Floaters are tiny threads of collagen fibers that appear as floating dots or specks in your field of vision. While floaters tend to be harmless, they can be annoying and distracting.
Discover how to reduce floaters in eyes naturally with intermittent fasting.
What are eye floaters?
Eye floaters, or vitreous floaters, are tiny pieces of collagen fiber in the vitreous, the jelly-like substance within the eye.
These collagen clumps cast a shadow on the retina and appear as small loops, cobwebs, or worms in your field of vision. They tend to drift with eye movement and are more noticeable in bright light.
Floaters are incredibly common. A study published in The Journal of Ophthalmology found that over 70 percent of adults report having specks in their vision.1
While most eye floaters are harmless, severe cases can cause visual impairment and may require eye medications or laser treatment.
Laser therapy aims to break up clumps of collagen and can treat eye floaters. However, this procedure can have considerable side effects and increases the risk of glaucoma, retinal tears, and cataracts.
Watch the video below to learn how to help reduce eye floaters naturally.
What causes eye floaters?
Floaters are caused by damaged collagen fibers within the vitreous fluid, which is generally linked to the natural aging process but can also be triggered by injury, eye diseases, and inflammation.
Common factors linked to floaters include:
- Age
- Eye surgery
- Posterior eye inflammation
- Eye bleeding
- Eye disease
- Retinal tear
- High blood pressure
- Cataract surgery
Poor metabolic health has also been linked to floaters, and individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome appear at increased risk of collagen clumps in the vitreous fluid.
Chronically elevated blood sugar levels, typically due to a high-carb diet, can damage the retina’s blood vessels, resulting in microbleeding within the eye, which increases the risk of floaters and other, more severe eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy.
How to get rid of eye floaters naturally
Many people believe there are no natural remedies for the weird shapes in their vision and try ignoring floaters.
However, fasting can be an effective natural strategy that may support your body’s ability to minimize the appearance of floaters over time.
Fasting refers to extended periods of caloric restriction, which triggers profound metabolic and cellular processes that may help the body naturally break down floaters.
Prolonged fasting has amazing health benefits and stimulates autophagy, a biochemical process that involves breaking down and recycling cellular debris and dysfunctional cell components.
“Autophagy stimulates the breakdown of damaged protein structures,” explains Dr. Berg. “This can help clear collagen debris and dissolve eye floaters naturally.”
One of the most popular fasting patterns is the 16:8 intermittent fast, which involves 16 hours of fasting followed by an eight-hour eating period.
However, intermittent fasting may not allow sufficient time to initiate and maintain autophagy, and more extended fasting periods, such as a 24-hour or 48-hour fast, can be an even better choice.
Combining intermittent fasting with regular prolonged fasts is ideal for triggering autophagy and enhancing cellular rejuvenation mechanisms that may help reduce the appearance of floaters and promote healthy vision.
A study published in Aging Research Reviews also found that fasting supports metabolic health and lowers the risk of high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and diabetes—all risk factors for developing floaters.2
How long does it take to see results?
How long it takes to see results depends on age, metabolic health, and the amount of floaters present within the vitreous fluid.
Some people notice significant improvements within one to two months of intermittent fasting combined with periodical prolonged fasts.
However, individuals with metabolic disorders, poor eye health, or an underlying health issue may need up to six months to notice a reduction in floaters.
It’s important to note that, depending on your age and eye health, it may not be possible to dissolve all the floaters in your field of vision within a few months.
Adhering to a consistent fasting regime is a safe and effective long-term strategy to support long-term eye health and help minimize the accumulation of floaters.
Can eye floaters be prevented?
To help prevent the development of floaters, it’s crucial to address their main risk factors, such as eye inflammation, diabetic retinopathy, and high blood pressure.
Here are three steps that can help reduce the likelihood of developing floaters.
1. Follow Healthy Keto®
A nutritious low-carb diet like Healthy Keto® is perfect for your eye health.
Healthy keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet incorporating nutrient-rich, high-quality foods, including non-GMO organic vegetables, grass-fed beef, full-fat organic dairy and eggs, and wild-caught fish.
