I Just Learned Why We Get Eye Floaters, And I'm Shuddering

Ever get one of those wiggly, transparent lines in your eyes and wonder “what’s going on here?” 

Well, I did the other day ― and I’m choosing to inflict the horror of what I learned on all of you, too. 

According to the NHS, floaters are very common and are usually safe. They can take the form of small, dark dots, rings, cobweb-like structures, and squiggles. 

But as for why they happen,the NHS site adds: “They’re usually caused by a harmless process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), where the gel inside your eyes changes.”

What’s that?!

The National Eye Insitute says it often has to do with ageing. 

More specifically, Moorfields Eye Hospital says, “The hollow space in the middle of your eyeball is filled by a clear, jelly-like substance called the vitreous humor.

“As the vitreous ages, it liquifies and becomes less firm, and strands of a protein called collagen become visible within it.”

That means what looks like floaters are actually shadows made by, er, suspended strands of your own eye (oh, good).

Cleveland Clinic says that “Eye floaters are almost like little bits of dust stuck on a camera lens,” which explains why you can’t simply blink them away.  

They add that floaters even have a proper name ― doctors call them “myodesopsias.” 

Should I ever worry about floaters?

Though eye floaters are very common and mostly harmless, even when paired with flashes (photopsias), they can occasionally be a sign of serious retina damage.

The NHS says you should call 111 or get an urgent optician’s appointment if: 

• you have floaters or flashes in your vision for the first time
• you suddenly get floaters or flashes in your vision
• the number of floaters or flashes suddenly increases
• you have a dark “curtain” or shadow moving across your vision
• you also have blurred vision
• you also have eye pain
• floaters start after eye surgery or an eye injury.