Eye Health More Eye Issues & Safety What Are Eye Floaters? By Vanessa Caceres twitter Vanessa Caceres is a nationally published health journalist with over 15 years of experience covering medical topics including eye health, cardiology, and more. Learn about our editorial process Vanessa Caceres Published on December 16, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Eye floaters are shapes that appear in your line of vision. They can look like dots, squiggly lines, threads, or other shapes. You notice them more when looking at a blank surface, such as a blank wall. Eye floaters are actually small strands from a gel-like fluid in the eye called the vitreous that clump together and cause a shadow in the back of your eye. Eye floaters are a normal part of aging. They are also called vitreous floaters. Meyer & Meyer / iStock / Getty Images Eye Floater Symptoms Eye floaters have a few common symptoms: You see shapes that can look like black or gray dots, cobwebs, squiggly lines, or threads.The shapes go away when you try to look at them directly.The shapes appear to move around.You see the floaters more when looking at a blank wall or a bright surface, such as a blue sky. Flashes of Light and Eye Floaters Some people with eye floaters also may have flashes of light, also called photopsia. The light flashes may look like:A camera flashLightningStarsFlashes of light take place when the vitreous gel in your eye rubs or pulls on the retina. Like floaters, flashes of light are more common with aging. However, you should let an eye doctor know as soon as possible if you have a significant number of flashes and you have never had them before. Signs of Complications Although eye floaters are usually normal, they sometimes indicate a more serious vision-threatening problem, such as a retina tear or or a retina detachment. The retina is a light-sensitive tissue that generates vision. It is possible for the retina to tear. A retina tear can turn into a retina detachment. A retina detachment is when the retina pulls away from its normal position in the back of the eye. A retina detachment can cause you to lose some of your vision. Floaters can be a sign of a retina tear or retina detachment. However, with a retina tear or detachment, there are many more floaters than usual. Other signs of a retina tear or retina detachmentinclude: Light flashes in one or both eyesA dark shadow (also described as a gray curtain) in your peripheral vision or in the middle of your vision You should call an eye doctor right away if you have these signs of a retina tear or retina detachment. If you can't reach an eye doctor, go to the emergency room. Causes The most common cause of eye floaters is aging, particularly after age 50. As the vitreous in your eye becomes smaller, strands of fluids group together and form what may look like different shapes. These are the eye floaters that you see. Other causes of eye floaters include: A retina tearBlood in the eyeDiabetes or diabetic retinopathyInflammation in the eyeRecent intraocular surgery, such as cataract surgeryRetina detachmentTrauma to the eye, such as an injury Nearsighted? You're at Greater Risk for Floaters If you are nearsighted (meaning, you can see things close to you but objects farther away appear blurry) you are at a greater risk for eye floaters. This is because people who are nearsighted have longer eyeballs. Nearsightedness is also called myopia. You also are at a higher risk for a retina tear or detachment if you are nearsighted. It's also possible to confuse floaters and vision changes associated with certain diseases, such as: DiabetesHigh blood pressureMultiple sclerosisStroke It's not always possible to know the cause of eye floaters. This is why you should discuss your symptoms with an eye doctor. Diagnosis An eye doctor will diagnose your eye floaters with the help of a dilated eye exam. During a dilated eye exam, the eye doctor will put drops in your eyes to make the pupil open wider. Dilation helps the doctor to see the inside of your eyes and look for damage to the retina, such as a retina detachment. By seeing the back of your eyes and the vitreous, the eye doctor can better pinpoint the cause of any eye floaters. For some patients, doctors also will perform an eye ultrasound exam. Before the ultrasound, you will receive numbing drops. Next, the eye doctor will place a wand (called a tranducer) over the front of your eyes. The sound waves from the ultrasound help to form a picture of the eye. This assists looking for damage to the retina. An eye doctor also may take photographs of the retina as part of the diagnostic process. Treatment If eye floaters are not bothering you and there has been no change in how often you have them, then they don't need to be treated. However, you should let your eye doctor know if you are having eye floaters. Most people find that their floaters decrease over a couple of months and learn to tolerate them. If eye floaters are bothering you, there are some treatment options. Surgery Some patients who experience eye floaters have what is called a vitrectomy. This is a surgery to remove the gel-like fluid called the vitreous. The surgeon removes the vitreous through a small incision. Next, a fluid is used that works similarly to the vitreous that helps your eye keep its shape. Ophthalmologists try to reserve a vitrectomy only for the most bothersome cases of eye floaters. A vitrectomy won't remove all of your eye floaters. The surgery is also associated with some risks, including: Cataract formationMacular pucker (the formation of scar tissue over the retina)Retinal tear or detachmentSwelling in the eye Laser Vitreolysis for Floaters Another treatment option less commonly used for floaters is laser vitreolysis. With laser vitreolysis, the ophthalmologist will use a laser to break apart floaters. The idea is that you will not notice the floaters as much.For some patients, laser vitreolysis works. For others, it doesn't. Laser vitreolysis is controversial because there is not a lot of guidance available for the procedure. How To Get Rid of Eye Floaters A Word From Verywell Eye floaters are a normal part of aging. They should not be a problem unless you see many of them all of a sudden. Get regular eye exams to catch problems early, and discuss any floaters you see with your eye doctor. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Society of Retina Specialists. Vitrectomy for floaters. Cleveland Clinic. Eye floaters & flashes. American Society of Retina Specialists. Retinal tears. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Floaters and flashes treatment. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Nearsightedness: What is myopia? Kellogg Eye Center. Floaters and flashes. National Eye Institute. Get a dilated eye exam. Updated Aug. 2, 2019. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Eye and orbit ultrasound. Katsanos A, et al. Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: An overview. Adv. Ther. 2020;37:1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w