Eye Health More Eye Issues & Safety When Should I Worry About 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 17, 2020 Print Table of Contents View All What Are Eye Floaters? Harmless Symptoms When to Contact a Doctor Treatment Eye floaters are small shapes that appear in your field of vision. They can look like cobwebs, spots, dots, squiggly lines, or threads. Floaters are usually harmless, but if you experience floaters that don’t go away and you are losing vision, you should contact an ophthalmologist or go to the emergency room. Meyer & Meyer / Getty Images What Are Eye Floaters? Eye floaters are a normal part of aging in the eyes. There’s a jelly-like fluid in your eye called the vitreous. As you reach your 50s and beyond, small fibers from the vitreous stick together and cast shadows on the retina, which is in the back of the eye. The shadows that you see are floaters. An Overview of Eye Floaters Harmless Symptoms of Floaters Symptoms of floaters include: Black or gray specks or dotsCobwebsSquiggly linesThreadsSeeing the shapes move aroundSeeing the shapes more frequently when you look at a plain backgroundHaving the shapes go away when you try to look at them directly What Are Flashes of Light? Eye floaters are sometimes accompanied by flashes of light. These may look like lightning or stars. They also could look like camera flashes.Flashes occur when the vitreous gel that is in your eye rubs or pulls on your retina. This is more common with aging. The flashes of light may occur for a few weeks or months. They tend to happen in the morning or in a dark room.Contact an ophthalmologist right away if you experience sudden flashes of light and you have not had them before. When to Contact a Doctor Although eye floaters are a part of aging, it’s normal to wonder, “When should I worry about eye floaters?” Most eye floaters are harmless, but they also can indicate a sign of something more serious, including: Bleeding in the eyeEye infectionsEye injuriesRetinal detachment: This is when the retina is pulled away from the back of the eye.Uveitis: This is an inflammation in the eye.Vitreous detachment or retinal tear: A vitreous detachment happens when the vitreous pulls away from the retina. Most of the time, vitreous detachment is not vision-threatening. However, in 15% of cases, a vitreous detachment can lead to a hole in the retina, causing a retina tear. Sometimes, floaters are confused with vision changes associated with other systemic health problems, including: DiabetesHigh blood pressureMultiple sclerosisStroke You should contact an eye doctor or an emergency room if you notice: A loss of peripheral visionA sudden increase in the number of floaters you haveFlashes of light in your visionWhat appears to be a gray curtain affecting part of your vision These symptoms could indicate a vision-threatening retinal detachment. Vision Is Impeded Any time your vision is affected, it’s important to let your eye doctor know. A change in your vision associated with floaters could indicate a retina tear or detachment. Signs of Retina Tear or Detachment A retina tear or retina detachment is a more serious problem that can cause eye floaters. A retina tear can rapidly turn into a retina detachment, causing loss of some of your vision. That’s why it’s important to know the signs of a retina tear or detachment and to act quickly if you have those signs. Some signs of a retina tear or retina detachment include: Many new floaters in the eyeLight 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 A retina detachment can be a medical emergency. If you experience the symptoms above, go to an eye doctor or an emergency room for care right away. Permanent vision loss or blindness is possible if the retina continues to detach and is not treated. Treatment for Severe Floaters Most of the time, doctors will treat the underlying cause of your eye floaters. For instance, an ophthalmologist may treat a retinal detachment that is associated with eye floaters. If your eye floaters are severe enough to affect your ability to see in everyday life, your eye doctor may recommend treatment for them. Those treatments can include: Vitrectomy: Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove the vitreous. This is done by the surgeon removing the vitreous through a small incision and then replacing it with a fluid that mimics the vitreous and helps your eye keep its shape. However, a vitrectomy doesn’t always remove all of your floaters.Laser vitreolysis for floaters: With this procedure, the eye surgeon uses a special laser to break up floaters so you don’t notice them as much. This surgery has helped some patients but for others, it has not been as effective. Laser vitreolysis remains controversial because there isn’t a lot of guidance for the procedure. How To Get Rid of Eye Floaters A Word From Verywell Usually, you have no reason to worry about eye floaters. However, if your vision changes or floaters become a more sudden problem, contact an ophthalmologist or go to an emergency room. 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. Cleveland Clinic. Eye floaters & flashes. Harvard Health Publishing. Do I need to worry about floaters? National Eye Institute. Retinal detachment. Updated Sept. 22, 2020. Katsanos A, et al. Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: An overview. Adv Ther. 2020 Apr;37(4):1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w