Floaters are little specks of debris which float through the vitreous fluid in the eye. They are often confused with specks of dust but they are contained within the eye and are not eliminated by rubbing the eye. When we are young the vitreous has a jelly like consistency but as we age the vitreous begins to dissolve and liquefy to create a watery consistency. Floaters can be caused by:
- Normal degenerative changes: this occurs as a result of aging. The vitreous begins to dissolve and creates a watery consistency which can result in the appearance of more floaters.
- Retinal tears or detachments: tears and detachments can occur when the vitreous adapts a more watery consistency in the middle of the eye. This sometimes means that the more watery vitreous cannot support the weight of the heavier more peripheral vitreous gel. The vitreous can then collapse into the central, watery vitreous. When this occurs, the peripheral vitreous detaches from the inner back of the eye which contains the retina. Floaters caused by vitreous detachment will be located in the more liquid, central of the eye. Vitreous detachments can lead to the detachment or tearing of the retina in some cases.
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