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Vitreous Floaters

Floaters are spots, strings, or cobwebs that drift across your vision, cast by clumps in the vitreous gel that fills the eye. Most floaters are harmless and fade from notice. New floaters, though, deserve a prompt exam to rule out a retinal tear, and floaters that permanently interfere with vision can be surgically removed.

What floaters look like

Patients describe floaters many ways:

  • Specks, strings, or cobwebs that drift as you move your eye
  • A large ring or cloud that slides in and out of view, common after vitreous detachment
  • Floaters most visible against bright backgrounds like the sky, snow, or a computer screen
Imaging from clinic showing a large octopus-like floater in the vitreous
From our clinic: a large, octopus-like floater captured on imaging. Read the full case in our Education library.

Causes & risk factors

The vitreous gel becomes more liquid with age and eventually separates from the retina, a normal event called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). The collapsing gel forms strands and clumps that cast the shadows you see. Floaters appear earlier in nearsighted eyes and after eye surgery or inflammation.

How we diagnose it

A dilated exam of the entire peripheral retina is essential with new floaters, because the symptom of a harmless PVD and the symptom of a retinal tear are identical. If the retina is intact, the floaters themselves are not dangerous, and the floaters may be safely monitored or surgery may be considered for bothersome floaters that are affecting your daily activities and functioning.

How are floaters treated?

The right answer depends on how much floaters affect your life:

Observation
Most floaters become less noticeable over months as the brain adapts and the gel settles. If your retina is healthy, watching and waiting is a completely reasonable choice.
Vitrectomy for floaters
For patients whose floaters are significantly impairing their ability to perform daily activities such as reading, driving, work, or hobbies and other activities, vitrectomy surgery may be performed to remove the floaters from the eye.

What to expect

Floaters are typically harmless to the eye and surgery to remove the floaters is elective. We will carefully discuss your floaters, the effect they may be having on your daily activities, and any factors that increase your risk of complications and vision loss should you pursue surgery to remove the floaters.

Common questions

Are floaters dangerous?

Floaters themselves are not dangerous, though the symptom of new floaters can mimic the symptoms of a retinal tear, bleeding, or inflammation. If a careful, dilated retinal exam is normal with no concerning findings such as retinal holes, tears, or detachment, the floaters themselves are a nuisance, but not an imminent danger to the vision.

Will they go away on their own?

Most floaters become less noticeable over months as the brain adapts and the gel moves away from the retina, casting a less distinct shadow on the retina, and correspondingly less of a bother to the vision. If your retina is healthy, watching and waiting is a completely reasonable choice.

What about laser treatment for floaters?

Laser vitreolysis helps a narrow set of floaters and often only partially. We do not perform the laser procedure for vitreous floaters, known as YAG laser vitreolysis, but can refer you to colleagues that perform this procedure if you desire. For visually significant floaters, vitrectomy is the definitive treatment, and we will talk very candidly about whether you are a good candidate for vitrectomy surgery to remove visually significant vitreous floaters.

I'm having new floaters, when should I be seen?

New floaters, especially with new flashes of light or a curtain or shadow in your vision, should prompt a call to our office. New floaters are a concerning symptom, and should be evaluated within 1-2 weeks of onset.

Sources & review

This page is educational and is not a substitute for an examination. Content follows guidance from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists.