What Causes Someone to See Blue Spots?
Some people see blue spots as they age, as the collagen in their vitreous humor loosens, accumulates there and floats in front of the retina, causing visual disturbances, according to WebMD. In most cases, this condition is benign. However, there are instances when patients should speak to their doctor, such as when there is a sudden onset of new spots.
Blue spots or flecks of light floating in front of the eyes are called eye floaters. They can appear in multiple forms, including squiggly lines, black dots, ring shapes and cobwebs. Many people find they appear worse when they look into light.
Eye floaters usually occur between the ages of 50 and 75. They are more common in people who are nearsighted and those who have undergone cataract surgery. In addition, they can arise because of diabetic retinopathy, eye disease, eye injury, crystals forming in the vitreous humor and in rare cases, lymphoma.
Some serious conditions can also cause eye floaters. These include retinal detachments and tears, vitreous hemmorhage, vitreous and retinal inflammation and eye tumors.
People should speak to a doctor about their eye floaters when:
- The floaters become worse, especially if this is sudden.
- They are accompanied by flashes of light and other visual disturbances.
- They arise follow eye surgery or trauma.
- Pain accompanies them.
