Phillip Schofield returned to work today following a recent surgery.
The This Morning host helmed the ITV show alongside regular co-star Holly Willoughby. He announced on his Instagram stories recently he had undergone two operations to help get rid of eye floaters.
The 60 year old opened up about the condition that “blighted” him, causing him to describe his pre-surgery vision as “a filthy bathroom window drifting across my eyes.” After the surgeries, he said: "For the first time in many years, right now, I’m looking at a clear blue sky, it is mood/mind and life changing for me."
READ MORE: Phillip Schofield gives health update from hospital following surgery
Alastair Lockwood, eye health advisor for Feel Good Contacts and ophthalmologist, has outlined the causes, symptoms and treatment options for eye floaters.
What are eye floaters?
Eye floaters are various shaped particles in your field of vision that become more noticeable when you look at a bright and plain background such as the blue sky or a white piece of paper. When you move your eyes to try and look at them, they will quickly disappear from your visual field.
Eye Floaters most often occur as a result of ageing when the gel-like substance in the eye (vitreous humor) turns to more of a liquid substance. Shadows on the retina are then cast when the microscopic fibres in the vitreous clump. These shadows are referred to as eye floaters. Other rare causes include blood from uncontrolled diabetic eye disease or clumps of inflammatory cells if the eye develops uncontrolled inflammation.
Eye Floaters in vision usually occur between the ages of 50 to 75 and are more likely to appear if you’ve undergone cataract surgery or are near-sighted. Your brain is very good at disregarding redundant information, so often you learn to forget about them over time.
When should I worry about eye floaters?
Eye Floaters are usually nothing to be concerned about and do not signify anything dangerous. You should worry about eye floaters if you notice a sudden increase. You should see your doctor if you experience the following:
- New or increased frequency of flashing lights or floaters
- A dark shadow or curtain in one side of your peripheral vision
- New changes in vision
What are eye floaters a symptom of?
It is crucial that you monitor your eye health by scheduling regular eye exams with your optician. This can prevent more severe eye conditions from escalating and causing vision loss.
It is possible to mistake a visual aura for an eye floater. Visual auras or migraines come accompanied with a headache and appear in a similar way to what you see when you look through a kaleidoscope. They last for a few minutes before completely disappearing.
How can eye floaters be prevented?
Age-related eye floaters cannot be prevented; however, you can avoid eye floaters caused by injury by wearing eyewear to protect your eyes when carrying out tasks that require the use of dangerous tools or when playing certain sports. Wearing sunglasses such as wrap sunglasses are an excellent choice for sports such as golf and tennis.
You can reduce the likelihood of getting floaters as a result of a vitreous haemorrhage caused by diabetic retinopathy. Improving your blood sugar levels to control hyperglycaemia will do this.
What is the treatment for eye floaters?
There are no proven methods deemed as safe for treating eye floaters. The brain does learn to forget about them, however. If caused specifically by diabetic eye disease or inflammation then specialist treatment appropriate for this should be undertaken.
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs can be used in cases where eye floaters are the result of white blood cells in the vitreous, caused by infection. The drugs will reduce these white blood cells.
Some ophthalmologists have suggested that you can get rid of eye floaters by breaking them up with a YAG laser; however, there is no conclusive evidence to confirm the safety or effectiveness of this procedure. In addition to this, laser therapy is a risky treatment and can pose a threat to your vision.
Surgery can be undertaken to remove the vitreous; this procedure is called a vitrectomy and is used when there is a large quantity of non-clearing blood or inflammatory debris in the eye. Treating the typical type of eye floaters with a vitrectomy can potentially cause cataracts to form or retinal detachment. There is also a small but significant risk of bleeding or infection from surgery.
Do eye floaters go away?
Eye floaters will last forever and will never completely go away; however, the black spots in vision sometimes become less visible over time as the brain adapts, getting used to them. This process is known as neuro-adaptation. As time progresses, eye floaters tend to shrink in size and density and become lighter. They can also move position in the eye, reducing the appearance of the shadow effect.
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