What Are ‘Eye Floaters’

Eye floaters are deposits or condensation in the vitreous, the material that fills the posterior part
of the eye. People use the term eye floaters to describe seeing spots within their vision that move
or "float" when they look around. They may be present in only one eye or both eyes.

What Can Be The Cause?

Most eye floaters are caused by age-related changes that occur as the jelly-like substance
(Vitreous) inside your eyes becomes more liquid. Microscopic fibers within the vitreous tend to
clump and can cast tiny shadows on your retina. The shadows you see are called floaters.

Sometimes a section of the vitreous pulls the fine fibers away from the retina all at once, causing
many new floaters to appear suddenly. This is called a vitreous detachment, which in most cases is
not sight-threatening and requires no treatment.

However, a sudden increase in floaters, possibly accompanied by light flashes or peripheral (side)
vision loss, could indicate a retinal detachment. A retinal detachment occurs when any part of the
retina, the eye’s light-sensitive tissue, is lifted or pulled from its normal position at the back wall of
the eye.

A retinal detachment is a serious condition and should always be considered an emergency. If left
untreated, it can lead to permanent visual impairment within two or three days or even blindness
in the eye.

Symptoms

Symptoms of eye floaters may include:

 Small shapes in your vision that appear as dark specks or knobby, transparent strings of
floating material.
 Spots that move when you move your eyes, so when you try to look at them, they move
quickly out of your visual field.
 Spots that are most noticeable when you look at a plain bright background, such as a blue
sky or a white wall.
 Small shapes or strings that eventually settle down and drift out of the line of vision.

When To See A Doctor?

Contact an eye specialist immediately if you notice:

 Many more eye floaters than usual.

 A sudden onset of new floaters.
 Flashes of light in the same eye as the floaters.
 Darkness on any side or sides of your vision (peripheral vision loss).