Are Eye “Floaters” a Cause for Concern?

  • By:Dr. Katie Dugan

Are you worried about a cloud or dot that is showing up in your field of vision? Almost everyone will experience “eye floaters” at some point in their life. In fact, many people have these floaters off and on. The floaters can be frequent or more prominent at times, often sparking a conversation with an optometrist to see if there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

First of all, you should never be worried about reaching out to your eye doctor with questions about your eye care. Our team is here to offer the support that you need throughout the year, even if it might be between your regularly scheduled eye exams. If you are worried about your floaters or other eye issues, then we encourage you to call us for more information.

What You Need to Know about Floaters

Here are a few interesting things that you should know about floaters:

  • Varying Symptoms: Eye floaters can show up in different ways for each person. This visual anomaly might look like a speck, string, dot, cloud, or cobweb. The size of floater can change with time.
  • Changes in the Inside of the Eye: When floaters are present, most of the time it is due to changes that happen in the vitreous humor. This portion of the eye is the inner area that is filled with a clear, jelly-like substance. If the liquid degenerates, then cells can clump together and create shadows that are cast on the retina.
  • Usually Benign: In most situations, floaters are benign. But, it could be a retinal problem if a new floater shows up with other symptoms. For example, contact our office as soon as possible if you notice that flashing lights or a curtain in your vision accompanying the floaters.

Floater Treatments

In most cases, your brain will start to ignore the floaters, so they will become less noticeable over time. Unfortunately, there are not many treatment options available, so I recommend thinking of them as a pet in your eye and giving them a name! For more information, talk to our experienced team. We have two office locations that you can choose: our Temecula office at (951) 302-1331 or our Murrieta office at (951) 600-9226.

Posted in: Eye Health