Floaters are those little dark specs that you see in the background of your eye intermittently. They may form to one side and move as you move your eye to see them, so they are always just out of direct line of sight.
They are generally easiest to see when looking at plain back grounds such as a clear sky or a light plain colored wall.
Some people claim that they see strands or web like images or maybe even small bugs. What you are really seeing are the shadows of the floaters. The shadows are cast on the retina which is the part of the eye that is light-sensitive.
Others even claim that they see flashes of light. This is usually caused by the mechanical stimulation of the eyes’ photoreceptors when the vitreous fluid pulls on the light-sensitive retina.
Again some people may also see these flashes if they have been hit hard in the head. That can be a warning sign that the retina could be detaching.
Floaters can also come from small vessels in the eye leaking and creating miniscule clumps. Most of the time floaters are harmless and just come with age.
There are weightlifters who report developing floaters after taking up the sport. They also have found links to floaters and continual use of the computer. Could it be that floaters are caused by tension in the upper body?
If they occur frequently and block vision while driving or functioning on a job that requires your complete focus, that is another case altogether. You should see your ophthamologist.
In rare cases a floater could be more than just a simple cell mass. There is a potential that it might be a foreign body in the eye or the onset of an eye disease.
Floaters have also been linked to glaucoma and if they suddenly appear or are accompanied with flashes of light you should get immediate medical attention.
Your vision is too important to take any chances so remember if you notice an abundance of new floaters, have narrowing side vision or begin to experience a series of lightening bolts in your line of vision, you should get it examined.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi:
Is the FDA developing anything to treat eye floaters?
I just started getting them this year and they are bubbles why are mine bubbles?
I did have a hemorrhage around the retina; could the bubbles be my blood healing? Thanks for any advice.
We saw the prominent floater in the scope; it is really noticeable and i see pretty much all the time; but it seems to be settling down more; do they settle down after the eye heals after surgery? Thanks
Hi Barbara
Eye floaters don’t normally need treatment. They are basically just a nuisance.
However, if you feel that your floaters are ‘out of the norm’ or you are in any doubt, you should go immediately to see your eye specialist.
My husband who had this problem and has had surgery, still has an occasional problem with floaters, but they don’t cause him any concerns.
He thinks that after his surgery they have become less and less noticeable and sometimes goes weeks before noticing one at all.
That is a personal experience and, as far as we know, is neither something to be concerned about or that can be remedied.
Hope this gives you some reassurance.
Hi Jaks; thanks for your support. I still see the bubbles but am getting more used to them. I finally can go to bright rooms; mine seem to be diminishing some finally; i see them but not as intense as they were. Maybe i am getting more used to them. My retinal surgeon said that i was okay he saw the floater in the scope and said i have one prominent one and a few small ones; i mostly have dots and a few sqigglies. It has been a hard adjustment but am learning to adjust. You feel like you are conquering. I see a circle but the rs said that is my scar tissue. I hope your husband is okay; sorry to be so late responding back have been checking different forums. Mine kind of entertains me. especially at night. I did have flashes of light for a while but that has calmed down. Thanks for your support Barbara
I have had eye floaters for 8 years now. They have stopped me from enjoying all the things that I loved, such as drawing, visiting galleries or just appreciating a view. I find that they disrupt my thought process and memory making it difficult to think straight, write and communicate. I have suffered from anxiety ever since I developed them which shows no signs of subsiding. I also find that I have subconsciously stopped using my sight and scan things rather than looking at them in detail which makes it difficult to pay attention to text and images. More than anything I want to have them removed but as I am currently in no danger of a retinal detachment and the floaters although numerous are of a relatively small size I do not think any eye doctor would agree to this. Do you know of any cases like mine where the floaters have been removed?
Hi
The following is a reply from my husband, John.
I am sorry to hear of your distressing problem with eye floaters. I can sympathise as I suffered with floaters over three years during which I had two surgical operations and one laser treatment for detached retinas. These gradually disappeared over the course of time and were clearly not nearly as severe a condition as your own.
I have no knowledge of any case of floaters being surgically removed.
I have read that in severe conditions there is a surgical procedure that might be effective.The emphasis is on might be!
A hollow needle is introduced into the eyeball and all the vitreous fluid is withdrawn and replaced by a solution of salt water. Ideally all the floaters will be removed with the vitreous fluid but this cannot be guaranteed. There are also associated risk factors such as a higher risk of detached retinas and cataracts.
I have also heard that a high incidence of floaters can be a sign of eye cancer but I must stress that this is solely hearsay and should not cause you undue anxiety.
I suspect that you have already consulted an eye specialist, but I would advise you to seek a second opinion from a highly qualified eye surgeon, regardless of the expense, to fully understand the options open to you and to have any long term consequences of your condition explained.
