Small, moving specks called eye floaters can occur in your range of vision. They can be solid, semi-solid, transparent, or take on other shapes like dots, circles, lines, or cobwebs. They appear to be floating in your eye and move in response to eye movement.
Changes in the vitreous, a material that resembles gel and fills the inside of the eye, are typically what create floaters. The vitreous tends to become more liquid as we age, and the collagen fibres that are contained inside it might group together and form shadows on the retina that we perceive as floaters.
Floaters are frequent and mostly unharmful. Everyone has a few eye floaters, but since they are often little and barely perceptible, most people don’t notice them. But occasionally, especially when gazing at a bright, plain background like a white wall or the sky, people may see more eye floaters than usual. They occasionally have a tendency to annoy or distract. If you have a condition known as posterior vitreous detachment, in which the vitreous peels apart from the retina, this could occur.
Floaters occasionally signal a more serious issue, such as a retinal tear or detachment, which necessitates immediate medical care.
You should consult an eye doctor right away if you detect a sudden rise in floaters or flashes of light, or if you experience vision loss or changes in your vision.
Floaters typically don’t need to be treated. Your eye doctor may suggest a technique called a vitrectomy, which involves removing the vitreous and replacing it with a clear fluid, if floaters are especially irritating or interfere with your vision. The great majority of floaters are eliminated with this procedure. Only a very small percentage of patients who have very large floaters that seriously impair the patient’s vision get a vitrectomy for floaters.