These are thickenings in the vitreous body, the gelatinous mass that fills the eyeball. They are generally “innocent” but it is worth reporting them to the ophthalmologist
Many people, especially after middle age, happen to see what are commonly called “flying flies” in their field of vision. At the first annoyance caused by these floaters that appear to be on the ocular surface but that there is no way to eliminate by rubbing the eyes and even less by cleaning the glasses, then the worry takes over. Luckily in most cases it is a benign phenomenon, but that it is always good not to underestimate because it could be the alarm bell of a retinal detachment.
What are flying flies?
“The” flying flies “, or, more correctly, floaters, are a typical sign of alterations of the vitreous body, the gelatinous, transparent and colorless mass similar to the white of the raw egg, which fills the eyeball and is interposed between the lens and the retina. These floaters move when we move our eyes and appear more frequently during the hot season when the chances of undergoing dehydration phenomena that can also affect the eye are greater. The consequence is the formation of small clusters which are slightly less transparent and float in the vitreous liquid, casting shadows on the retina, ”he explains Paolo Vinciguerra, director of the Eye Center of the Humanitas Clinical Institute of Rozzano (Milan) and full professor of Ophthalmology at Humanitas University.
What dangers are there?
«When the vitreous is altered and this phenomenon appears it is always good to check that this gelatinous mass has not changed, losing volume, and detached from the retina. The very sudden and traumatic separation of the vitreous body can in fact generate some tears on the retina that predispose to its detachment real. If a small hole is formed in the retina, the vitreous fluid can in fact enter the space between the nerve part (photoreceptors) of the retinal membrane and the underlying retinal pigment epithelium, starting to detach it. The detached retina suffers irreversible damage with negative effects on vision the greater the more its central part (macula) is involved and the more extensive is the detachment ».
What are the red flags?
“The signs to watch out for are on the one hand the appearance of flying flies, even more so if it is sudden and “cascading”, and on the other the contemporary seeing flashes or bright flashes, indicative of a traction of the retina by the vitreous. Once the retina has detached, the classic signal is the curtain vision that starts from the ocular periphery. If the detachment starts from the top and goes downwards, the curtain will appear in the lower sector; if instead the detachment starts from the bottom, the curtain will appear in the upper sector ».
What are the risk factors?
The chances of developing floaters and the risk of experiencing a retinal detachment are greater in some circumstances, for example, in the presence of high myopia. «The myopic eye is longer than normal and therefore its wall is more” drawn “. Other risk factors are represented by retinal diseases, for example associated with diabetes as they alter the composition of the vitreous, ocular trauma and aging »reports Vinciguerra. With age, the composition of the vitreous can undergo alterations and losing its homogeneous and supportive structure: if the liquid “collapses”, there is a progressive detachment of the vitreous from the retina which tends to “drag” the retina itself.
What to do?
“In the presence of flying flies and possibly bright flashes it is always good to have an eye examination. It is enough to carry out examination of the fundus of the eye after having dilated the pupil to understand the extent of any damage to the retina. If a retinal break is evident, a defensive laser treatment on the retina that allows to obtain a welding around the hole, preventing a possible detachment and the visual problems associated with it ». In actual retinal detachment it is important to intervene surgically in a timely manner to stop the advance of the detachment. To smooth out the retina, different techniques can be used that act from the outside, such as cerclage, or from the inside, such as vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the vitreous humor and its replacement with different substances according to the case.
October 9, 2021 (change October 9, 2021 | 19:52)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
These are thickenings in the vitreous body, the gelatinous mass that fills the eyeball. They are generally “innocent” but it is worth reporting them to the ophthalmologist
Many people, especially after middle age, happen to see what are commonly called “flying flies” in their field of vision. At the first annoyance caused by these floaters that appear to be on the ocular surface but that there is no way to eliminate by rubbing the eyes and even less by cleaning the glasses, then the worry takes over. Luckily in most cases it is a benign phenomenon, but that it is always good not to underestimate because it could be the alarm bell of a retinal detachment.
What are flying flies?
“The” flying flies “, or, more correctly, floaters, are a typical sign of alterations of the vitreous body, the gelatinous, transparent and colorless mass similar to the white of the raw egg, which fills the eyeball and is interposed between the lens and the retina. These floaters move when we move our eyes and appear more frequently during the hot season when the chances of undergoing dehydration phenomena that can also affect the eye are greater. The consequence is the formation of small clusters which are slightly less transparent and float in the vitreous liquid, casting shadows on the retina, ”he explains Paolo Vinciguerra, director of the Eye Center of the Humanitas Clinical Institute of Rozzano (Milan) and full professor of Ophthalmology at Humanitas University.
