Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"

Have you ever seen something swimming in your vision? It looks like a worm or a transparent drop of water, and when you try to get a closer look it disappears, and reappears only when you take your eyes off it.

Many of us encounter a strange phenomenon in the eyes, which is the appearance of blurry shadows, or zigzag threads, thin strings like cobwebs hanging in the eyes and moving in front of the eyes while the eyes look. sit still. Many people often refer to this phenomenon as “flies in front of eyes”.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"
The image depicts shadows, zigzag threads moving in front of your eyes while your eyes stay still.

Some studies have shown that up to 70% of people experience this condition. So, what is the phenomenon of “flying in front of your eyes”?

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"

“Flies in front of the eyes” are actually deposits or condensations in the vitreous colloidal fluid of the eye. They can be a piece of tissue, a red blood cell or a clump of protein that exists in your eyeball, they are tiny objects that cast shadows on the retina, which senses light in our eyes. These “flies” can be spots, straight or curved lines, thin wire shapes, or curved rings like an O or C shape.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"

There are cases where the patient can see a blurry spot, but there are also people who see dozens of blurred spots in the eye . These flying spots may be present in one or both eyes.

When the patient has this phenomenon, the first reflex is that they will try to see clearly by focusing on that point, but this is very difficult to do because the image does not stand still but moves when we roll our eyes.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"
People with the disease will see the small, cloudy spots more clearly when looking up at a clear day sky.

People with the disease will see more clearly blurred spots when looking up at a clear day sky or looking at a bright background, white paper. Sometimes, these “flies” hide in a corner, out of our sight.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"
A few pictures record a small, cloudy spot of a person experiencing the pathological phenomenon of “flying in front of eyes”.

According to experts, this phenomenon occurs due to aging, cloudy vitreous in the eye . The iris is a sphere, the front is covered by an inner layer called the conjunctiva. The cornea is protruding anteriorly, transparently exposing the inside of the eyeball, forming the iris.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"
Structure of the eyeball.

Behind the cornea, in order to go inward, are the vitreous, vitreous (also known as vitreous) and vitreous masses . Finally, lining the inside of the eyeball is the retina, where light acts on many cone and rod nerve endings.

The vitreous is a thick, transparent gelatinous mass (egg white) located between the vitreous and the retina, making up about two-thirds of the eyeball’s volume.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"
The vitreous is transparent and occupies most of the volume of the eyeball.

The vitreous is a genetic organization in which there are many very fine fibers arranged in different directions but not spliced. Over time, the vitreous is gradually degraded, the fluid becomes large, some of the tiny fibers of the vitreous clump together, forming small cloudy spots inside the vitreous.

These spots vary in size, shape, refractive index, and degree of mobility.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"

Blurry, cloudy, constantly moving spots in the eye like “flying flies” are caused by the aforementioned spots creating shadows on the background of the retina or due to the refraction of light as it passes through them. Vitreous degeneration is explained as natural aging.

Scientific explanation for the phenomenon of "flies fly in front of your eyes"

However, there are also cases where the vitreous is infected, has parasites or has a corneal detachment. Therefore, if you notice the presence of “flying flies in front of your eyes” disease, you need to go to the center or hospital for a closer eye examination.

Depending on the condition of the disease, the doctors will conduct additional saline injections to maintain eyeball pressure or treat blurred spots to help you have the least trouble in daily life.