Almost everyone sees floaters sometimes: little specks, threads or cobwebs drifting across your vision. Most are harmless. But a sudden change in floaters can be the first warning of a retinal detachment, which needs treatment within hours to save sight.
Imagine looking at a white wall and noticing a few faint squiggles that drift when you move your eyes. You’ve had them for years. Then one evening, a cloud of new black dots appears in one eye, along with flickering flashes at the edge of your vision, like lightning. That combination is an emergency.
Why floaters happen
The inside of the eye is filled with a gel called the vitreous. With age, it becomes more liquid and shrinks, and small clumps cast shadows on the retina. This is more common after about 50, in short-sighted people, and after eye surgery.
But when are floaters an emergency?
Get seen urgently, the same day, at an eye casualty, emergency department or optometrist offering urgent care, if you have:
- A sudden increase in floaters, especially a “shower” of dots
- Flashes of light
- A dark shadow or curtain spreading across part of your vision
- Blurred vision or loss of vision
- Floaters after an eye injury
A retinal tear can often be sealed with laser if caught early. A detachment needs surgery, and the sooner the better.
Living with harmless floaters
Most long-standing floaters become less noticeable over months as the brain learns to ignore them. Moving your eyes up and down can shift them out of your line of sight. Treatments such as surgery are rarely needed and carry risks.
Your next step: Find out today where your nearest urgent eye service is. If you ever see new floaters with flashes or a shadow, you’ll know exactly where to go, without delay.
Sources: NHS (Floaters and flashes in the eyes), American Academy of Ophthalmology, US National Eye Institute. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or optometrist.
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