What dangers are there?
«When the vitreous is altered and this phenomenon appears it is always good to check that this gelatinous mass has not changed, losing volume, and detached from the retina. The very sudden and traumatic separation of the vitreous body can in fact generate some tears on the retina that predispose to its detachment real. If a small hole is formed in the retina, the vitreous fluid can in fact enter the space between the nerve part (photoreceptors) of the retinal membrane and the underlying retinal pigment epithelium, starting to detach it. The detached retina suffers irreversible damage with negative effects on vision the greater the more its central part (macula) is involved and the more extensive is the detachment ».
What are the red flags?
“The signs to watch out for are on the one hand the appearance of flying flies, even more so if it is sudden and “cascading”, and on the other the contemporary seeing flashes or bright flashes, indicative of a traction of the retina by the vitreous. Once the retina has detached, the classic signal is the curtain vision that starts from the ocular periphery. If the detachment starts from the top and goes downwards, the curtain will appear in the lower sector; if instead the detachment starts from the bottom, the curtain will appear in the upper sector ».
What are the risk factors?
The chances of developing floaters and the risk of experiencing a retinal detachment are greater in some circumstances, for example, in the presence of high myopia. «The myopic eye is longer than normal and therefore its wall is more” drawn “. Other risk factors are represented by retinal diseases, for example associated with diabetes as they alter the composition of the vitreous, ocular trauma and aging »reports Vinciguerra. With age, the composition of the vitreous can undergo alterations and losing its homogeneous and supportive structure: if the liquid “collapses”, there is a progressive detachment of the vitreous from the retina which tends to “drag” the retina itself.
What to do?
“In the presence of flying flies and possibly bright flashes it is always good to have an eye examination. It is enough to carry out examination of the fundus of the eye after having dilated the pupil to understand the extent of any damage to the retina. If a retinal break is evident, a defensive laser treatment on the retina that allows to obtain a welding around the hole, preventing a possible detachment and the visual problems associated with it ». In actual retinal detachment it is important to intervene surgically in a timely manner to stop the advance of the detachment. To smooth out the retina, different techniques can be used that act from the outside, such as cerclage, or from the inside, such as vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the vitreous humor and its replacement with different substances according to the case.
October 9, 2021 (change October 9, 2021 | 19:52)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
These are thickenings in the vitreous body, the gelatinous mass that fills the eyeball. They are generally “innocent” but it is worth reporting them to the ophthalmologist
Many people, especially after middle age, happen to see what are commonly called “flying flies” in their field of vision. At the first annoyance caused by these floaters that appear to be on the ocular surface but that there is no way to eliminate by rubbing the eyes and even less by cleaning the glasses, then the worry takes over. Luckily in most cases it is a benign phenomenon, but that it is always good not to underestimate because it could be the alarm bell of a retinal detachment.
What are flying flies?
“The” flying flies “, or, more correctly, floaters, are a typical sign of alterations of the vitreous body, the gelatinous, transparent and colorless mass similar to the white of the raw egg, which fills the eyeball and is interposed between the lens and the retina. These floaters move when we move our eyes and appear more frequently during the hot season when the chances of undergoing dehydration phenomena that can also affect the eye are greater. The consequence is the formation of small clusters which are slightly less transparent and float in the vitreous liquid, casting shadows on the retina, ”he explains Paolo Vinciguerra, director of the Eye Center of the Humanitas Clinical Institute of Rozzano (Milan) and full professor of Ophthalmology at Humanitas University.
What dangers are there?
«When the vitreous is altered and this phenomenon appears it is always good to check that this gelatinous mass has not changed, losing volume, and detached from the retina. The very sudden and traumatic separation of the vitreous body can in fact generate some tears on the retina that predispose to its detachment real. If a small hole is formed in the retina, the vitreous fluid can in fact enter the space between the nerve part (photoreceptors) of the retinal membrane and the underlying retinal pigment epithelium, starting to detach it. The detached retina suffers irreversible damage with negative effects on vision the greater the more its central part (macula) is involved and the more extensive is the detachment ».
What are the red flags?
“The signs to watch out for are on the one hand the appearance of flying flies, even more so if it is sudden and “cascading”, and on the other the contemporary seeing flashes or bright flashes, indicative of a traction of the retina by the vitreous. Once the retina has detached, the classic signal is the curtain vision that starts from the ocular periphery. If the detachment starts from the top and goes downwards, the curtain will appear in the lower sector; if instead the detachment starts from the bottom, the curtain will appear in the upper sector ».
What are the risk factors?
