People who have vitreous opacity see black dots or
threads that appear to hop in front of their eyes. This phenomenon is also
called "floaters", which translated from French means "flying
mosquitoes" or "flying flies".
Almost all people experience this visual disorder at some point in their
life. But that's half as bad: because a vitreous cloudiness is annoying,
but usually completely harmless.
Cause of vitreous opacity
The eye is a complex sensory organs that consists of
many different parts that are perfectly coordinated with one another. One
of these parts is the transparent vitreous body, also known as the "corpus
vitreum", which sits between the lens and the retina and fills the inside
of the eye. It make up about eighty percents of the total volume of the
eye and virtually cushions the eye from the inside. Thanks to him, the
sense organ retains its shape.
The vitreous body has the consistency of jelly, as it consists almost only of
98 percent water. The remaining two percent are hyaluronic acid and a
fine, three-dimensional network of collagen fibers that gives the vitreous body
stability. The glass body is held together by a thin membrane that
encloses it.
With age, the collagen fibers can clump together in the vitreous humor. A
natural aging process that occurs in almost everyone. The fine collagen
network forms solid structures that can loosen and then swim freely around the
vitreous. When light falls, these clumps cast shadows on the retina and are
then perceived as small dots, fluff or threads.
As a rule, nearsighted people notice the "flying mosquitos" earlier
than long-sighted or normal-sighted people. Vitreous opacity is very rare
in children, but it can happen - especially if the little ones are severely nearsighted.
Symptoms of vitreous opacity
Dancing points and threads in the field of vision
are particularly noticeable when looking at a bright surface - for example a
white wall, a bright screen or the pages of a book. In such situations,
the incidence of light in the eye is particularly high and the small clumps of
collagen cast clear shadows that those affected can see.
Vitreous opacity is harmless, but there are other eye diseases that have
symptoms similar to "floaters". For example, ophthalmologists diagnose
a retinal tear in fourteen percent of cases instead of a harmless vitreous
opacity.
Therefore, the following applies in principle: If you notice a change in your
point of view, have this clarified by a specialist. If the examinations
clearly show that it is "only" a vitreous opacity, there is no need
to worry and the patient has security.
Similar symptoms: bleeding in the vitreous humor
A disease that can easily be confused with the
"dancing mosquitoes" is hemorrhage in the vitreous humor. Cracks
in the retina, for example caused by a blow, can cause blood to leak out and
cloud the previously transparent vitreous humor.
As a result, those affected suddenly see veiled or from now on they perceive
the numerous, tiny accumulations of blood in the vitreous body as dark mini
dots in the field of vision. When vitreous bleeding occurs, patients often
report the impression that it is raining soot.
The only difference to the opacity of the vitreous body: The soot rain is
perceived much more extensively than isolated dancing mosquitoes. It
clouds the entire eye, regardless of factors such as brightness.
Vitreous hemorrhage is considered an emergency and can have serious
consequences. Therefore, the specialist must first be able to rule out
this disease during an examination or determine the cause of the bleeding
immediately and treat it.
Similar symptoms: retinal detachment
The symptoms of retinal detachment are also easy to
confuse with the signs of vitreous opacity. The first signs that the
retina is loosening are seeing flashes of light, bright flickering or the
impression of a bright spider web in front of the eyes.
In contrast to "floaters", these visual disturbances can be seen much more clearly
in the dark than in a light environment and usually occur on one side - in
contrast to the vitreous clouding, which is almost always noticeable on both
sides.
If the retina has actually peeled off, it gets dark. Those affected
perceive a black wall or a dark shadow in the field of vision. Because the
place where the retina has loosened no longer sends any information. Parts
of the field of view can fail completely.
In the center of the retina is the so-called macula, also called the
"yellow spot" by medical professionals. It is the point in our
eyes where the sensory cells have the highest density. The macula helps,
for example, when reading small print. Thanks to it, we can see
particularly sharply and focus on tiny details. If the part of the retina
on which the macula sits becomes detached, the field of view is distorted and
the image is blurred.
If the above symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted
immediately. Because if a retinal detachment is not treated immediately,
there is a risk that the affected eye will go blind.
Treatment of vitreous opacity
Of course, it is very annoying when the view of
"flying mosquitoes" is restricted. But there should be no cause
for concern, because the visual disturbance is harmless to health, does not
require treatment and has no influence on visual acuity. In addition, it
usually disappears on its own.
Anyone who still feels disturbed can basically only do one thing: Learn to
accept the dancing points and try as best as possible to overlook
them. Another approach: As the vitreous body consists mostly of water, one
should always make sure that those affected drink enough fluids when treating
"floaters". This measure can help in a natural way that the
flying mosquitoes at least give way more quickly.
If those affected feel too disturbed by the restriction of their vision, there
is another solution: an operation in which the entire vitreous body is
surgically removed. This procedure is also called vitrectomy in
medicine. The inside of the eyes, the vitreous body, is completely or
partially removed and the resulting cavity is refilled with a gas or liquid -
so the eye retains its shape, even without the vitreous body.
However, this procedure is time-consuming and should be carefully considered,
because the eye is actually healthy, despite the vitreous cloudiness. As
with any operation, this surgical procedure can lead to complications and
even blindness come. For example, removing the vitreous
humor can injure the retina and develop holes. An infection is also
conceivable, which in the worst case can mean loss of vision. Lens opacity
is also a possible consequence of the vitrectomy.
If the "dancing mosquitoes" are particularly impaired, a successful
removal of the vitreous can be a solution. However, many ophthalmologists
advise against this operation if the vitreous is cloudy, as the risks usually
outweigh the benefits.
Laser therapy is not a common form of treatment for vitreous opacity, unlike
many other visual disorders and diseases of the eyes.
