I’ve bragged over the years about having 20/20 vision; it
was the only thing I could say about myself that was 100% perfect. I’ve noticed
lately that with certain light I would see spots before my eyes. Worried I was
dying tragically young (shut up!) I went to the eye doctor and got the most
upsetting news. I wasn’t hitting the dirt anytime soon I was getting older; I’d
rather be dying.
The spots are called floaters (how science fiction) Floaters
are black dots, specks or circles that are noticeable when one is looking at a
light colored background, like a white wall or sunlight. Floaters tend to move
up in down and gradually disappear. The spots can be very annoying when you
know you haven’t taken Acid for twenty years.
The inside of the eye is filled
with an invisible, gel-like substance called the vitreous. The vitreous helps
maintain the shape of the eye and allows light to pass through to the retina.
The retina is a thin, light-sensitive tissue that covers the inside back
portion of the eye and works like the film in a camera. Floaters are small
clumps of gel that form in the vitreous. Although they appear to be in front of
the eye, they are actually floating in the vitreous and are seen as shadows by
the retina.
The appearance of floaters may cause alarm, especially if they develop
suddenly. However, they are usually of little importance. As people get older,
the vitreous shrinks and often separates from the retina. By the age of 50
years the vitreous has separated from the retina in about 50% of all people. As
the vitreous detaches, it causes floaters. At first the floaters may be quite
annoying, but the brain gradually learns to ignore them, and after several
months they are hardly noticed.
So with the onslaught of wrinkles,
gray hair and creaks in the bones; one is also faced with spots before their
eyes; which is just another reminder that Mother Nature is a freaking bitch.
