Small black dots shimmer in the field of vision: Especially when looking at bright surfaces, the "floaters" are noticeable and worry those affected.
You must know that.
Anyone who notices them for the first time can confuse them with small mosquitoes, hence the French term "Mouches volantes", which means something like "flying mosquitos".
Usually a normal sign of age, the black dots can also indicate illnesses.
Find out here how the visual disorder develops and when you need to see a doctor.
When looking at the white wall, they are particularly noticeable: small, black dots that dance in the field of vision.
The reason for this is usually the aging process of the vitreous humor: the vitreous humor slowly shrinks with age.
This changes the arrangement of the so-called collagen fibers in them, they condense.
Those affected perceive the resulting shadows on the retina as black dots and small particles floating through the image
.
This phenomenon is usually harmless and does not interfere with the visual function.
Most of those affected simply get used to it.
It is not only age that has an influence on the development of the visual change:
it often affects myopic people earlier
than others because the vitreous humor changes prematurely.
Treatment of the "floaters" is not yet possible.
Also read
: Eye flicker: This may be behind the mysterious phenomenon
.
Seeing black dots can also indicate high blood pressure
However, "eye floaters" should always be clarified by an ophthalmologist, as pathological causes can also be behind the visual change *.
"Serious opacities of the vitreous, which impede vision and should be treated, are rarer and are mostly related to an inflammation of the eye. The vitreous can also become cloudy if it bleeds into the eyeball," informs the Health Information Portal of the Institute for Quality and economy in health care (IQWiG).
Anyone who sees larger black spots instead of the small dots could suffer from such bleeding
.
Dangerous causes such as a tear or detachment of the retina can also be behind small black dots.
In this case, there is a risk of blindness if treatment is not started immediately.
Seeing lightning bolts is also an indication that the vitreous humor
is becoming
detached from the retina
, which can lead to retinal detachment.
Black-dot vision can also indicate a bruise in the eye, high blood pressure * or metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
Read more
: Dangerous blue light - new study shows: LED light makes eyes age faster.
jg / dpa
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* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network.