a

What are floaters?
Floaters are little "cobwebs" or specks that float about in your field of vision. They do not follow your eye movements precisely, and usually drift when your eyes stop moving.

What causes floaters?
Floaters occur when the gel that fills the eye and helps it maintain it's round shape, slowly shrinks and becomes somewhat stringy. The strands can cast tiny shadows on the retina. These are floaters.
Sometimes a section of the vitreous pulls the fine fibers away from the retina all at once, rather than gradually, causing many new floaters to appear suddenly. This is called a vitreous detachment, which in most cases is not sight - threatening and requires no treatment. However, a sudden increase in floaters, possibly accompanied by light flashes or peripheral (side) vision loss, could indicate a retinal detachment.
A retinal detachment occurs when any part of the retina, the eye's light- sensitive tissue is lifted or pulled from its normal position at the back wall of the eye. A retinal detachment is a serious condition and should always be considered an emergency. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent visual impairment. Those who experience a sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light in the peripheral vision, or a loss of peripheral vision should have an ophthalmologist examine their eyes as soon as possible.

Who can get floaters?
Floaters are more common in the following groups:
- Older people
- People who are nearsighted
- People who have diabetes
- People who have had a cataract operation

There are other, more serious causes of floaters, including:
- Infection
- Inflammation
- Hemorrhaging
- Retinal tears
-Injury to the eye