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What Are Eye Floaters?

Eye floaters are tiny spots, specks, and web-like lines that drift through your field of vision. They are most easy to see when you look at a plain, bright surface, like a white wall or a clear sky. Floaters are inside your eye, so they move around as your eyes move.

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What Are Eye Floaters?

Eye floaters are tiny spots, specks, and web-like lines that drift through your field of vision. They are most easy to see when you look at a plain, bright surface, like a white wall or a clear sky. Floaters are inside your eye, so they move around as your eyes move.

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What Causes Eye Floaters?

Most floaters are caused by normal changes in your eye as you age. Your eye is filled with a clear gel called the vitreous. Over time, this gel becomes more watery, and small clumps or strands can form. These strands cast shadows on your retina, which you see as floaters.

These strands are bits of collagen fiber that clump together as the gel liquefies, which is why they drift and bob in your vision. While this is a normal part of aging, a sudden increase in floaters, especially with flashes of light or a shadow in your vision, should be checked by an eye doctor immediately.

What Do Eye Floaters Look Like?

Floaters can show up in many shapes and sizes. People often say they look like:

  • Black or gray dots
  • Squiggly or wavy lines
  • Cobwebs or thread-like strands
  • Rings

Are Eye Floaters Serious?

Most of the time, eye floaters are harmless and a normal part of getting older. However, they can sometimes be a sign of a more serious condition. A sudden increase in floaters, seeing flashes of light, or a dark shadow in your side vision could mean you have a retinal tear or detachment.

How Are Eye Floaters Treated?

For most people, floaters do not need treatment. Over time, your brain often learns to ignore them, and they become less noticeable. If floaters are very large and get in the way of your sight, a doctor may talk to you about treatment. Options can include laser treatment to break them up or surgery to remove the vitreous gel. These treatments have risks and are only used in serious cases.

FAQs on Eye Floaters

Do eye floaters ever go away?

They might not disappear completely, but they often become less noticeable. Many floaters will settle at the bottom of the eye, out of your direct line of sight. Your brain also gets used to them.

Can stress cause eye floaters?

Stress does not create new floaters. But when you are tired or stressed, you might become more aware of the floaters you already have.

At what age do eye floaters appear?

Floaters can happen at any age but are most common in people between 50 and 75 years old. They can appear earlier in people who are nearsighted or have had an eye injury.

When to See Your Eye Doctor

You should contact an eye doctor right away if you notice:

  • A lot of new floaters all at once
  • Flashes of light in the same eye as the floaters
  • A dark shadow or a curtain blocking part of your vision
  • Floaters after an eye injury or eye surgery

Even if your floaters are not new, it is a good idea to tell your eye doctor about them during your next regular exam.