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Can Dry Eyes Cause Floaters? What the Experts Say

6 min read

Written byDanielle Stoken
Reviewed by Jovi Boparai, MD
Danielle StokenEye Health & Wellness ContributorPittsburgh, PA

Bio

I was so excited when I learned about CorneaCare and am honored to share content, tips and stories about dry eye! I am a certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative nutrition so the intersection of nutrition/lifestyle and dry eye disease is one that I am particularly passionate about. Since recently becoming a mom, I care even more about my eye care and self-care and am learning so much through CorneaCare's educational resources.

Get to know me a little better!

Hobby: baking sourdough bread
Food: pasta
Superhero: my dad
Guilty pleasure: cold brew coffee (really, any coffee)
Secret power: serious facial recognition/recollection

Training:

Undergraduate: Carnegie Mellon University
Nutrition training: Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Jovi Boparai, MD
Jovi Boparai, MDCo-founder & CEO of CorneaCarePhiladelphia, PA

Bio

Dry eye disease is tough! I get it. I have struggled with dry eyes for several years from contact lens use, and from spending countless hours looking at computer screens. In college, my dry eyes got so bad that I couldn’t wear contact lenses, because of a constant “foreign body sensation” when I had them in. I had to stop reading every 30 minutes because my eyes would start to burn and my vision would get blurry. I tried a plethora of treatments and nothing seemed to work. Dry eye disease was not only impacting my eyes, but also my emotional wellbeing. It was preventing me from enjoying life, and getting in the way of my professional training. I felt overwhelmed, frustrated and hopeless.

It was only when I realized that my dry eyes were linked to my lifestyle, environment and overall health did things start to make sense. I noticed that on days when I spent less time on the computer, my eyes felt better. My symptoms would flare when it was windy, or when there was low humidity. I knew that if I wanted to get ahead of my dry eyes, I needed to not only treat my eyes, but to also address my lifestyle. I started a consistent regimen of artificial tears and eyelid hygiene. I switched from monthly contact lenses to daily contact lenses. I started taking scheduled breaks from looking at a computer. I ate a healthier diet focused on anti-inflammatory/antioxidants foods, and I bought a humidifier for my room. In the beginning doing all this seemed impossible, but over time it became part of my usual routine. Not only did my eyes feel better, but I was overall healthier and happier! Turns out what is good for my eyes, was also good for my mind and body. I carried this lesson with me as I started my career to become an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon.

Because of my personal journey and professional training, I believe dry eye treatment starts by listening to and empowering the patient. I listen for the struggles and cue in on their strengths, while picking up on their lifestyle. Only then do we together start building a treatment plan that incorporates good eye hygiene with small, but impactful lifestyle changes. Our sight is our most important sense, and it is intimately linked to our very being. I want dry eye patients to not only get their dry eyes under control, but to also enjoy good mental and physical health, and live a fulfilling life. What is good for the eyes should also strengthen the mind and fortify the body!

Get to know me a little better!

Hobby: vintage watches
Food: peanut butter
Superhero: Superman
Guilty pleasure: desserts
Secret power: has never had a headache

Training:

Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh Honors College
Medical school: Weill Cornell Medicine
Ophthalmology residency: Wills Eye Hospital.

Can Dry Eyes Cause Floaters? What the Experts Say

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Table of Contents

Key Points

  • While some people experience symptoms of dry eye disease and floaters simultaneously, they are likely not connected. 
  • Dry eye disease is caused by unstable tear film and leads to symptoms such as burning, redness, blurry vision, itchiness, dryness, pain and watery eyes. Eye floaters are caused by natural eye aging, and are typically harmless, but could rarely occur due to serious eye and medical conditions. 
  • Dry eye disease treatment will depend on your unique set of symptoms. Floaters typically do not require treatment. 

Keywords

Dry eye disease, floaters, treatment

Taking the First Step

While relatively harmless, eye floaters can be quite annoying as they cloud your vision and make it hard to focus.¹ 

If you suffer from dry eye disease (DED) and wonder, “Can dry eyes cause floaters?,” you may be surprised to learn the answer. 

