Black eye floaters are extremely common, especially with age, affecting a large majority of people as they get older, with over 70% of those over 60 noticing them, and nearly everyone experiencing some floaters by age 80. They are usually harmless clumps in the eye's vitreous gel casting shadows on the retina, but a sudden increase in new floaters, especially with flashes of light, warrants immediate medical attention as it can signal a serious issue like retinal detachment, say Bright Sight Eye Specialists and the Cleveland Clinic.
Lots of people, particularly older people, get floaters and flashes. They're usually caused by a harmless process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), where the gel inside your eyes changes.
They don't normally go away, but they don't usually need treatment. Over time, your brain adapts to seeing the floaters.
Treatment
Eye floaters are triggered by natural aging, causing the eye's gel (vitreous) to clump and shrink, but they can also be caused by serious issues like inflammation, bleeding, retinal tears, injury, diabetes, high blood pressure, or complications from eye surgery, all leading to debris or blood cells floating in the vitreous that cast shadows on the retina.
If you frequently experience stress you might wonder, can stress cause eye floaters? The simple answer is, stress alone is not responsible for eye floaters appearing. Eye floaters are caused by deterioration of the vitreous humor which often happens as people age.
People experience floaters differently, but here are a few common descriptions: Small Dots or Specks: You may see tiny black or gray dots that seem to move as you look around. Strings or Cobwebs: Some people describe floaters as thin lines or thread-like shapes that drift across their vision.
If you notice a sudden increase in eye floaters, contact an eye specialist immediately — especially if you also see light flashes or lose your vision. These can be symptoms of an emergency that requires prompt attention.
Immediate action required: Go to A&E if:
you can see blood in your eye. you have an irregularly shaped pupil (the black dot at the centre of the eye) you had a blow to the head and have bruising around both eyes. you had a blow to the head and lost consciousness or have been sick (vomited)
Are there different types of floaters?
Eye floaters are more likely to come from aging, inflammation, eye injuries or eye surgeries and medications. Brain tumors can cause changes in vision, especially if they affect the occipital lobe.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
🚨 SEEK EMERGENCY CARE WITHIN 24 HOURS: Sudden shower of floaters, curtain/shadow in vision, flashes with new floaters, or any vision loss. These may indicate retinal detachment.
You may notice symptoms such as:
Prolonged screentime can stress the eyes through the effects of bright or blue light, but it will not produce more eye floaters. However, floaters may be more noticeable when staring at a bright screen or background.
The warning signs of stroke include:
It's a warning sign, not a “mini-stroke.”
A person who experiences a TIA may have a 10-20 percent risk of having a full stroke in the next seven days depending on the cause, Streib said. The American Stroke Association confirms that 9 to 17 percent of people who have had a TIA have a stroke within 90 days.
Anyone can have a TIA, but the risk increases with age. Stroke rates double every 10 years after age 55.
Some of the first signs of a brain tumor may include:
Eye melanoma may not cause any symptoms. When they do happen, signs and symptoms of eye melanoma can include: Flashes of light or what look like specks of dust in a person's vision. These are sometimes called floaters.
Floaters do not occur because of any vitamin deficiency. Consequently, there aren't any vitamins that can help reduce or prevent floaters.
Eye floaters become bad and require immediate medical attention if you experience a sudden increase in their number, sudden flashes of light, or a dark shadow or curtain in your peripheral vision, as these can signal a serious retinal tear or detachment, which can lead to permanent vision loss if untreated. While most floaters are harmless, these specific symptoms mean you should see an eye doctor right away.
Eye floaters are gray or black specks, cobwebs, or strings that drift around your eye. When you try to look at them directly, they seem to dart away. Floaters are often caused by age-related changes in the eye.