Since my childhood I have often noticed something swimming in front of my eyesight. It sometimes appeared like a worm or a snake or a transparent blob with an inscription on it. And if I wanted to get a closer look it disappeared only to reappear as soon as I shifted my gaze. For quite a long time I considered them angels and that I am a superhuman who can see them. For that reason I never confided it to anyone thinking I would lose my special powerđ. It was only recently that I discovered it is common with a lot of people. And boy! I was dejected but was also relieved to get rid of this useless, harmless special power.
What I am (was) seeing is a phenomena known as Floaters. Scientifically called Muscae volitantes (flying flies). And they are none that I thought. Rather, they exist inside my eyeball. Floaters appear to be living because they move and change forms but they arenât. They are small objects that cast shadows on the retina, the innermost membrane of the eye which is light sensitive. The floaters might be bits of tissue, RBCs or protein particles. Since they are present in the vitreous humor, the gel like substance filling the eye. Floaters drift and seem to bounce when the eye movement stops.
Floaters are not clearly visible most of the time. They become more visible the closer they are to the retina. We can see them even more clearly when looking at a uni-coloured well-lit surface, like a white paper sheet, room wall , or a clear sky etc. The more consistent the background the more distinguishable the floater is.
Another phenomenon that occurs normally when we look at a bright blue sky and experience tiny dots of light with a black tail fluttering around in the field of vision called the Blue Field Entoptic Phenomenon. These are not floaters as the former are merely shadows. Rather, they are WBCâs (White Blood Cells) moving in the capillaries along the surface of the retina.
Sometimes the WBCs are quite large, so when they move they fill the entire capillary creating a plasma space in front of them. Now this space and the WBCs are more transparent to blue light than the RBCs present in capillaries, we see a moving dot of light following the track of capillaries in the retina. There are some science convention centers that create an ideal viewing conditions like a screen of blue light where we can even see a dark tail following the dot. The tail is actuallt the RBCs clogging up behind the WBCs.
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There can be however very prominent floaters interfering with vision which may be a sign of a more serious condition. We need to consult an eye doctor immediately if that happens.
Well while I write this post, my floaters are dancing in front of my white screenđ. Iâm sure yours are too. And if you havenât noticed them yet, now you did. Please upvote the post if you liked it. Resteem it if you want your friends to discover their floaters and follow me @ememkay
Disclaimer: Retina Image source is mentioned. Others are created by myself.
Information source: Wikipedia, WebMD
Thanks and Peace!
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