Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBleeding in the EyeEye InfectionsEye InjuriesRetinal DetachmentUveitisVitreous DetachmentTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Bleeding in the Eye
Eye Infections
Eye Injuries
Retinal Detachment
Uveitis
Vitreous Detachment
Treatment
Frequently Asked Questions
Eye floatersare small shapes that appear in your field of vision. They can look like cobwebs, spots, squiggly lines, or threads. Floaters can be harmless and a normal sign of aging. However, if they increase or appear with light flashes or any vision loss, call your healthcare provider since it could indicate something more serious.
This article explains the causes of eye floaters as well as symptoms, how to deal with them, and when you should see a healthcare provider.
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Bleeding in the eyecan happen for a number of reasons. Abnormal blood vessels can bleed spontaneously, and sometimes normal blood vessels can rupture because of stress or trauma.
Bleeding in the eye can cause you to see floaters that look like specs in the eye or cobweb-like shapes. Some people also see a haze or have vision that is red tinted.
Some viruses and bacteria can cause inflammation of the retina, which can lead to floaters and other symptoms such pain and redness in the eye and/or whole body symptoms such as fever and chills. Some causes of this condition include:
Your eye may become injured after a blow such as a punch or a ball that hits your eye during a sporting event. Failure to use safety eyewear during construction or industrial work could also cause an object or a chemical to penetrate your eye and cause injury.
An eye injury can cause floaters and other symptoms such as:
Eye injuries are treated according to the severity of the injury. Many blows can be treated with rest and cold compress, but more serious injuries like punctures or chemical burns require emergency treatment.
Retinal detachmentis an emergency condition where part of the retina becomes detached from the layer of blood cells that support it. It can cause sudden floaters and/or reduced vision. You may also experience flashes of light.
Retinal detachment requires immediate medical attention. Delaying treatment can cause permanent vision loss.
Uveitisis an inflammation of the uvea. The uvea is the part of the eye that supplies blood to the retina. When this part of the eye becomes inflamed, it can cause symptoms like floaters, blurry vision, redness, light sensitivity, and pain. These symptoms often develop suddenly.
Uveitis can be treated with steroid medication to help reduce inflammation.
Vitreous detachment orretinal tearoccurs when the vitreous pulls away from the retina. The vitreous is the gel-like fluid in the center of your eye. Besides floaters, vitreous detachment can cause symptoms like flashes of light in your side vision.
Most of the time, vitreous detachment is not vision-threatening. However, in 15% of cases, a vitreous detachment can lead to a hole or tear in the retina, causing a retinal detachment.This is why it is important to see your eye care provider if you notice any of these symptoms.
If the detachment doesn’t lead to a more serious condition, it probably won’t need to be treated.
An Overview of Eye Floaters
Treatment for Severe Floaters
Most of the time, you don’t need treatment for floaters unless there are other problems like retinal tears, holes, or detachments. Instead, your healthcare provider will monitor floaters.
In rare cases, your eye care provider may recommend treatment for them, such as surgery.
Vitrectomy
Vitrectomyis a surgery to remove the vitreous. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the vitreous through a small incision. They then replace it with a fluid that mimics the vitreous and helps your eye keep its shape. However, a vitrectomy doesn’t always remove all of your floaters.
Laser Vitreolysis
With this procedure, an eye surgeon uses a special laser to break up floaters, so you don’t notice them as much. This surgery is helpful for some people but not others.
Laser vitreolysis remains controversial. While this treatment may offer symptomatic relief for some, it is an invasive approach for a condition that doesn’t threaten vision. Therefore, more research is needed to guide when this treatment would be most valuable.
How To Get Rid of Eye Floaters
Summary
Eye floaters are visual disturbances that look like spots or wavy lines. They are often not a cause for concern and are usually due to aging. However, sometimes they may result from an existing medical condition or could be a sign of something more serious, such as a detached retina.
Usually, they do not require treatment, but sometimes if they are severe or something serious causes them, you may need surgery. If your vision changes or your floaters become more problematic, contact an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or go to an emergency room.
Not usually, but if this is the first time you are experiencing floaters, make an appointment for an eye exam. Floaters that look like black, squiggly lines or pieces of string are a common age-related optical complaint.This type of floater is caused when the vitreous—a jelly-like substance in your eyes—begins to break down. The microscopic fibers then clump together causing string-like shadows on the retina.
