What are eye floaters?

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

Eye floaters usually don't affect your vision. If they are large, they may seem to make a shadow over your vision. This can happen 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 to seeing the floaters. When this happens you don't notice them as much.

What are the symptoms of eye floaters?

Eye floaters can seem like:

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

They may dart away when you look at them. Sometimes they seem to drift away from your field of vision.

What causes eye floaters?

Eye floaters are caused by changes over time to the vitreous (jelly) inside your eyes. This 'jelly' is attached to the retina. The retina is the part of your eye that lets you see objects.

Eye floaters are tiny strands of collagen inside the vitreous. When these stands clump together, they make a shadow over the retina. The eye floater is actually the shadow that you can see.

In rare cases, eye floaters can be caused by a rip in the eye. They can also happen because of a bleed in the eye. Sometimes a detached retina can cause eye floaters. These are all medical emergencies.

A detached retina happens when your retina separates from your eyeball. It 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

When should I see my doctor?

See your doctor or optometrist if floaters in your eye are affecting your vision.

You should visit your emergency department if:

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

How are eye floaters diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. They will also examine your eyes to work out what is causing the eye floaters.

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

They may refer you to an ophthalmologist (specialist eye doctor). The ophthalmologist can look more closely at the back of your eye.

How are eye floaters treated?

If your eye floaters are bothering you, there are 2 types of treatment:

1. surgery to remove the floater (vitrectomy)
2. laser treatment (vitreolysis)

Vitrectomy

Vitrectomy involves making a tiny cut in your eye. Some or all of the vitreous can be taken out through this cut, including the floaters. It's replaced with a liquid. This may not remove all your eye floaters. This treatment can have a risk of:

• bleeding
• cataracts
• a torn retina

Vitreolysis

Vitreolysis uses a laser to treat your eye floaters. Quick pulses of laser light are put into your eye through a contact lens.

The laser light changes the collagen in the floater into gas. This makes the floater smaller. Sometimes it completely removes it.

Vitreolysis normally takes 20 to 60 minutes. 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 can't prevent floaters. They don't usually cause a problem.

Do eye floaters cause complications?

Eye floaters are usually harmless. In rare cases, they are caused by a serious condition. If this serious condition is not treated, you may have some vision loss.

Resources and support

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

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.