If you’ve ever seen what looks like shadowy blobs or cobwebs drifting across your vision, you’ve experienced “floaters”. While most floaters are harmless and are a natural part of the aging process, some floaters can be a symptom of a potentially serious condition that needs immediate medical attention.
What are floaters?
Your eye is a hollow ball full of a fluid called the vitreous. When we’re born, the vitreous has the consistency of a gel. But as we get older, the vitreous starts to dissolve and liquefy, which creates a watery center in the middle of the eye. When this happens, some parts of the gel-like vitreous can break free and start to float in the watery center. These pieces, which are called "floaters", can take many sizes and shapes, including specks, strings, or “cobwebs”. They usually move around as your eye moves and may seem to dart away when you try to look directly at them. They may also continue to drift when your eye stops moving.
When you see these floaters in your vision, you are not seeing the specks of vitreous, but are actually seeing the shadow of the speck as it crosses the light receptors in the retina which is located on the back wall of the inside of the eye. In most cases, floaters are a part of the natural aging process. While they may be annoying, they are usually harmless and most people who have them learn to ignore them over time.
When should I worry about floaters?
If you see a few occasional floaters, there is little cause for worry. But if you see a sudden shower of floaters, which may also be accompanied by flashes of light in your eye, you should get medical attention right away. A large group of floaters that appears suddenly could be caused by the retina pulling away from the back of the eye. When this happens, the retina loses its connection to the blood, nutrients, and oxygen that are necessary to keep it healthy. A retinal tear or detachment should be considered an emergency and should be examined by an eye care professional as soon as possible. If not treated quickly, a retinal detachment can lead to permanent damage to the eye with impaired vision in just two or three days, and may even result in blindness in the affected eye.
How are floaters treated?
For most floaters, which are simply annoying but not dangerous to the eye, there is no treatment recommended. In rare cases, the number of floaters may be so great that vision is hampered. In this case, a surgeon may remove the floaters by removing the gel-like vitreous from the eye and replacing it with saline solution. This procedure is rarely recommended because of the significant risk of complications including retinal detachment, retinal tears, and cataracts.
Be sure to see your eye care professional if you see any significant change in the number of floaters in your vision.
Sources:
National Eye Institute
All About Vision