Specialty Vision · Vision Simulator
Eye Floaters Simulator — What Floaters Look Like
Floaters are drifting specks, threads and cobwebs that move across your vision — usually harmless shadows from the eye's gel, but a sudden shower can signal a retinal tear.
Overview
Floaters are tiny clumps of fibres inside the eye's clear gel (the vitreous) casting shadows on the retina. They drift as your eye moves and dart away when you try to look straight at them, and they're most obvious against a bright, plain background like a clear sky or a white wall. Most floaters are a normal part of the gel shrinking with age and become less noticeable over time. But a sudden burst of new floaters — especially with flashes of light or a shadow — can mean the retina is tearing and needs urgent care.
Symptoms
- Drifting specks, dots, threads or cobwebs in your vision
- Shapes that move when you move your eyes and dart away when you look at them
- Most visible against bright, plain backgrounds
- A sudden shower of new floaters (a warning sign)
Causes
- Age-related shrinking of the vitreous gel (by far the most common cause)
- A posterior vitreous detachment as the gel separates from the retina
- A retinal tear, bleeding in the eye, or inflammation (less common, more urgent)
Treatment
Most floaters need no treatment — they fade, or the brain learns to ignore them, over weeks to months. Rarely, very dense, persistent floaters are treated with a laser or surgery. The important step is an eye exam to confirm the cause is benign, because a sudden increase in floaters can mean a retinal tear that needs prompt treatment.
When to see an eye doctor
A few long-standing floaters you have had checked are usually nothing to worry about. See an eye doctor urgently for a sudden increase in floaters, new flashes of light, or a dark shadow or curtain in your vision — these can mean a retinal tear or detachment.
Seek urgent care for:
- A sudden shower of new floaters
- New flashes of light together with floaters
- A dark curtain or shadow over part of your vision
Frequently asked questions
Are floaters normal?
Usually, yes. Most floaters come from the eye's gel shrinking with age and are harmless, becoming less noticeable over time. A sudden increase, or floaters with flashes or a shadow, is a warning sign that needs urgent care.
Will my floaters go away?
Most become less noticeable over weeks to months as they drift out of view and the brain learns to ignore them. They rarely need treatment.
When are floaters an emergency?
A sudden burst of new floaters, floaters with flashes of light, or a dark curtain creeping across your vision can mean a retinal tear or detachment — seek urgent eye care.
What causes floaters?
They're shadows cast by tiny clumps in the eye's vitreous gel. Most are from normal age-related shrinking of the gel; less often they come from a retinal tear, bleeding or inflammation.
Sources
- What Are Floaters and Flashes? — American Academy of Ophthalmology