HI Jaks! It has been a long time since i have emailed you! Well; it turned out that i had a cataract and that got operated on; since then my floaters have decreased tremendously! They are clearing up like white and not as noticeable; my vitreous pvd is complete and my retina is okay; am getting really great care from my eye surgeon/doctor! He is great! He checks my retina and pressure and everything. I am noticing an improvement; thanks for the encouragement from your husband; i get flashes of light and am being checked off and on so everything seems to be getting better. Happy New Year Jaks and your husband! Just surfing today and hanging out here at home.
They are decreasing in severity finally! I cannot believe it! Barbara
I am so happy for you, because our sight is so important to us.
Let us know how you are getting on please
Hi everyone! I did have cataract surgery; maybe that what was bothering me; it was far gone too and i did not even know i had a cataract. I am recovering from that; I am taking Centrum Silver and Hyalourinc acid; my floaters are settling down a lot more; i still have mickey mouse weiss ring but am getting used to that; i hate having them but am learning to accept them better now; how are you Jaks and Sarah? My flashes of light are calming down a lot more too; I did have PVD complete is what I found out; can you still have flashes even after the vitreous is down? I am glad I got the cataract surgery too. I am still new recovering from it a month and i can see out of my eye still have double vision and those wonderful floaters. (Notreally). Hope you are all doing well; it has been a while since i emailed here. I wish they had something to dissolve them safely; like an over-the-counter medicine would that be wonderful? I have been praying about this too. I did get the laser vitreolysis one time and that helped tremendously except i have to heal from my cataract before going back to the laser treatment. They did actually get rid of one that i have not seen at all. I have the weiss ring that is what is bothering me the most. Any suggestions on how to better accept the weiss ring? Thanks wonderful people! Hope things go better for you all too.
Hi again; i found out that i have partial pvd. Not complete; it pays to go to a retinal specialist or eye doctor. I cannot believe it the retinal specialist can see my floater that is bothering me and they are willing to laser treat it. The laser treatment works. I still get the flashes in the evening when the sun goes down but am used to them; they are getting tinier a small round circle of flashes of light; my retina is fine; i hope you are doing well Jax. Please email me at any tine. I hope your husband is doing better too. Mine seem to have gotten smaller and clearer in color; even the weiss ring has faded. I wanted to know do weiss rings go away over time or settle at the bottom? Thanks anyone. It pays to go to the doctor for reassurance about PVD. Get the laser treatment if they are bothering you; i hope everyone is doing better. Barbara.
Has anyone heard of botox causing floaters? I had botox three times in my forehead.
Twice where it caused my eye lids to droop for about 3 weeks (temporary ptsosis).
All 3 times there was an increase in floaters in BOTH eyes.
I have had my retina checked several times in the past 2 years. My retina is fine. But I now have floaters that are webs and blobs in my whole field of vision.
My opthamologist said that Botox could not cause this. But what does he know about botox? Anyone hear of this?
I have been very depressed about these floaters. It effects driving and golfing.
Sorry, can´t help you on this. We´ve asked around but nobody we talked to has heard of botox causing floaters. Occasional floaters can be a natural occurrence not related to any problem in the retinas.
One colleague had lens transplants some three years ago and only last week had to undergo laser treatment on one eye where the vision had got slightly cloudy.
Without being too technical, we understand that this may occur due to a problem in the posterior capsule behind the lens. He was told that he would likely suffer floaters for the next few weeks but it was nothing to worry about. Whether this has any bearing on your problem I do not know but it seems that floaters are not necessarily down to the retina.
In your case with floaters occurring in both eyes after botox treatment there does seem to be a correlation. Hopefully after a few months when the botox has worn off the floaters will disappear. In which case the connection seems highly likely. So no botox, no floaters!
Thank you for your interesting question.
Hello, my mother had lens transplants in both eyes, but at 2 weeks a part. She has been seeing floaters which are bubbles and has a weird thing happening…she is seeing numbers and letters in these bubbles. It has happened so far two times. She told her eye doctor about it last Thursday, and he faxed the surgeon. Any ideas what this could be? She is worried and I am too!
Hello Karla
(answer from John)
This is as much a mystery to us as it is to you. I personally can assure you that floaters are normal after lens transplants and gradually disappear but we have never heard of seeing numbers and letters.
I have had this operation after suffering three detached retinas, being short sighted followed by glaucoma and the onset of cataracts I had the transplants. My sight is near perfect now apart from medication for the glaucoma, no need to wear glasses and no discomfort, I just wish I had had the lens transplants many years ago.
I hope that this is only a temporary problem that will resolve itself naturally. The thought does occur that there may be identification and data on each lens that should have been removed before the insertion and so is causing this strange problem. Just a wild guess but I have little doubt that the surgeon will resolve the issue without any further expense.