Eye Floaters: What They Are and When to Worry
You look at a bright sky or a blank wall and notice them: little specks, cobwebs, or squiggly lines drifting across your vision. You blink, but they don’t go away. These are eye floaters, and while they are usually harmless, understanding them is key to knowing when to seek help.
What Are Floaters, Exactly?
Floaters are tiny shadows that you see in your field of vision. They are not on the surface of your eye but inside it. Your eye is filled with a gel-like substance called the vitreous humor.
As we age, this gel becomes more liquid, and microscopic collagen fibers within it can clump together. These clumps cast shadows on your retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye), and your brain interprets these shadows as the drifting shapes we call floaters.
Who Is Most Likely to Get Them?
While anyone can experience floaters, they are more common in:
- People over 50 (due to natural changes in the vitreous)
- Those who are nearsighted (myopic)
- Individuals who have had cataract surgery
- People with diabetes (which can affect eye health)
- Those who have experienced eye inflammation or injury