Because dry eye disease and floaters share some of the same risk factors like eye injuries, eye surgery (like cataract surgery), age, and certain medical conditions, patients often think they are linked. Moreover, you can experience floaters and DED at the same time. However, it’s important to remember that floaters and DED are different conditions, and require different management.

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    Causes of Dry Eyes

    To understand what may be causing your floaters versus your dry eye symptoms, let’s first learn about dry eye disease. 

    Dry eye disease (DED), also known as dry eye syndrome, is chronic. Patients often experience physical symptoms like redness, blurry vision, dryness, and itchy eyes so severely that they have difficulty functioning in their daily lives. 

    Key symptoms of dry eye disease

    Thirty million Americans and over 300 million people worldwide suffer from DED. 

    There are many causes of DED, including certain medical conditions, other eye diseases and lifestyle. People often have poor quality tears or their eyes do not produce enough tears.² 

    Causes of dry eye disease

    Poor quality tears (evaporative deficient dry eye)

    Your tear film is made up of three layers that work together to stabilize your tears and keep them from drying up too quickly. Your tear film is made up of three layers: mucin (the “glue”), aqueous (the “water”) and lipid (the “oil”)

    What is dry eye tear film?

    Certain eye conditions, like blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), can lead to DED. These conditions affect the secretion of oils in the eyelid glands that lead to tears evaporating quickly.⁶

    Not producing enough tears (aqueous deficient dry eye)

    Your natural tears come from the lacrimal gland, located in your eye socket above the top, lateral part of your upper eyelid, deep beneath the skin. Anything that causes your lacrimal glands to dysfunction (like an eye injury, certain autoimmune conditions like Sjögren’s disease, and corneal surgeries) can decrease tear production.⁷ 

    Glands and goblet cells

    Medical conditions, medication and dry eyes

    Other medical conditions, like menopause, pregnancy, thyroid eye disease and even cancer, can contribute to DED symptoms. Certain medications like birth control, antihistamines and wearing contact lenses can dry out the eyes.²

    Understanding what is causing your dry eyes is the first step to properly treating your DED. 

    How to Treat DED

    Treating dry eyes goes much further than just using eye drops. CorneaCare emphasizes building a treatment plan that includes education, implementation and consistency as part of your overall eye care. If you suffer from dry eyes, you know that the cost of treatment can add up quickly, and you still may not experience much relief from symptoms. 

    Treating DED is a frustrating battle, but there is hope! 

    As part of CorneaCare’s commitment to education, we have an entire library of resources dedicated to dry eye treatment to help you identify an approach that works for your unique symptoms. 

    A good dry eye treatment regime includes:

    • Eyelid hygiene: Just like you practice daily hygiene for the rest of your body, taking care of your eyelids is equally important, especially when you experience dry eye symptom. You can start your day with a refreshing cold compress, use moisturizing eyelid wipes throughout the day to remove buildup on your eyelashes, and relax at night with a warm compress (and a nice cup of herbal tea!).

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    • Artificial tears: While artificial tears alone may not solve your dry eye problems, they can replenish your tears throughout the day if used consistently. Preservative-free artificial tears are a better lubricant for the ocular surface (surface of the eye) than those containing preservatives because preservatives can cause damage to the cornea over time. Most eye doctors (optometrists and ophthalmologists) recommend using over-the-counter artificial tear eye drops 4-6 times a day. Sometimes prescription eye drops may be required. It may take one to two months to see relief.⁸
    What are the best treatments for dry eye disease?
    • Lifestyle: Dry conditions, like the air in your home or the external environment where you live or work, can worsen dry eye symptoms. Try protecting your eyes when you go outside by wearing a hat and sunglasses to block ultraviolet rays and wind. Inside, use a humidifier in the rooms where you spend a lot of time, move your bed away from air vents and fans and practice good digital eye health when using screens to prevent dryness. 
    Environmental Conditions that affect dry eye disease
    • Nutrition: Just like a good diet is good for your overall health, it’s equally good for your eyes! A diet high in Vitamins A, B, C, D and E and essential fatty acids may protect your eyes and improve your dry eye symptoms. Whole grains, wild-caught fish and dark vegetables are a great addition to any healthy eye care routine. Supplements that include the appropriate mix of vitamins and nutrients can also be taken when necessary.

