Understanding Eye Floaters: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

[phrygian]

Eye floaters are debris in the eye's vitreous humour, which seem to float over your vision and are extremely annoying.

When using an optical microscope my floaters become extremely clear against the bright background I am viewing, and what I see looks almost exactly like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Candida_albicans.jpg

Reading forums online many people describe seeing the same thing.

I don't know anything about biology so here is my question, how unique is this structure? If that is what I see, can I be sure that it is in fact candida albicans, or maybe at least narrow it down to a kind of fungus or yeast? Or are there a large amount of micro organisms that could easily give this same appearance?

Thanks for the help

 

[SW VandeCarr]

Eye floaters are debris in the eye's vitreous humour, which seem to float over your vision and are extremely annoying.

When using an optical microscope my floaters become extremely clear against the bright background I am viewing, and what I see looks almost exactly like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Candida_albicans.jpg

Reading forums online many people describe seeing the same thing.

I don't know anything about biology so here is my question, how unique is this structure? If that is what I see, can I be sure that it is in fact candida albicans, or maybe at least narrow it down to a kind of fungus or yeast? Or are there a large amount of micro organisms that could easily give this same appearance?

Thanks for the help

I would be surprised if microorganisms were involved unless you had you significant suppression of your immune system or traumatic damage to your eye(s). The vitreous consists of water supported by a fine collagen network. With aging (even if you're not very old), some of the collagen breaks down into fibrils which become visible and can be annoying.

Also, the vitreous mass shrinks over time and can pull cell debris from the inner lining of the posterior chamber of the eye which contains the vitreous. The retina occupies the posterior (back) portion of this chamber. When vitreous detachment occurs here, it can produce flashes. This is not the same as retinal detachment which also produces flashes and which is more serious.

If you are seeing any flashes, you should get an evaluation by an ophthalmologist to rule out retinal detachment. Also, if you are really concerned about the possibility of microorganisms somewhere in your line of sight, you should get an evaluation. We cannot give diagnoses here.

 

[phrygian]

But what can you say about the picture I linked to? Are there many different biological materials that could produce such shapes or does that characteristic of something in particular?

 

[SW VandeCarr]

But what can you say about the picture I linked to? Are there many different biological materials that could produce such shapes or does that characteristic of something in particular?

Vitreous floaters can easily take the kind a stringy shapes resembling this yeast, Candida Albicans. However, we cannot make diagnoses here. If you are concerned about the situation, you need to see an ophthalmologist.