Eye floaters: what they are, how they look, and when to worry
By: Richard Kadri-Langford, written with Dr Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad, optometrist and Associate Professor at the University of Bradford, who also medically reviewed it. November 2026. Read our editorial policy.
As a high myope in my mid-40s, I can tell you that floaters are a pain. If you have them, you'll probably agree. So for this article I worked with optometrist and myopia researcher Dr Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad to explore what floaters are, how they look, when to worry, and what, if anything, can be done about them.
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Eye floaters are small shadows that drift across your vision. They look like dots, threads, rings or faint cobwebs, and they move when your eyes move. They are caused by tiny clumps in the vitreous, the clear gel inside the eye, which cast shadows onto the retina at the back of the eye.
Most floaters are harmless. In one survey, three in four people said they see floaters, and one in three found them bothersome [1]. But a sudden shower of new floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow spreading across your vision can be a sign of a retinal tear. That needs an eye check the same day.
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People with myopia (short-sightedness), especially high myopia, are more likely to notice floaters and have a higher risk of retinal tears and detachment. Below you can see how floaters look and move, and the warning signs every person with myopia, and every parent of a child with myopia, should know.
Eye Floater Simulator
This simulator shows a first-person view through eyes with floaters. Move your mouse, drag a finger or use the arrow keys to look around, and watch how the floaters follow each glance and then glide on.
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Change the scene. Try Paris, an office or a page of a book. Notice how much clearer the floaters are against the sky and the white page. Or if your one your mobile - why not try the live view!
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Change the level. Go from none to mild, moderate and severe.
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Noticing or tuned out. Flip the switch to see how the brain filters floaters out when you're busy with something else.
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Live view. Use your own camera to see floaters over your real surroundings. Nothing is recorded or sent.
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Emergency signs. Press the red button to see what a shower of new floaters, flashes of light and a shadow or curtain can look like. If you ever see any of these, get your eyes checked the same day.
FOCUS
POINT
Most floaters are harmless. In one survey, three in four people said they see floaters, and one in three found them bothersome
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What are eye floaters?
The vitreous is a clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina. In childhood it is firm and evenly clear. Over the years it slowly turns more liquid, and the fine collagen fibres inside it clump into strands and knots [2].
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Those clumps drift inside the gel. Light passing through the eye makes each one cast a small shadow on the retina. You don't see the clump itself, you see its shadow. Doctors sometimes call floaters myodesopsia.
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Floaters can look like:
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Dots or specks, alone or in a string, like beads
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Threads or strands, often curved or wiggly
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A ring or a C shape, which often appears suddenly when the gel comes away from the back of the eye
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A faint cobweb or cloud
Why floaters move and "dart away"
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Floaters sit inside the eye, so they move with it. When you glance to one side, they swing the same way. When your eye stops, they glide on a little further and then slowly drift back. That's why a floater seems to slide away whenever you try to look straight at it [2].
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Floaters are easiest to see against bright, plain backgrounds, such as a blue sky, a white wall, a page of a book or a computer screen. Against a busy or dark scene they're much harder to see. Over weeks or months the brain also learns to filter them out, so most people notice them less over time [3].
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What causes floaters?
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Natural ageing of the vitreous. This is the most common cause. The gel slowly liquefies and its fibres clump [2].
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Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). As the gel shrinks, it peels away from the retina at the back of the eye. It is very common: more than 60% of people aged 70 and over have one [4]. A PVD often brings a sudden new floater, sometimes ring-shaped, and flashes of light at the edge of vision. It is usually harmless, but about 1 in 7 people (14%) who see a doctor with sudden floaters or flashes have a retinal tear [5].
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Less common causes: bleeding inside the eye (for example from diabetes or a retinal tear), inflammation inside the eye (uveitis), an eye injury, or eye surgery and injections [2].
FOCUS
POINT
People with myopia were 3.5 times more likely to report moderate-to-severe floaters than people without a prescription [1].