Limiting carbs promotes metabolic health and supports balanced blood sugar and insulin levels, which significantly lowers the risk of diabetic retinopathy and macular microbleeds linked to the development of eye floaters.
While there is limited research regarding the ketogenic diet and floaters, a study published in Ophthalmology found that a high-fat diet promotes normal optic nerve function and may lower the risk of glaucoma and other degenerative eye diseases.3
2. Combine keto with intermittent fasting
Doing keto and intermittent fasting is an excellent combination to support healthy eyes.
Not only can fasting trigger autophagy, which may help dissolve existing floaters, but it may also help maintain healthy vitreous fluid and minimize additional buildup.
Intermittent fasting and keto push your metabolism to utilize body fat instead of sugars as the primary energy source. This speeds up fat burning and helps you achieve weight loss fast.
Maintaining a healthy body weight has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce markers of inflammation, both of which increase the risk of collagen clumps in the vitreous fluid.
3. Stay hydrated
Drinking water keeps eyes lubricated and can help flush out harmful toxins and debris from your body.
Eye floaters can develop due to toxin buildup, and increasing your water intake supports the eye’s natural detoxification processes.
When to see a doctor
While floaters are generally not a cause for concern, they can sometimes indicate more serious eye conditions, like retinal detachment or tears.
If you suddenly notice eye floaters begin to impair your vision or experience light flashes or changes in your peripheral vision, it’s crucial to see an eye doctor immediately.
A thorough eye exam and evaluation of symptoms are crucial to identify potential underlying health issues and help formulate an appropriate strategy for treating eye floaters.
Key takeaways
Eye floaters are tiny specks of collagen clumps that can appear to float across your field of vision when you move your eyes. While they are typically harmless, they can be annoying and distracting.
If you’re wondering how to reduce floaters in eyes naturally, consider incorporating intermittent fasting into your routine. This method, along with periodic prolonged fasts, can promote healthy vision and help effectively minimize the appearance of eye floaters.
FAQ
1. What are eye floaters?
Eye floaters are clumps of collagen in the vitreous fluid, the jelly-like substance in your eyes. They cast a small shadow on your retina and appear as cobwebs, loops, or cloud-like floaters that drift through your field of vision.
2. What causes eye floaters?
Eye floaters are caused by damaged collagen fibers within the vitreous fluid.
While floaters are often age-related, factors such as inflammation, eye injuries, macular bleeding, high blood pressure, and diabetic retinopathy are also believed to increase the risk of floaters.
3. Can eye floaters be cured naturally?
Enhancing autophagy, your body’s natural repair and regeneration process, through fasting may help support the body’s ability to manage eye floaters naturally.
4. What is the fastest way to get rid of eye floaters?
Combining intermittent fasting with occasional 24-hour or 48-hour fasts triggers autophagy, a natural cellular repair and recycling process that may help minimize existing floaters and prevent the formation of new ones.
5. How do I prevent eye floaters?
Following a low-carb, Healthy Keto® diet supports balanced blood sugar and insulin levels, which may help reduce risk factors linked to eye floaters, including insulin resistance, inflammation, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
6. What foods dissolve eye floaters?
There is some evidence that green tea and vitamin C-rich foods protect eye cells from harmful oxidation, which has been linked to the formation of collagen clumps and floaters.
7. How can I reduce eye floaters at home?
You can help reduce eye floaters by following a consistent intermittent fasting routine and occasional prolonged fasts. These fasts boost your body’s ability to recycle cellular debris and promote overall eye health.
8. Do eye floaters ever go away?
While some eye floaters become less noticeable or dissolve over time, others can persist for prolonged periods.
9. How long do eye floaters last?
How long floaters last can vary greatly and depends on the underlying cause. Some floaters improve after a few weeks, while others persist for months or even years.
10. What will dissolve eye floaters?
Triggering autophagy with fasting can help initiate cellular recycling mechanisms that help clear up debris, such as collagen clumps in the vitreous fluid.
11. What are two ways to get rid of eye floaters?
Combining intermittent fasting with occasional 24-hour fasts promotes healthy vision and can help eliminate eye floaters.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693028/ ↩︎
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163718301478 ↩︎
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939735/ ↩︎
