What Are Floaters?

Have you ever noticed small specks or cloud-like shapes drifting in your field of vision? These visual disturbances are known as eye floaters. You can often see them when looking at a plain background, like a blank wall or the blue sky.

Floaters that look like worms or other shapes are actually tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous, the clear jelly-like fluid that fills your eye. Although they might seem to be external, floaters are actually located inside your eye.

What you see are the shadows these clumps cast on the retina, the nerve layer at the back of your eye that senses light and sends images to your brain. Images of eye floaters and flashes can often be misleading, but understanding their true nature is key. What you see are the shadows they cast on the retina, the nerve layer at the back of your eye that senses light and sends images to your brain.

Causes of Eye Floaters and Flashes

When people reach middle age, the vitreous gel may start to thicken or shrink, forming clumps or strands inside the eye. The vitreous gel pulls away from the back wall of the eye, causing a posterior vitreous detachment. This is a common cause of eye floaters.

You should see an ophthalmologist right away if you suddenly develop new floaters. An eye flash or floater that suddenly appears may indicate a torn retina.