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6B Daily News – Thursday, July 12, 2012 Furniture Depot 235 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-1657 SAT. 9:00-5:00 • SUN. 11:00-5:00 MON.-FRI. 9:00-6:00 DEAR DOCTOR K: I'm 55 years old, and I've started seeing tiny black specks that move around in random directions. I'm worried that I may have an eye dis- ease. ER: Your symp- toms most likely are caused by a common and harmless problem called floaters. The large chamber at the back of your eye is filled with a jelly-like material called the vitre- ous. In youth, the vitreous is clear and transparent, DEAR READ- and allows light to pass freely to the back of the eyeball. There, the retina turns the light into nerve impulses that the brain reconstructs into images. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. the house. The same thing happens with the vitreous in your eyes: It also accu- mulates debris. The debris floats through the other- wise clear vitreous. In effect, the debris casts small shadows on the reti- get older, debris tends to accumu- late around us — just look around As we na. You see them as small dots or threads moving through your field of vision. your eye moves. If you think you may have floaters, try this to make the diagnosis yourself. First, look at a homoge- neous surface like a white wall or the blue sky; that makes it easier to see floaters. Look slowly toward your left. Are the floaters still visible? If so, move your eyes rapidly to the right: Do the little spots move to the right as well? If so, you have floaters. They may disappear on their own. When they The floaters move as See our full page ad in Friday 13th for coupon specials Black specks in vision are usually harmless floaters don't, there are some experimental procedures that can help. There are two condi- tions that are sometimes confused with floaters. People with migraine headaches also sometimes see dark spots or flashing lights, or jagged lines that are dark or flashing. This usually occurs just before the headache begins. Sometimes it happens without a headache even starting. Migraine treat- ments will reduce these symptoms. Another, more serious condition that can cause dark spots or flashing lights in the eye is a tear or detachment of the retina. As the vitreous ages, it shrinks. The shrinking vit- reous can cause suction on the retina that tears a hole in it and causes it to detach from the back of the eye. This happens suddenly, and it often causes a loss of vision. I recently got an anguished phone call from a friend. He said that his wife had just suddenly seen flashing lights and then lost the vision in one eye. I told him it was a medical emergency, but that treatment would prob- ably fix the problem — if she got help in the next 24 hours. An ophthalmologist (eye doctor) used a laser beam to tack the torn and detached retina back where it belonged, on the back of the eye. Her vision now is nearly back to normal. There's no reason to become preoccupied with your typical, innocent floaters. But you should be alert for more worrisome visual symptoms, such as my friend's wife had. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. $99 Blinds Need Blinds? C A L L P A U L Blinds & Draperies www.nsbd.biz Lic.#906022 527-0842 North State Paul Stubbs Landscape/Fence & Landscape Service Steve's Tractor • Fence Building • Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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