What are eye floaters?

Eye floaters are small specks or strands or clouds that move across your vision. They can drift across your field of vision and stand out more when you look at something bright.

They usually don’t affect your vision. Though, if they are large, they may appear to cast a shadow over your vision in some types of light.

Eye floaters become more common as we age. They don’t normally go away, but they don’t usually need treatment. Over time, your brain adapts, and you don’t notice them as much.

What symptoms are related to eye floaters?

Eye floaters can appear as:

• black or grey dots
• blobs
• squiggly lines, strands or ‘worms’
• cobwebs
• rings

They may dart away when you look at them or may drift away from your field of vision.

What causes eye floaters?

They are caused by changes over time to the ‘jelly’ (vitreous) inside your eyes, which is attached to the retina. Tiny collagen fibres inside the vitreous clump together and cast a shadow over the retina. It’s this shadow that you can see.

When should I see my doctor?

If floaters in your eye are impacting your vision, you can see your doctor.

Rarely, eye floaters can be caused by a tear, haemorrhage or detached retina. These are all medical emergencies.

You should visit your emergency department if:

• you have many more eye floaters than usual
• floaters appear very suddenly
• you also have flashes of light in the same eye
• there is darkness to the side or sides of your vision

A detached retina is more common if you:

• have had a trauma to the eye
• are short sighted
• have had cataract surgery
• have had a detached retina before

Your doctor will also rule out other possible causes of eye floaters such as inflammation or infection.

How are eye floaters diagnosed?

If your eye floaters are bothering you, talk to your doctor. They will examine your eye to work out what is causing the eye floaters. They may refer you to an ophthalmologist (specialist eye doctor) who can look more closely at the back of your eye.

How are eye floaters treated?

If your eye floaters are bothering you, there are two types of possible treatment:

• surgery to remove the floater (vitrectomy)
• laser treatment (vitreolysis)

Vitrectomy involves making a tiny cut in the eye. Through this cut, the eye floater and some or all of the vitreous can be removed. It is replaced with a solution. This procedure may not remove all of your eye floaters. This treatment does come with the risk of:

• bleeding
• cataracts
• a torn retina

Vitreolysis uses laser light to treat your eye floaters. Quick pulses of laser light are applied to your eye through a contact lens. This converts the collagen into gas. This makes the floater smaller or completely removes it. Vitreolysis normally takes 20 to 60 minutes, and you can go home afterwards. Most people need 2 or 3 treatments to remove their eye floaters.

Can eye floaters be prevented?

Eye floaters are common, especially with age. You cannot prevent floaters, but they do not usually cause a problem.

Do eye floaters cause complications?

Eye floaters are usually harmless. If they are caused by a serious condition that is left untreated, you may experience vision loss.

Resources and support

Visit the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists website for more information about floaters.

Call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 to speak with a registered nurse, 24 hours, 7 days a week (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria).