What Causes Floaters in the Eye?

As you age, the gel-like matter, called vitreous humor, within the eyes becomes more liquidy and causes floaters in the eye. Floaters present themselves as gray or black strings or specks that appear when you move your eyes. Most cases of eye floaters only cause a minor nuisance to the people who experience them. A sudden increase in floaters, accompanied by bright flashes of light, signals an eye emergency.

Causes

• At some point, most people experiences eye floaters especially as they age. Over time, the vitreous humor shrinks and pulls away from the eyeball’s interior surface causing sagging and clumping. Tiny bits of the brokendown vitreous blocks light as it passes through the eye and create shadows on the retina. Ophthalmologists call this posterior vitreous detachment, PVD, or posterior vitreous separation.


• Vitreous syneresis is a natural process that alters the consistency of the gel-like substance within the eye. Shadows or floaters also appear when pockets of liquefied vitreous jelly move through the firmer areas of vitreous humor.


• Eye floaters can also result from cellular material such as red or white blood cells. Red blood cells from a hemorrhage or white blood cells from an infection can cause eye floaters.


• Conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal tear, eye injury, infection or complications from eye surgery contribute to floaters caused by hemorrhage into the vitreous.


• The most serious cause of floaters is retinal detachment. A sudden increase in the amount of floaters, flashes of light, blurred vision and a loss of peripheral vision indicate a serious medical emergency. Retinal detachment occurs when the retina completely detaches from the back of the eye. Seek medical attention immediately to prevent permanent vision loss.

Symptoms and Risk Factors

• At first, eye floaters may look like tiny bugs or debris caught in the eye. Some people report seeing straight or curved lines or “C” and “O” shaped blobs. They become more noticeable when looking at a plain, bright object such as a white wall or the bright, blue sky.


• Eye floaters look like small, dark specks or transparent strings floating across your visual field. Trying to look at them causes the speck to move out of your field of vision. Eventually, they settle to the bottom of the vitreous space and out of the line of vision.


• The occurrence of eye floaters increases as you age, particularly over the age of 50. Your risk increases if you have diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, eye inflammation, nearsightedness or experience trauma to the eye.