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Or it could mean that the retina itself is becoming dislodged from the back of the eye's inner lining, which contains blood, nutrients and oxygen vital to healthy function. The sudden appearance of these symptoms could mean that the vitreous is pulling away from your retina - a condition called posterior vitreous detachment. However, if you see a shower of floaters and spots, especially if they are accompanied by flashes of light, you should seek medical attention immediately from an eye doctor. Noticing a few floaters from time to time is not a cause for concern. Floaters and spots move when your eye and the vitreous gel inside the eye moves, creating the impression that they are "drifting." When are eye floaters and flashes a medical emergency? You'll also notice that these specks never seem to stay still when you try to focus on them. Instead, shadows from these floaters are cast on the retina as light passes through the eye, and those tiny shadows are what you see. You won't actually be able to see tiny bits of debris floating loose within your eye. You'll notice that these spots and eye floaters are particularly pronounced if you gaze at a clear or overcast sky or a computer screen with a white or light-colored background. These particles can take on many shapes and sizes to become what we refer to as "eye floaters." Some undissolved gel particles occasionally will float around in the more liquid center of the vitreous. But as we age, the vitreous begins to dissolve and liquefy to create a watery center. While annoying, ordinary eye floaters and spots are very common and usually aren't cause for alarm.įloaters and spots typically appear when tiny pieces of the eye's gel-like vitreous break loose within the inner back portion of the eye.Īt birth and throughout childhood, the vitreous has a gel-like consistency. Eye floaters are those tiny spots, specks, flecks and "cobwebs" that drift aimlessly around in your field of vision.