Floaters Explained

Have you been experiencing specks, strands, webs or other shapes floating about your field of vision? These are called eye floaters. This phenomenon is completely normal If you only have 1 or 2 small floaters that do not annoy you and you have not been experiencing any flashes of light. Almost everyone gets floaters sometime in their life, the same way that everyone gets headaches. Some people notice their floaters and some don't. However, many others develop an unusually large quantity of floaters which interfere with everyday life. If you do see flashes of light you may have a Posterior Vitreous Detachment or PVD for short. You should make an appointment with your eye specialist to make sure there are no serious underlying complications. A large number of people have severe eye floaters and many experience severe psychological impairment from it.

How are eye floaters formed?

The vitreous of your eye is usually a gel-like material, made up of 99% water and 1% solid elements. Bits of this gel-material slowly start turning into liquid in a process known as synchisis sinelis. The meshwork of vitreous collagen or collagen fibrils inside the eye collapse then floats freely in the pockets of liquid inside your eye. The vitreous collagen finally "bunch together" and are basically the annoying floaters that you see. In fact, you do not actually see these floaters, but are seeing the shadow(s) cast by these floaters.