chair, keep your back straight and your head free;
• without effort, just under the influence of gravity, tilt it towards your chest;
• stay in this position for twenty seconds; take a break for 30 seconds;
• Bend again for 20 seconds.

Repeat the exercise 15-16 times.

The second exercise is done in the following sequence:

• sitting or standing, raise your hands to your head;
• the thumbs of each hand are pressed to the zygomatic arches, with the remaining fingers clasping the back of the head;
• look up;
• while inhaling, try to throw your head back for 10 seconds, while holding it with your hands;
• while exhaling, look down for 6-8 seconds;
• tilting your head to your chest as much as possible, stretch but do not strain the neck muscles.

Repeat the inhale-exhale cycle 5-6 times.

To relieve headaches coming from the cervical spine, rehabilitation experts recommend performing the following exercise:

• sitting on a chair, with one hand clasp your head from above on the side in which the pain is felt more strongly;
• Place the index finger at the level of the beginning of the ear;
• With a little hand effort, turn your head to the “healthy” side;
• Press your free palm from below to your chin and cheek;
• while inhaling for 10 seconds, looking down, press your chin to your lower palm against its resistance;
• As you exhale, relax for 6-8 seconds and look up.
• repeat the exercise 5-6 times, slightly changing the turn of the head.

4.Treatment

Based on the diagnostic results, treatment will, of course, not be “floaters” as such (since this is only a symptom), but the causes that caused them: vertebrological, neurological, endocrine, oncological, cardiovascular or ophthalmological pathology. In this case, there is no way to even review all possible therapeutic strategies. Treatment in modern medicine is prescribed according to the etiopathogenetic principle (the maximum possible elimination of the root causes and risk conditions of the disease), taking into account many individual characteristics. It is much more important to understand the non-randomness and interconnectedness of all processes occurring in the body, incl. visual, and do not miss precious time to “build up” before visiting the doctor.

Types and causes of pain in the head and eyes

Most often, headaches in the forehead and eyes occur after emotional breakdowns. Many patients experience it in the evening, when the work day ends. In most cases, the cause of pain is simple overwork.

Often the headache radiates to the eyes. Sometimes, first there are ripples in the eyes, then a headache. The eyeballs may first become tense, and then the pain moves to the forehead. Floaters, flickering before the eyes and headache are symptoms of various diseases:

• glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure);
• migraine;
• myopia (myopia);
• arterial hypertension (high blood pressure);
• damage to soft tissues and bones of the head;
• traumatic brain injury.

A headache in the forehead area can occur due to eating unhealthy foods. These are chocolate, tea, coffee, which contain a large amount of caffeine, nuts, cheese, and processed meats. Headache pressing on the eyes after drinking alcohol and smoking. Head pain is caused by the following diseases:

• migraine;
• hypertonic disease;
• diseases of the organs of vision;
• brain tumors;
• Horton's syndrome;
• vegetative-vascular dysfunction;
• encephalitis;
• stroke.

1.General information

There are symptoms so universal, informative and, at the same time, difficult to describe verbally that the doctor and the patient sometimes have to make great efforts to correctly understand each other. In neuropsychiatric practice, such situations probably arise more often than in other medical fields. Indeed, widespread complaints that a patient has a “headache”, “feels bad” or “insomnia” may seem exhaustive and explain everything, although in fact such formulations acquire diagnostic significance only after numerous clarifications.

A huge number of nuances and options are implied, in particular, by the concept of “floaters before the eyes” (“floating circles”, “transparent spots”, “black dots”, etc.). Separated from other existing symptoms, these visual sensations in themselves do not even indicate which doctor should be consulted: an ophthalmologist, a neurologist, an endocrinologist, or perhaps several specialists at the same time. Only in the context of other, more specific health disorders, the situation gradually becomes clearer. It should be emphasized that such an ephemeral, obviously illusory and difficult to describe phenomenon, like foreign objects in the field of vision, most often serves as an alarm bell about latently growing problems, sometimes very serious ones.

A must read! Help with treatment and hospitalization!

Folk remedies

Traditional methods will help reduce swelling and inflammation of the eye mucosa. These include cool compresses on the eyelids. And:

• Chamomile decoction;
• Cucumber juice mixed one to one with water.

We must remember that these methods also have contraindications. Therefore, it is better to first consult with a specialist. If attacks recur, it is necessary to undergo examination.