Floaters

Tiny dots that appear in your line of vision usually as a result of staring into bright spaces.

These are just what they sound like: tiny, difficult-to-distinguish dots that appear in your line of vision and often go away as quickly as they appear. Floaters most commonly occur upon staring at bright spaces, such as the sky on a bright day. Often, these spots are irksome but not dangerous. However, they should be noted in the case of rare eye conditions like retinal tears or detachment.

How Floaters Impacts Vision

Aside from the presence of the dots themselves, long-term effects on vision are minimal to nonexistent. The dots themselves take shape in the form of squiggly lines or transparent strands. They sometimes manifest in interlaced shapes and can be scary, but not necessarily harmful. These dots move as your eyes try to focus on them.

Floater Causes

A protein called collagen causes these dots to appear, with a substance called vitreous humor – located in the back nook of the eye – shrinking in a way that reduces the amount of light that can shine into the retina. This undetectable change occurs most prevalently in those between the ages of 50 and 75.