Question
A week ago, I developed a black spot in one eye that is slightly to the left of the center of my vision with occasional flashes of light in the left periphery. The spot moves with my eye but never completely goes away as a floater does. I saw an eye doctor who told me that my vitreous sac is drying up and detaching and that this is a normal part of the aging process (I am 68 and apparently my other eye had already had a full detachment). I would like to know how long the process takes and when I can expect the spot- which is driving me crazy- to go away? Why did I not have any symptoms when the other eye went through the same process? Lastly, what are the most common ages for this to manifest itself? Thank you very much for your time and expertise.
Answer
Hi Helene,
You can research 'acute posterior vitreous detachment' and learn more. You're on schedule, as the stats are 50% by age 60 and increasing w/ age. You will probably notice the floater less as time goes on, as it gets smaller and often floats out of the way over time. The main thing is to let your brain filter out the awareness of the floater: stop paying attention to it and try to ignore it. Depending on the size, distance from the retina, and density, the floaters from different vitreous detachments are noticed differently. The bottom line is we don't care about the floaters and you can't do anything about them. We care about retinas and since your's apparently is OK, don't worry. If you have any significant changes in your floaters or flashes see your doctor again.
Regards,
Mitch Axelrod,OD
