Floaters

Floaters are the little shadowy specks, strings, and squiggly things that appear from time to time in your vision. Just about everyone has them at one time or another and they tend to increase with age. While they can be distracting and annoying, they are usually harmless. You will get used to them and stop noticing or they will eventually settle out of your line of vision.

Vitreous is the gel like substance inside your eye. Floaters are thick stringy stands of vitreous. Sometimes vitreous detachment will cause the sudden appearance of many floaters. Vitreous detachment does not cause vision loss.

If the sudden appearance of many floaters is accompanied by flashes of light or loss of peripheral vision, it can mean retinal detachment. Retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss or blindness and should be treated immediately.

For most people floaters do not cause serious vision problems and do not require treatment. In the rare case that floaters are so thick that they impair vision there is a surgical procedure to remove the vitreous and replace it with a salt solution.

To learn more about vision disorders, click here.