Floaters and myopia
A myopic eye is usually longer than average, and the longer the eye, the more the retina and the vitreous are stretched. In high myopia the vitreous liquefies and comes away from the retina earlier than in other eyes. In one study of highly myopic adults, each extra millimetre of eye length was linked to a more advanced stage of PVD [4].
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That has two effects:
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Floaters are more noticeable. People with myopia were 3.5 times more likely to report moderate-to-severe floaters than people without a prescription [1].
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The risk of retinal detachment rises with every dioptre. A large review of the research found these odds compared with people without myopia [6]:
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This is one reason slowing myopia in childhood matters. See how risk changes with each dioptre in our Myopia Risk Visualiser.
Level of myopia
Prescription
Odds of retinal detachment
Low
−0.50 to −2.75 D
about 3 times higher
Moderate
−3.00 to −5.75 D
about 9 times higher
High
−6.00 D or more
about 13 times higher
Adults with high myopia: know the warning signs
If you have high myopia (−6.00 D or more, or long eyes), floaters are more than a nuisance to ignore. Your risk of a retinal tear and detachment is higher, and it is highest from middle age onwards, when the vitreous is most likely to detach [4] [6]. The risk is also higher if you:
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have had cataract surgery or an eye injury [2]
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have had a retinal tear or detachment in your other eye
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have a family history of retinal detachment
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What Neema advises:
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Learn the warning signs below, and use the simulator's Emergency signs button to see what they look like.
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Get to know your usual floaters, so you notice when something changes.
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Now and then, cover one eye at a time and look at a plain bright surface. One eye can hide a change in the other.
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Have regular eye examinations, and tell your optometrist you're highly myopic. A dilated check of the retina is the most reliable way to look for tears [7].
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If anything changes suddenly, don't wait to see if it settles. Get checked the same day.
Floaters in children
Children can see floaters too. Most are harmless, but floaters are less common in children, so a child who mentions new floaters should have an eye examination.
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Retinal detachment in children is rare, at 3–7% of all retinal detachments. It usually happens between the ages of 9 and 12 [8]. The main causes are:
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high myopia
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an eye injury, for example from a ball
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inherited conditions such as Stickler syndrome. This is the most common cause of retinal detachment in childhood, and it often shows up first as strong myopia in a very young child [9]
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being born very premature, or previous eye surgery [8]
The challenge is that children often don't report changes in their vision. A detachment is painless, and a child may not realise that new spots or a shadow are something to mention [8]. That's why it's worth showing children the simulator. Explain simply: "If you ever see lots of new spots, flashes of light or a shadow in one eye, tell me straight away."
Floaters with a red, painful or light-sensitive eye can be a sign of inflammation inside the eye (uveitis) [2]. That also needs a prompt eye examination.
The International Myopia Institute recommends a dilated retinal examination every year for people with high myopia, children included [8].
​​Warning signs: when floaters need urgent attention
Get your eyes checked the same day if you notice any of these [3]:
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floaters for the first time, or a sudden shower of new floaters
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a sudden increase in floaters you already have
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flashes of light, especially at the edge of your vision
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a dark shadow or "curtain" moving across your vision
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blurred vision or a sudden drop in vision
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eye pain
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floaters that start after eye surgery or an eye injury
What to do in the UK: ask your optometrist for an urgent appointment that day, or contact NHS 111 by phone or online [3]. Outside the UK, contact your optometrist, eye doctor or local emergency eye service. Don't wait until after the weekend.
Why speed matters
When the vitreous pulls away from the retina, it can tear it. Fluid can then pass through the tear and lift the retina off, which is a retinal detachment. A detachment can cause permanent sight loss if it isn't treated quickly [3].
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Tears are common in people with sudden symptoms. About 1 in 7 people (14%) seen with sudden floaters or flashes has a retinal tear [5].
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Most tears are found early. In one Swedish study, 95% of tears were diagnosed within the first month of symptoms [10].
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A tear needs treatment. People with a tear were far more likely to go on to a detachment than people without one. A tear can usually be sealed with laser or freezing treatment before it detaches [10].
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Some signs raise the risk further. Bleeding in the eye seen at the examination, or a noticeable drop in vision, makes a tear much more likely [5] [10].