    What Are Eye Floaters?

    Floaters are spots that cloud your field of vision. They typically appear as dark, squiggly lines or threadlike strands that look like cobwebs and float across your line of sight. They move as your eye moves, which is why you may notice when you try to look at them directly, they move away.¹ 

    You just can’t seem to catch them!

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    Causes of floaters

    So, to answer “Can dry eyes cause floaters,” there is no current research that supports a link between the two. Eye floaters are neither a cause nor a symptom of DED. 

    Floaters occur because of the normal aging of your eyes. As you get older, tiny fibers of your vitreous (the gel-like substance that fills your eyeball) stick together and cast shadows on your retina (the part of the eye towards the back that senses light). This process is called vitreous degeneration.³ 

    If you notice a sudden increase in new floaters, start to experience “flashes” of light or feel like a curtain or veil is coming over your vision, see an eye doctor immediately (optometrist or ophthalmologist) to rule out more serious causes of floaters, including:⁴

    • Diabetic retinopathy (caused by too much sugar in the blood due to diabetes)
    • Hypertensive retinopathy (caused by high blood pressure)
    • Bleeding in the eye
    • Vitreous detachment (when vitreous pulls away from the retina)
    • Retinal tear (a hole in the retina caused by vitreous detachment)
    • Retinal detachment (retina detaches from the back of the eye and can cause flashes of light in your vision and, if not treated quickly, vision loss)

    How to treat floaters

    If your floaters aren’t interfering with your daily life, you don’t need to seek treatment. Over time your eyes adjust to them, and you only notice them rarely. If floaters are interfering with your vision and daily functioning, talk to your eye doctor about available options.⁴

    Putting It All Together

    Dry eyes do not cause floaters, but you may experience symptoms of DED along with floaters caused by other medical or eye conditions. 

    There are many treatments for DED, but your unique plan will depend on your specific symptoms. While treatment isn’t necessary for floaters if they aren’t interfering with your vision, you should talk to your eye doctor if you are concerned about new floaters or other eye conditions. 

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    What’s Next

    Expand your dry eye knowledge by taking a tour of our education section!

    Bibliography

    1. “Floaters & spots | AOA.” American Optometric Association, https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/floaters-and-spots?sso=y. Accessed 29 March 2022.
    2. “Dry eye | AOA.” American Optometric Association, https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/dry-eye?sso=y. Accessed 29 March 2022.
    3. “Eye floaters – Symptoms and causes.” Mayo Clinic, 28 August 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eye-floaters/symptoms-causes/syc-20372346. Accessed 29 March 2022.
    4. “Floaters.” National Eye Institute, 22 September 2020, https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/floaters. Accessed 29 March 2022.
    5. Mukamal, Reena. “Facts About Tears.” American Academy of Ophthalmology, 21 December 2016, https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/facts-about-tears. Accessed 29 March 2022.
    6. Galor, Anat. “Meibomian gland disease: the role of gland dysfunction in dry eye disease.” NCBI, 1 November 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5685175/. Accessed 30 March 2022.
    7. “Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer.” NCBI, 1 October 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6202299/. Accessed 30 March 2022.
    8. Cole, Jane. “Artificial Tears: What Matters and Why.” Review of Optometry, 15 November 2020, https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/artificial-tears-what-matters-and-why. Accessed 30 March 2022.
    9. “Diabetic retinopathy – Symptoms and causes.” Mayo Clinic, 24 June 2021, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-retinopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20371611. Accessed 30 March 2022.

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