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Eye floaters are clumps of protein that may look like dots, squiggles, strands or any of a hundred other shapes. Though annoying, floaters are harmless, and there are ways to prevent them through proper diet. They commonly result from the natural aging process where the vitreous gel (that keeps the shape of the back of the eyes) starts to liquefy, resulting in gel pulling on the retina (people who are nearsighted are also at a greater risk of eye floaters). This results in protein debris being released into the vitreous gel that are referred to as “floaters”.
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The brain and the body are in constant relationship.  This truth is further supported by the recent study published in General Hospital Psychiatry that describes how people who suffer from both depression and diabetes are more likely to end up with diabetic retinopathy.

In a study that controlled such factors as obesity, smoking, and activity, diabetic retinopathy was linked to occurrences of depression.  Over the five year trial, almost one quarter of patients with depression developed the eye disease compared to less than 20% of those who did not have depression.  Researchers extrapolate that depression increases one’s risk of developing retinopathy by 15%.
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Don’t just take it from us that glaucoma risk increases in those who have diabetes, high blood pressure, and who are overweight.  Researchers publishing in the journal Ophthalmology have found that these conditions, which together are labeled “metabolic syndrome” are all linked to the development of open-angle glaucoma.

A staggering 20% of people in America are said to have metabolic syndrome.  Both metabolic syndrome and glaucoma are associated with aging, so, as the US population gets older, scientists believe that both conditions with become more prevalent.
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Is it harder to “see the bigger picture” as we get older?  New research published in Cortex indicates that as people age, the brain is less able to process information in the wider visual field.

A study of young and elderly people showed that the older subjects found it harder to focus on the “global picture.”  The participants were shown a figure similar to that which appears below.  Smaller letters made up a larger letter.  The elderly study subjects took longer to spot the larger letter.

According to Medical News Today, this experiment provides insight into the processes of aging, including the changes in attention (meaning, the ability to concentrate on one thing, while ignoring other) which naturally happen over time.
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The role of intraocular pressure (a.k.a. IOP or eye pressure) and glaucoma is still a point of discussion.

At a meeting of the World Glaucoma Association, speaker Felipe Medeiros, MD described a common myth: “21 mm Hg threshold, above which IOP is supposed to be abnormal and below which is thought to be normal.”

In fact, according to this story’s source, the OSN Supersite, only 9.5% of patients with what is considered a high IOP are ever diagnosed with glaucoma.
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The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) reminds Americans that there are over 9,000 fireworks related injuries each year.  Of these injuries, almost half affect the head and nearly 30% of those are injuries to the eyes.  One quarter of these fireworks related injuries leave victims with permanent vision loss or blindness.

It is especially important to note that children age fifteen and younger suffer half of all fireworks eye injuries.  Sparklers, which can cause third degree burns, can be especially dangerous for young children.  Bottle rockets are considered the most dangerous fireworks.

The month of July has been established as “Eye Safety Awareness Month.”  The AOA offers the following safety tips:
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