WEEK 10 DISCUSSION
Mr Ally went to the eye doctor complaining of dark areas in his vision that is not accompanied by pain. Given his symptoms, his diagnosis got set at Eye Floaters. Eye floaters are very common and do not commonly signify symptoms of any underlying medical conditions. Floaters are described as small, see-through, moving dots or specs in the eye. They can often be spotted when one is observing a light-coloured or bright area. They are composed of the vitreous of the eye, which is the clear, gel-like substance that gets to fill out most parts of the eye. It maintains the round shape of the eyeballs.
One should make a point of seeing a doctor if there appear to be more eye floaters than usual, abrupt unforeseen floaters, flashes of light in the eye with floaters or in case of peripheral vision loss.
Floaters can be caused by various reasons which I will get to elaborate as I continue. Firstly they may be caused by age-related eye alterations. As one age becomes more and more, the vitreous also changes. It ends up liquefying and pulling away from the eyeball’s interior surface. It then clumps and appears like strings. This then blocks some light transversing the eye, hence casts tiny shadows on one’s retina. These get spotted as floaters.
They may also be an indication of bleeding in the eye. Bleeding in the eye usually is a sign of hypertension, traumatic eye injury, blocked blood vessels, or even diabetes. The blood cells get viewed as the floaters in the eye. With this in mind, it got advised that Mr Ally be checked for the following illnesses above to be sure they are harmless floaters.
Floaters are also often as a result of tearing or upset in the retina. A retinal tear may eventually lead to retinal disjunction if left untreated. This is an increase in the fluid at the back of the retina. It causes it to detach from the end of the eye. This may, in turn, result in permanent vision loss. Other causes may be an eye infection and even eye tumours.
Often the doctor may not require to offer any treatment to Mr Ally but seeing that the eye floaters are resulting in causing dark visions in his eye, the doctor can suggest surgery for treatment. The procedure is known as a Vitrectomy. Here, the doctor will surgically remove the vitreous gel causing the floater. A saline solution or a bubble filled with gas or oil will then get put in place of this. Mr Ally will not get to notice the variance between the vitreous and saline solution after the surgery.
Alternatively, the doctor can consider laser vitreolysis. It is a laser treatment method that dissolves larger floaters or breaks them apart, making them less visible. This method is, however, not recommended for everyone since it may cause more harm to others. The doctor will need to initially perform a complete diagnostic test to determine if Mr Ally will end up benefitting from the laser therapy.
To prevent re-occurrence of this condition, the doctor should advise Mr Ally to maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced, nutrient-filled diet, avoid smoking, wear protective eyewear for example sunglasses when necessary and often rest his eyes. If Mr Ally follows the doctor’s guidelines to the letter, his eyes will recover fully and pose no afterwards danger to him.