The chances of developing floaters and the risk of experiencing a retinal detachment are greater in some circumstances, for example, in the presence of high myopia. «The myopic eye is longer than normal and therefore its wall is more” drawn “. Other risk factors are represented by retinal diseases, for example associated with diabetes as they alter the composition of the vitreous, ocular trauma and aging »reports Vinciguerra. With age, the composition of the vitreous can undergo alterations and losing its homogeneous and supportive structure: if the liquid “collapses”, there is a progressive detachment of the vitreous from the retina which tends to “drag” the retina itself.
What to do?
“In the presence of flying flies and possibly bright flashes it is always good to have an eye examination. It is enough to carry out examination of the fundus of the eye after having dilated the pupil to understand the extent of any damage to the retina. If a retinal break is evident, a defensive laser treatment on the retina that allows to obtain a welding around the hole, preventing a possible detachment and the visual problems associated with it ». In actual retinal detachment it is important to intervene surgically in a timely manner to stop the advance of the detachment. To smooth out the retina, different techniques can be used that act from the outside, such as cerclage, or from the inside, such as vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the vitreous humor and its replacement with different substances according to the case.
October 9, 2021 (change October 9, 2021 | 19:52)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED
These are thickenings in the vitreous body, the gelatinous mass that fills the eyeball. They are generally “innocent” but it is worth reporting them to the ophthalmologist
Many people, especially after middle age, happen to see what are commonly called “flying flies” in their field of vision. At the first annoyance caused by these floaters that appear to be on the ocular surface but that there is no way to eliminate by rubbing the eyes and even less by cleaning the glasses, then the worry takes over. Luckily in most cases it is a benign phenomenon, but that it is always good not to underestimate because it could be the alarm bell of a retinal detachment.
What are flying flies?
“The” flying flies “, or, more correctly, floaters, are a typical sign of alterations of the vitreous body, the gelatinous, transparent and colorless mass similar to the white of the raw egg, which fills the eyeball and is interposed between the lens and the retina. These floaters move when we move our eyes and appear more frequently during the hot season when the chances of undergoing dehydration phenomena that can also affect the eye are greater. The consequence is the formation of small clusters which are slightly less transparent and float in the vitreous liquid, casting shadows on the retina, ”he explains Paolo Vinciguerra, director of the Eye Center of the Humanitas Clinical Institute of Rozzano (Milan) and full professor of Ophthalmology at Humanitas University.
What dangers are there?
«When the vitreous is altered and this phenomenon appears it is always good to check that this gelatinous mass has not changed, losing volume, and detached from the retina. The very sudden and traumatic separation of the vitreous body can in fact generate some tears on the retina that predispose to its detachment real. If a small hole is formed in the retina, the vitreous fluid can in fact enter the space between the nerve part (photoreceptors) of the retinal membrane and the underlying retinal pigment epithelium, starting to detach it. The detached retina suffers irreversible damage with negative effects on vision the greater the more its central part (macula) is involved and the more extensive is the detachment ».
What are the red flags?
“The signs to watch out for are on the one hand the appearance of flying flies, even more so if it is sudden and “cascading”, and on the other the contemporary seeing flashes or bright flashes, indicative of a traction of the retina by the vitreous. Once the retina has detached, the classic signal is the curtain vision that starts from the ocular periphery. If the detachment starts from the top and goes downwards, the curtain will appear in the lower sector; if instead the detachment starts from the bottom, the curtain will appear in the upper sector ».
What are the risk factors?
The chances of developing floaters and the risk of experiencing a retinal detachment are greater in some circumstances, for example, in the presence of high myopia. «The myopic eye is longer than normal and therefore its wall is more” drawn “. Other risk factors are represented by retinal diseases, for example associated with diabetes as they alter the composition of the vitreous, ocular trauma and aging »reports Vinciguerra. With age, the composition of the vitreous can undergo alterations and losing its homogeneous and supportive structure: if the liquid “collapses”, there is a progressive detachment of the vitreous from the retina which tends to “drag” the retina itself.
What to do?
“In the presence of flying flies and possibly bright flashes it is always good to have an eye examination. It is enough to carry out examination of the fundus of the eye after having dilated the pupil to understand the extent of any damage to the retina. If a retinal break is evident, a defensive laser treatment on the retina that allows to obtain a welding around the hole, preventing a possible detachment and the visual problems associated with it ». In actual retinal detachment it is important to intervene surgically in a timely manner to stop the advance of the detachment. To smooth out the retina, different techniques can be used that act from the outside, such as cerclage, or from the inside, such as vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the vitreous humor and its replacement with different substances according to the case.
October 9, 2021 (change October 9, 2021 | 19:52)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED