Eye Floaters
Medical Author: Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
What are eye floaters?
"Eye floaters" are deposits or condensation in the vitreous jelly of the eye.
People use the term eye floaters to describe seeing floating spots within their
vision when they look around. Eye floaters may be present in only one eye or both
eyes.
Why do people notice eye floaters?
The structures in the front of the eye (the cornea and lens) focus rays of
light onto the retina. Light focused onto the retina allows one to see. The
light going to the retina passes through the vitreous humor, which is a
jellylike material which occupies the back 2/3 of the eye. At birth and during
childhood years, the vitreous gel is totally clear. Later in life, sometimes
strands, deposits, or liquid pockets develop within the vitreous jelly. Each of
these strands casts a small shadow onto the surface of the retina, and these
shadows are perceived by the patient as eye floaters. As the eye moves from side to
side or up and down, these strands, deposits, or pockets also shift in position
within the eye, making the shadows also move and appear to float or undulate.
What do eye floaters look like?
People describe eye floaters as spots, straight and curved lines, strings, or "O"
or "C" shaped blobs. Some people see a single floater while others may think
they see hundreds. The lines may be thick or thin, and they sometimes appear to
be branched. To most people, they appear grey or dark in color. The density of
different eye floaters will vary within an individual eye. Eye floaters may be more
noticeable under certain lighting conditions and be more apparent when looking
at a bright sky.
Like fingerprints, no two people have exactly identical patterns of eye floaters.
If a person has eye floaters in both eyes, the pattern of the eye floaters in each eye
will be different. In any eye that has eye floaters, that pattern of eye floaters may
also change over time.
Eye floaters always appear darker than the background and cannot be seen in
darkness or with the eyes closed. This is unlike flashes, which often are seen
in the dark and with your eyes closed.
Next: What are the causes of eye floaters? »
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