What Are Eye Floaters? Plus Symptoms, Causes And Treatment

The term eye floater refers to deposits found in the vitreous body of the eye, which is the gel-like material covering the back of the eyeball. The vitreous may liquefy and bunch together to form tiny strings or balls. Individuals say eye floaters when they experience specks, lines, and spots, floating into their vision when looking at a blank surface. For most individuals, eye floaters are a minor inconvenience and aren't much of a cause for concern, but in rare cases patients find they cause a significant disruption to their vision.

Let's review the common symptoms, causes, and treatments for eye floaters now.

Symptoms

The vitreous of the eye is clear, which allows light to enter the retina easily, resulting in vision. Moving the head while experiencing eye floaters causes the bunched pieces to move and sometimes cast a shadow on the retina, which explains why eye floaters occasionally affect vision.

Eye floaters are also described as eye spots, black spots, strings, cobwebs, or specks. If the eye floaters appear as lines, they can be thin, thick, or even squiggly. They shift as the eyes do, though they do not follow this movement exactly and may still drift, particularly when the eyes are still.

Continue reading for more on the appearance of eye floaters and how to recognize them.