Floaters appear as a speck, a thread-like strand, or a squiggly line drifting across your eyesight. While they’re usually harmless, they do sometimes indicate other underlying problems.
During an eye exam, your optometrist can check your vision to find out what’s causing your sudden increase in floaters. One potential underlying cause is high blood pressure, which damages delicate blood vessels and makes floaters more noticeable.
If you ever notice a sudden increase in floaters alongside flashes of light, significant discomfort, or vision changes, immediately visit your optometrist. These unusual symptoms indicate something is seriously wrong.
What Are Eye Floaters?
Floaters are the small shapes you sometimes notice gliding across your field of vision. They’re most obvious when you’re looking at bright, plain backgrounds like the sky or a computer screen. Each floater is unique, but they often take on forms such as:
- Black or gray dots
- Wandering squiggly lines
- Thin, thread-like strands
These occur because of changes inside your eye’s vitreous gel, which shifts or clumps together as you age. Sometimes, the gel pulls away from the retina in a process called posterior vitreous detachment.
While this is usually nothing to worry about, floaters can sometimes signify more serious issues, especially if accompanied by discomfort or vision changes.
How High Blood Pressure Affects the Eyes
High blood pressure, or hypertension, puts constant strain on the blood vessels throughout your body. This even affects the delicate vessels located at the back of the eyes. The resulting condition, known as hypertensive retinopathy, can permanently damage your vision if left unaddressed.
Your retinal blood vessels are crucial for delivering oxygen and nutrients to your eyes. If these vessels are damaged, it can cause vision problems and more floaters.
Signs of High Blood Pressure
This increase in floaters doesn’t affect everybody with high blood pressure. However, other symptoms of high blood pressure include:
- Severe headaches
- Fatigue or confusion
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Irregular heartbeat
If you recognize these symptoms, visit a healthcare professional for a checkup. They can give you advice on lowering your blood pressure.
How High Blood Pressure Affects the Retina
The retina sits at the back of your eye, and it’s a key player in how you see the world. The retina is where light gets processed into images. Damage to your retina’s vessels, especially from ongoing high blood pressure, can prevent it from functioning properly.
High blood pressure damages the wall of the retinal blood vessels, which reduces blood flow. This can eventually cause:
- Fluid leaking into the retina
- Bleeding into parts of the eye
- Blockage of retinal veins
These changes may cause floaters to appear. Retinal vein occlusion, a more severe result of high blood pressure, can lead to significant swelling or bleeding, sometimes affecting vision permanently. Regular eye check-ups can catch these problems early and help you take action before permanent damage can occur.
Are Eye Floaters a Sign of Something Wrong?
Most of the time, eye floaters are just a harmless—and somewhat irritating—sign of aging. However, that’s not always the case. If you notice any of these changes with your floaters, it’s worth scheduling an eye check-up right away:
- A sudden and significant increase in the number of floaters
- Bright flashes of light accompanying the floaters
- Partial or total loss of peripheral vision
These signs aren’t something to brush off. Changes in floaters could mean you’re experiencing a serious problem like retinal detachment, where the retina pulls away from the back of the eye.
Your optometrist can examine your eyes and check your retina to diagnose the cause of your symptoms. Retinal damage can cause lifelong vision problems if ignored, so you should always prioritize your vision.
Eye Conditions Linked to High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure raises your risk of developing several serious eye conditions. It isn’t just hypertensive retinopathy—high blood pressure can also increase the risk of:
- Glaucoma: Increased pressure within the eye can damage the optic nerve, potentially causing vision loss.
- Age-related macular degeneration: This condition affects the central retina, significantly impairing vision over time.
- Diabetic retinopathy: Linked to diabetes, this condition can worsen with high blood pressure, leading to serious eye health complications.
Monitoring your blood pressure and addressing any signs of eye trouble early can help reduce your risk of these conditions.
Tips for Managing Blood Pressure
There is good news, however—you can make several small changes in your life to more effectively manage your blood pressure. It helps to:
- Maintain a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Reduce your intake of salt, sugar, and saturated fats.
- Engage in regular physical activity, such as walking or cycling.
- Limit alcohol consumption and avoid smoking.
- Manage stress through relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing.
- Monitor your blood pressure regularly and consult a healthcare professional as needed.
Keeping your blood pressure levels consistent can help prevent damage to your eyes—and lower your risk of lifelong complications.
When to Visit an Optometrist
When it comes to your eyes, being proactive is key. It helps keep your eyes healthier and your vision clear while lowering the risk of permanent problems. And one of the easiest ways to stay proactive? Regular checkups with our team at Insight Eyecare.
Here at our clinic, we can regularly monitor your eyes and watch for subtle signs of underlying problems. Our team is here to help you keep your vision clear, just like you deserve. Schedule an appointment with our team, and let us help!
