Specks in the eye

Alternative names
Eye floaters

Information

The floating specks you sometimes see in front of your eyes are not on the surface of your eyes, but inside them. These floaters are bits of cellular debris that come and go without treatment. To some people these “floaters” look like spots. To others, they look like tiny threads.

Most of the time they are nothing to worry about, but sometimes they can be a symptom of a retinal tear. If you notice a sudden increase in floaters or if you see floaters along with flashes of light, call your eye doctor. If you have other vision disturbances, see the article vision abnormalities.

Johns Hopkins patient information

Last revised: December 5, 2012
by David A. Scott, M.D.

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