What exactly are eye floaters?
Little gray or black spots that drift through your field of vision are very common and usually not a reason for concern. Learn what causes them.
While floaters don’t prevent you from seeing clearly, they can sometimes be distracting. They look different for everyone, but they usually appear as squiggly gray lines or threads, dark spots or even cobwebs, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). What exactly are those little things floating around your field of vision?
Floaters may be a bit worrisome if you don’t know what they are. Floaters — or spots — are small, semi-transparent or cloudy particles within the vitreous. That’s the clear, jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of the eye. They move as the eyes move (because they are actually in the eye), and they appear to dart away if you try to look directly at them.1
For the most part, a person’s vision is rarely affected by floaters, but they can sometimes suggest a more serious vision problem that requires treatment, especially if they appear suddenly, explains the AOA.1
Who gets floaters?
You may be more likely to have floaters if you’re very nearsighted, have diabetes or have had cataract surgery, but almost everyone develops floaters as they get older.2 “They tend to appear as the vitreous fluid in your eyes declines with age,” says Ronald L. Benner, O.D, president of the American Optometric Association.
What causes floaters?
According to the National Eye Institute, floaters happen when tiny strands of vitreous stick together. The gel-like vitreous has millions of fibers. When they come together, they can create shadows on your retina. Because the retina sits in the back of the eye and is sensitive to light, the shadows appear as floaters.2
Dr. Benner notes that certain eye diseases, injuries or infections can also cause the appearance of floaters.
Floaters may be a symptom of uveitis
Uveitis is inflammation in the middle layer (the uvea) of your eye. This inflammation typically occurs when your immune system is fighting off an infection. Uveitis can mean that your immune system is battling an eye infection.3
Uveitis also can happen when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your eye. Besides pain and redness, uveitis can even cause vision loss. Uveitis sometimes goes away quickly, though it can come back. It can also be a long-term condition.3
Sudden onset of floaters may be a symptom of more serious eye problems
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) happens when the vitreous gel in the eye separates, or detaches, from a part of the eye called optic nerve head.4
The most common symptom of PVD is a sudden increase in floaters. A person with PVD may also notice flashes of light in their peripheral vision, according to Dr. Benner.
PVD may lead to more serious eye problems that need immediate treatment, including retinal tears, retinal detachment or macular holes. If you suddenly see a lot of new floaters, flashes of light in one eye or both eyes, and a dark shadow or “curtain” on the sides or in the middle of your field of vision, you should call your eye doctor right away.5
How floaters are treated
Treatment for floaters depends on the cause. If they’re caused by aging and don’t really bother you, chances are you won’t need any treatment. If you find that floaters are making it hard to see clearly, your doctor may suggest a surgery called a vitrectomy.6
This is a safe procedure that is done in the office. Your eye is numbed, then “a laser beam is projected into the eye through the pupil,” Dr. Benner says. “The beam breaks the floaters apart and/or vaporizes them so they disappear or become much less bothersome.”
It’s reassuring to know that there are safe, painless procedures available to help you deal with floaters if they become a problem. The odds are in your favor that the floaters you see won’t require any medical attention at all. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your eye doctor if you are feeling concerned about floaters — or mention it during your next comprehensive eye exam.
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