Inside of our eyes, we have a gel-like substance called "vitreous." Within the vitreous, tiny clumps called "floaters" can form and cause us to see little things that may look like flies, cobwebs, or strings.
While most floaters are totally harmless (but quite annoying!), there are some serious eye conditions that can present with floaters. So, if you notice any, it's very important to see your eye doctor for an eye exam; we can tell whether they're harmless or not.
At the exam, the doctor will look at the entire eye and determine if the floaters are harmless or if they are a symptom of a more serious condition, such as detachment of the retina (the highly sensitive wall of the back of your eye that's responsible for vision).
Oftentimes, serious eye conditions associated with floaters will have additional symptoms like flashes of light or a large number of floaters seemingly “raining down” in your vision. If any of these symptoms occur, or if you experience new floaters, you should see an eye doctor right away. We can help treat them!
If the floaters are harmless, there is no medication or treatment that can easily get rid of them. Fortunately, our brain learns to forget them, so that's why you don’t see them all day.
Either way, it's important to check any floaters and make sure that you closely monitor any changes in your vision.