visual floater

Etiology

• with normal eye movements the jelly in the vitreous humor tugs on the peripheral retina
• rapid increase in number of floaters
  • posterior vitreous detachment
  • vitreous hemorrhage
  • retinal detachment

Pathology

• age-related changes occur as the vitreous humor becomes more liquid
• microscopic fibers within the vitreous may to clump together & cast tiny shadows on the retina

Clinical manifestations

• appearance of black or gray specks, strings or cobwebs (spots) that drift with eye movement
• most noticeable when looking at a plain bright background, such as a blue sky or a white wall
• spots eventually settle down & drift out of the line of vision

Management

• generally of no clinical significance
• check visual acuity & visual fields
• funduscopy to rule out retinal detachment
• opthalmology referral if acute visual loss

More general terms

• sign/symptom
• eye disease (ophthalmopathy)

Additional terms

• retinal pigment epithelium detachment (retinal detachment)