Not usually, but if this is the first time you are experiencing floaters, make an appointment for an eye exam. Floaters that look like black, squiggly lines or pieces of string are a common age-related optical complaint.
This type of floater is caused when the vitreous—a jelly-like substance in your eyes—begins to break down. The microscopic fibers then clump together causing string-like shadows on the retina.
A Weiss ring is a type of eye floater made from pieces of debris that float around the vitreous of the eye. Weiss rings are shaped like a circle or oval and can be large enough to obstruct fields of vision.A Weiss ring floater is a sign of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), a common condition that occurs with age. If you suspect you have Weiss ring floaters, make an appointment to see an ophthalmologist.
A Weiss ring is a type of eye floater made from pieces of debris that float around the vitreous of the eye. Weiss rings are shaped like a circle or oval and can be large enough to obstruct fields of vision.
A Weiss ring floater is a sign of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), a common condition that occurs with age. If you suspect you have Weiss ring floaters, make an appointment to see an ophthalmologist.
You should also see an ophthalmologist if you have never experienced floaters before.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Phogat J, Dahiya M, Nada M, Singh SV, Pandey LA.Etiology of vitreous hemorrhage in a tertiary eye care center of north India.Indian J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020;6(4):568-571. doi:10.18231/j.ijceo.2020.119American Society of Retina Specialists.Infectious retinitis.Terrill SB, You H, Eiseman H, Rauser ME.Review of ocular injuries in patients with orbital wall fractures: a 5-year retrospective analysis.Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:2837-2842. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S274567American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Uveitis.Harvard Health Publishing.Do I need to worry about floaters?American Society of Retina Specialists.Vitrectomy for floaters.Katsanos A, Tsaldari N, Gorgoli K, Lalos F, Stefaniotou M, Asproudis I.Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: an overview.Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Phogat J, Dahiya M, Nada M, Singh SV, Pandey LA.Etiology of vitreous hemorrhage in a tertiary eye care center of north India.Indian J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020;6(4):568-571. doi:10.18231/j.ijceo.2020.119American Society of Retina Specialists.Infectious retinitis.Terrill SB, You H, Eiseman H, Rauser ME.Review of ocular injuries in patients with orbital wall fractures: a 5-year retrospective analysis.Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:2837-2842. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S274567American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Uveitis.Harvard Health Publishing.Do I need to worry about floaters?American Society of Retina Specialists.Vitrectomy for floaters.Katsanos A, Tsaldari N, Gorgoli K, Lalos F, Stefaniotou M, Asproudis I.Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: an overview.Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Phogat J, Dahiya M, Nada M, Singh SV, Pandey LA.Etiology of vitreous hemorrhage in a tertiary eye care center of north India.Indian J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020;6(4):568-571. doi:10.18231/j.ijceo.2020.119American Society of Retina Specialists.Infectious retinitis.Terrill SB, You H, Eiseman H, Rauser ME.Review of ocular injuries in patients with orbital wall fractures: a 5-year retrospective analysis.Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:2837-2842. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S274567American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Uveitis.Harvard Health Publishing.Do I need to worry about floaters?American Society of Retina Specialists.Vitrectomy for floaters.Katsanos A, Tsaldari N, Gorgoli K, Lalos F, Stefaniotou M, Asproudis I.Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: an overview.Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w
Phogat J, Dahiya M, Nada M, Singh SV, Pandey LA.Etiology of vitreous hemorrhage in a tertiary eye care center of north India.Indian J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020;6(4):568-571. doi:10.18231/j.ijceo.2020.119
American Society of Retina Specialists.Infectious retinitis.
Terrill SB, You H, Eiseman H, Rauser ME.Review of ocular injuries in patients with orbital wall fractures: a 5-year retrospective analysis.Clin Ophthalmol. 2020;14:2837-2842. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S274567
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Uveitis.
Harvard Health Publishing.Do I need to worry about floaters?
American Society of Retina Specialists.Vitrectomy for floaters.
Katsanos A, Tsaldari N, Gorgoli K, Lalos F, Stefaniotou M, Asproudis I.Safety and efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis for the treatment of vitreous floaters: an overview.Adv Ther. 2020;37(4):1319-1327. doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01261-w
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