Why do people notice eye floaters?
The structures in the front of the eye (the cornea and lens) focus rays of light onto the retina. Light focused onto the retina allows one to see. The light going to the retina passes through the vitreous humor, which is a jellylike material which occupies the back 2/3 of the eye. At birth and during childhood years, the vitreous gel is totally clear. Later in life, sometimes strands, deposits, or liquid pockets develop within the vitreous jelly. Each of these strands casts a small shadow onto the surface of the retina, and these shadows are perceived by the patient as eye floaters. As the eye moves from side to side or up and down, these strands, deposits, or pockets also shift in position within the eye, making the shadows also move and appear to float or undulate. What do eye floaters look like? People describe eye floaters as spots, straight and curved lines, strings, or “O” or “C” shaped blobs. Some people see a single floater while others may think they see hundreds. The lines ma
