How to heal eye floaters

An eye floater is formally known as a "vitreous floater." Floaters are visual shadows of different shapes that move and originate within the eye. Some floaters are caused by serious health issues. However, benign floaters are usually due to condensation of the vitreous humour, which is the gel located in the back part of the eye. It is normally clear, so any change can create the appearance of floaters. Eye surgeon Dr. James H. Johnson of Vitreous Floater Solutions reports that floaters can "significantly affect the quality of vision and the quality of life for those suffering them." Fortunately, there are treatment options that may help an individual get rid of, or at least decrease, eye floaters.

Schedule an exam with an eye doctor in order to rule out pathological eye floaters. Sudden new floaters can be caused by retinal detachment, inflammation or haemorrhage. If these more serious issues are the cause, your doctor will work with you on an intervention specific to the underlying issue. However, if the floaters are found to be benign, decide if you can live with them. One option is to leave them alone and get used to them.

Explore alternative treatments. Hypnosis with a licensed hypnotherapist can be used in treating floaters and/or helping with learning to live with them. A micro-current stimulator is another possible intervention. It is a machine that stimulates acupuncture points. Traditional acupuncture and acupressure may also be of some benefit.

Discuss herbal and dietary supplements with your eye doctor. Eyecarebasics.com reports that methylsulfonylmethane drops may help to remove eye floaters. Serrapeptase enzyme has been used to clear out the eye and may also help destroy eye floaters. Other possible supplements that may help to treat, or minimise, eye floaters are taurine, magnesium, vitamin A, selenium, ginkgo, lysine and ginger.

Change your nutritional intake. Limit the amount of salt you take in daily. Eat plenty of vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Eat fish often. Avoid tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes because they can cause toxins that affect the eye. Avoid fried foods, red meat and dairy. It is especially important to stay hydrated. According to the Eyecarebasics.com, these steps will help your overall health, but can also be beneficial specifically in treating eye floaters.

Schedule surgery to treat the floaters if they do not respond to treatment and are too invasive to leave alone. There are a couple of different surgeries that can be effective. A surgical vitrectomy necessitates general anaesthesia or deep-monitored sedation in a surgical centre or hospital. A surgeon makes incisions into the whites of the eye, then removes eye fluid, via a sucking instrument, and replaces it with an electrolyte saltwater solution. Another surgery that can be used to treat floaters is a laser photodisruptive vitreolysis procedure. This type of procedure is newer and has not been widely used as yet, but according to Vitreous Floater Solutions, this procedure is less invasive than a surgical vitrectomy and has an easier recovery. In a laser photodisruptive vitreolysis procedure, a surgeon focuses a laser on the surface of a floater; the laser then delivers energy levels that break the floater down.