甚麼是「飛蚊症」？What is “Eye Floaters”?
「飛蚊症」正式名稱是「玻璃體混沌」或「玻璃體浮物」。「飛蚊症」是一種自然老化現象，隨著年紀老化，玻璃體會液化，產生混濁物。
“Eye floaters” is a natural aging process. As we age, our “vitreous”, a gel-like substance filling in our eyes, becomes more liquified and forms clumps, which cast shadow on the retina. These shadows we see are called “floaters”.
「飛蚊症」多見於 40 歲以上人士、高度近視眼患者、動過白內障手術者，以及患有眼部病變如眼內發炎或視網膜血管病變者。很多「飛蚊症」長時間存在，終年不變，且不影響視力。如果經過檢查也沒有眼部器病變，臨床上其實沒有多大重要性，不必顧慮。
“Floaters” are common in people over 40, those very near-sighted, patients who have had a cataract operation and people who suffer from certain eye inflammation or vascular diseases. Many “floaters” exist for a long time, remaining the same without impairing the vision. It indeed does not raise clinical concern if you got normal results in eye examination.
症狀
Symptoms
患者眼前會出現黑點，並且會隨著眼球的轉動而飛來飛去，好像「飛蚊」一般，其形狀有圓形、橢圓形、點狀、線狀等。常見的情況是，當病人在看藍色天空、白色牆壁等較為亮麗的背景時，更容易發現它的存在。大多數的「飛蚊症」是良性的。
The symptoms of floaters are often called “flying bugs”, which are described as black spots moving as your eyes move. The shape of spots can be round, oval, dots or strands. It is more noticeable when watching bright backgrounds such as a blue sky and white walls. “Floaters” are harmless in most cases.
相反，「飛蚊」現象若突然發生，而且限於一眼，蚊子飛舞的方向又不定、黑影遮住視野、視力變差、視野缺損，這都是必須注意的惡兆。由於少數「飛蚊症」是嚴重疾病的徵兆，因此專家認為，若發現眼前有飛蚊群舞，有可能是視網膜血管破裂出血或視網膜裂孔形成，為視網膜剝離的先兆，應該先作專科檢查，針對該眼疾進行治療。
However, it is important to be aware of the warning signs, especially they start suddenly, with only one eye being involved, spots moving in different directions, black shades blocking your vision, flash of light in the eye or worsening eyesight. These may indicate severe eye complications like detached retina. If you notice the above symptoms, seek help from ophthalmologist immediately.
治療方法 Treatments
如「飛蚊症」屬良性，一般無須接受治療。但當視覺受到嚴重干擾，就可以考慮以下治療方法。常用治療方式為玻璃體切除術，將玻璃體內的原玻璃體液吸除，再灌入等張溶液。另外的治療方法為雷射手術，利用雷射聚焦於玻璃體混濁物，將其鏈解及汽化。由於兩種方法都具有一定風險及副作用，請諮詢眼科醫生以選擇最合適的治療方案。
If the floaters are simply annoying, no treatment is recommended. However, on rare occasions, floaters can be so numerous that greatly interfere with the vision. A surgical operation called vitrectomy, might be needed. It replaces vitreous with a salt solution to help remove the floaters. Another treatment is called vitreolysis, which utilizes special lasers to breakdown the floaters inside the vitreous. As both treatments have their own risks, please consult your ophthalmologist for the best treatment of your condition.
屈臣氏藥劑師團隊
Watsons Pharmacy Team
