Floaters

You’re looking at a clear blue sky, a white wall, or the pages of a book, and you notice tiny dots, threads, or cobweb-like shapes drifting across your vision. When you try to look directly at them, they dart away.

These are eye floaters; tiny shadows cast on your retina by small changes inside the eye. In most cases, floaters are harmless and part of the normal ageing process. Sometimes, though, they can signal a more serious eye condition.

What’s actually happening in your eye?

Inside your eye is a clear, gel-like substance called the vitreous. Light passes through this gel before it reaches the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of your eye. Over time, the vitreous naturally becomes more liquid and can form small clumps or strands. These cast shadows on the retina, and you perceive them as floaters.

Floaters can also appear when the vitreous starts to separate from the retina - a process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). This is a common age-related change, but it is also a key stage at which it is important to ensure that no damage has occurred to the retina.

What floaters look like

Floaters aren’t all the same. People describe them as:

• Small dark dots
• Threads or hair-like lines
• Cobwebs or rings
• Clumps that move with eye movement

They often move when your eyes move, drifting away when you try to look directly at them, and then settling again.

Different types of floaters

• Common, age-related floaters: Appear gradually, usually stable, and often fade from notice over time.
• Sudden onset floaters: May occur if the vitreous pulls away from the retina quickly or if there is bleeding in the eye; these need checking.
• Floaters after injury or surgery: Trauma or procedures such as cataract surgery can cause new floaters.
• Floaters linked to eye disease: Conditions like uveitis or diabetic retinopathy can also produce floaters.

When to be concerned

Most floaters are harmless. But if you notice:

• A sudden shower of new floaters
• Flashes of light in your vision
• A shadow, curtain, or veil coming across your sight

These could be signs of a retinal tear or retinal detachment. This is an urgent situation and needs same-day assessment by an eye specialist.

How we diagnose floaters

Diagnosis involves a dilated eye examination, which allows us to look at the vitreous and the retina in detail.

Sometimes additional tests are used:

• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): Cross-section images of the retina.
• Ultrasound scan: Useful if the view into the eye is unclear, for example if there’s bleeding.

The aim is to determine whether the floaters are simply age-related or linked to something that needs urgent treatment.

Living with floaters

If floaters are mild and stable, the brain often learns to ignore them over time. You may notice them less in busy visual environments and more against plain, bright backgrounds.

Simple adjustments can help:

• Good lighting when reading or working
• Taking breaks from prolonged screen use
• Wearing sunglasses in bright sunlight to reduce contrast

When treatment is considered

Most people do not need treatment for floaters. If they are stable and not linked to other eye problems, monitoring is all that’s required.

Treatment may be considered if:

• Floaters significantly affect your ability to read, drive, or work
• They are persistent and intrusive despite adaptation
• They are caused by a condition that also needs treating (like uveitis)