If you've already been told it's a PVD
A first examination that finds no tear is reassuring, but it isn't the end of the story. About 3.4% of people develop a tear in the six weeks after a PVD diagnosis [5]. Go back the same day if you get a new shower of floaters, more flashes, a shadow, or your vision gets worse.
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How floaters are checked
An optometrist or eye doctor will ask about your symptoms and look at the back of your eye, usually after putting in drops that widen the pupil. The drops blur your vision for a few hours, so plan not to drive until it clears. If they find a tear or detachment, or can't see the whole retina, they will refer you to a hospital eye service [3] [13].
If the examination shows a PVD with no tear, you can usually be looked after by your optometrist. You should be given written information on the warning signs and told to come back if they appear [13].
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Treatment
Most floaters need no treatment. They tend to become less noticeable over weeks or months as the brain learns to ignore them [3]. Treatment is only considered when floaters seriously affect daily life, and both options carry risks:
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Treatment
What it involves
What the evidence shows
Vitrectomy
Surgery to remove the vitreous gel and its floaters
In one long-term study, 88% of patients were satisfied, but 60% of eyes with their natural lens went on to need cataract surgery, and about 7% had a retinal detachment [12].
YAG laser vitreolysis
A laser breaks up a large floater, such as a ring-shaped one
In one small trial, 54% of treated patients reported improvement after six months, compared with 9% given a sham treatment. Evidence is limited and long-term safety isn't established [11].
Living with floaters
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Move your eyes. Looking up and down can shift a floater out of your central vision for a while.
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Reduce glare. Sunglasses outdoors and dark mode on screens make floaters less noticeable against bright backgrounds.
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Give it time. Most people notice their floaters much less after a few months [3].
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Keep the warning signs in mind. Getting used to your floaters is fine. Ignoring a sudden change is not.
Frequently asked questions
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References & Review Notes
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Webb BF, Webb JR, Schroeder MC, North CS. Prevalence of vitreous floaters in a community sample of smartphone users. Int J Ophthalmol. 2013;6(3):402–405.
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Mayo Clinic. Eye floaters: symptoms and causes.
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Hanyuda A, Torii H, Hayashi K, et al. Relationship of choroidal thickness and axial length with posterior vitreous detachment in patients with high myopia. Sci Rep. 2022;12:4093.
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Hollands H, Johnson D, Brox AC, et al. Acute-onset floaters and flashes: is this patient at risk for retinal detachment? JAMA. 2009;302(20):2243–2249.
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Haarman AEG, Enthoven CA, Tideman JWL, et al. The complications of myopia: a review and meta-analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(4):49.
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Williams K, Hammond C. High myopia and its risks. Community Eye Health J. 2019;32(105):5–6.
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Myopia Profile. Retinal detachment in children, citing Nuzzi R, et al. Int J Ophthalmol. 2017;10(10):1592, and Gifford KL, et al. IMI Clinical Management Guidelines. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019;60(3):M184–M203.
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Specialty Vision. Stickler syndrome in children: why it raises the risk of retinal detachment, citing Snead MP, et al. Eye. 2021;36(10):1966–1972.
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Bond-Taylor M, Jakobsson G, Zetterberg M. Posterior vitreous detachment: prevalence of and risk factors for retinal tears. Clin Ophthalmol. 2017;11:1689–1695.
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Shah CP, Heier JS. YAG laser vitreolysis vs sham YAG vitreolysis for symptomatic vitreous floaters: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2017. Summary: AAO EyeNet.
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Schulz-Key S, Carlsson JO, Crafoord S. Longterm follow-up of pars plana vitrectomy for vitreous floaters: complications, outcomes and patient satisfaction. Acta Ophthalmol. 2011;89(2):159–165.
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College of Optometrists. Examining patients who present with flashes and floaters: managing the patient.
FOCUS
POINT
Most floaters need no treatment. They tend to become less noticeable over weeks or months as the brain learns to ignore them [3]. Treatment is only considered when floaters seriously affect daily life, and both options carry risks