What’s wrong with my distorted vision and dark shadows in my eyes?
Dark shadows that interfere with people’s vision are roughly divided into several categories. Some dark shadows are fixed and very dark, such as visual field defects. This requires attention. There may be a problem with the retina under the eye, such as partial retinal detachment.
Sometimes, a dark shadow appears in the central field of vision, and it is completely black everywhere you look, making it difficult to see clearly. In this case, you should also pay attention, as it may be due to macular degeneration.
There is also a type of black shadow, which is not particularly large and generally looks like a small mosquito or fly. Some people will also have a ring-like black shadow that moves and floats, and the eyes move and turn left and right. At this time, there is often a problem with the vitreous body. The vitreous humor is the jelly-like substance in the center of the eye. When we are young, it is a semi-solid part. As we age, it gradually liquefies and becomes fluid like water. Some turbidity will appear during this process, like a basin of water with some turbid dots in it. So when your eyes move, they also move. But in fact, there is nothing wrong with your fundus, so generally you don’t need to worry too much.
It should be reminded that when some people experience moving shadows, there is a small chance that some holes or degeneration areas will appear on the retina. When these symptoms occur, it is still recommended that you go to the hospital for a dilated eye examination to avoid more serious situations.
Seeing things deformed is often caused by macula
Why do you see something a little distorted? Generally, when patients experience visual distortion, there is a high probability that there is a problem with the macula. Such as epiretinal membrane, macular hole, macular degeneration, especially age-related macular degeneration in the elderly.
The macula can be understood as the most central position of the fundus. If there is a problem with this part, the focus will be blurred when focusing, and the patient will not be able to see clearly. The macula is also “responsible” for people to see whether things are deformed. In addition, macular function is also closely related to color.
Macular degeneration is the largest type of disease among macular degeneration. It refers to the aging of the macula as age increases or the blurred vision caused by aging. It is also called age-related macular degeneration. The age of onset is defined as 50 years old, and the probability of developing this disease in patients under 50 years old is very low.
Age-related macular degeneration is divided into two types: dry and wet. In the dry stage, patients’ vision will not decline significantly, and there will be some blurred vision or even visual distortion, but the overall daily life will not be particularly disturbed. However, if the progression continues, about 20% to 30% of patients will enter the next stage – wet age-related macular degeneration, which is prone to edema, bleeding, and exudates, leading to visual distortion in patients. , can’t see clearly anywhere, etc., and the vision loss is more serious.
Your eyes are “old” and you should rest more
Macular degeneration is difficult to completely reverse. In addition to age being the most important factor in age-related macular degeneration, smoking, drinking, high blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia are also related to macular degeneration.
For the elderly, it is recommended to use their eyes as little as possible. It is recommended that everyone use their mobile phones appropriately, spend more time outdoors, walk far away, relax, look far away, and exercise more.
In addition, middle-aged and elderly people should also pay attention to a light diet. Eat some colored foods, such as red tomatoes, orange carrots, green spinach, etc. Text/Yu Weihong (Peking Union Medical College Hospital)
