Most patients learn to simply ignore their floaters under most circumstances. Typically, they become more noticeable when looking at a visual field with a white background such as a plain piece of paper or a clear blue sky.
The “back of the eye” is filled with a gel-like substance called the vitreous humor. As we age, the vitreous tends to separate into liquid sections and “stringy” or “clumped” sections which can cast shadows on the retina which are perceived as floaters.
The likelihood of experiencing floaters increases as we get older and is more common if you are very nearsighted, have diabetes or have had a blow to the head from sports or an accident. Sometimes other eye conditions or problems inside the eye may cause floaters such as infections, inflammation, hemorrhages, retinal tears or trauma to the eye.
