The doctor told about the danger of flies in front of the eyes

The so—called flies in front of the eyes are a symptom that may indicate the presence of quite dangerous pathologies of the visual organs that require a medical examination. On March 10, Svetlana Mirgorodskaya, ophthalmologist, laser surgeon at SM Clinic, PhD, told Izvestia about this.

According to her, the most common cause of floating flies in front of the eyes is the destruction of the vitreous, a gel—like substance that occupies two-thirds of the eye and consists of water, hyalocytes, reticulin and collagen fibers. It is the disintegration of its structure that we see as flies.

"Vitreous destruction is a physiological process that occurs at a certain age in everyone. But there are reasons that stimulate this process. For example, hormonal, inflammatory, vascular problems, as well as peripheral retinal degeneration," Mirgorodskaya said.

At the same time, she noted that the destructive elements themselves are dangerous only if they are fixed to the retina, when there is tension and the threat of rupture and, as a result, retinal detachment. But in other cases, they can cause severe visual discomfort.

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The second reason is hemorrhages in the vitreous cavity, that is, inside the eye. The symptoms are similar to the destruction of the vitreous body, but sometimes a "trickle" or "blot" appears in front of the eyes at first. As the doctor warned, hemorrhages are always a pathology that needs an urgent examination by an ophthalmologist.

"The third reason, which causes a single, but large "fly" in the form of a ring, spot or horseshoe, is the detachment of the vitreous body. Not to be confused with retinal detachment. <...> At the age of 55-65, normally or with eye injuries, the posterior hyaloid membrane departs from the retina and a large "fly", or Weiss ring, may appear — the place of the former fixation of the vitreous body in the area of the optic nerve disc," the specialist explained.

She stressed that when a Weiss ring appears, it is recommended to examine the fundus with a wide pupil in order to exclude tension and damage to the retina, which in rare cases accompanies this process.

On March 6, Zarina Kurachinova, chief physician of the federal network of eye clinics World Vision Clinic, told Izvestia about the causes of glaucoma and its symptoms. The doctor named genetics, high intraocular pressure, vascular problems and stress as the main reasons. If you have iridescent circles in front of your eyes, periodic blurring of the image, a sharp deterioration in vision in the dark and headaches, you should consult an ophthalmologist, Kurachinova noted.