Editing Floater (section)

== Signs and symptoms ==
[[File:Corps-flottant.jpg|thumb|Artistic representation of a floater]]
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=
 | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6e_m9iq-4Q What are those floaty things in your eye? - Michael Mauser], 4:04, [[TED (conference)|TED-Ed]]
}}
Floaters are from objects in pockets of liquid within the [[vitreous humour]], the thick fluid or gel that fills the eye,<ref name="spots">{{cite web |title=Eye floaters and spots; Floaters or spots in the eye |url=http://www.eyecaresource.com/conditions/eye-floaters/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023070153/http://www.eyecaresource.com/conditions/eye-floaters/ |archive-date=October 23, 2007 |access-date=2008-02-01 |publisher=[[National Eye Institute]]}}</ref> or between the vitreous and the retina. The vitreous humour, or vitreous body, is a jelly-like, transparent substance that fills the majority of the eye. It lies within the vitreous chamber behind the lens, and is one of the four optical components of the eye.<ref>{{cite book |last=Saladin |first=Kenneth |title=Anatomy & Physiology: A Unity of Form and Function |publisher=McGraw-Hill |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-07-337825-1 |location=New York |page=614 |language=en}}</ref> Thus, floaters follow the [[saccade|rapid motions]] of the eye, while drifting slowly within the pocket of liquid.<ref name="Alila Medical Media-2020">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aadrXH6oic |title=Eye Floaters and Flashes, Animation. |date=October 13, 2020 |type=Youtube video |language=English |publisher=Alila Medical Media }}</ref> When they are first noticed, the natural reaction is to attempt to look directly at them. However, attempting to shift one's gaze toward them can be difficult because floaters follow the motion of the eye, remaining to the side of the direction of gaze. Floaters are, in fact, visible only because they do not remain perfectly fixed within the eye. Although the blood vessels of the eye also obstruct light, they are invisible under normal circumstances because they are fixed in location relative to the [[retina]], and the brain "tunes out" [[stabilized images]] through [[neural adaptation]].<ref name=facts />

Floaters are particularly noticeable when looking at a blank surface or an open [[monochromatic]] space, such as blue sky. Despite the name "floaters", many of these specks have a tendency to sink toward the bottom of the eyeball, in whichever way the eyeball is oriented; the supine position (looking up or lying back) tends to concentrate them near the fovea, which is the center of gaze, while the textureless and evenly lit sky forms an ideal background against which to view them.<ref name=spots /> The brightness of the daytime sky also causes the eyes' pupils to contract, reducing the [[aperture]], which makes floaters less blurry and easier to see.

Floaters present at birth usually remain lifelong, while those that appear later may disappear within weeks or months.<ref>{{cite web |title=Floaters may remain indefinitely |url=http://www.formulamedical.com/Topics/Head&Neck/Eye%20floaters%20vitreous.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924140313/http://www.formulamedical.com/Topics/Head%26Neck/Eye%20floaters%20vitreous.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref> They are not uncommon, and do not cause serious problems for most people.<ref name="Alila Medical Media-2020" />  A survey of optometrists in 2002 suggested that an average of 14 patients per month per optometrist presented with symptoms of floaters in the UK.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.djo.harvard.edu/site.php?url=/physicians/oa/1004|title=Floaterectomy Versus Conventional Pars Plana Vitrectomy For Vitreous Floaters|publisher=Digital Journal of Ophthalmology|year=2007|author=Craig Goldsmith|author2=Tristan McMullan|author3=Ted Burton|access-date=2008-04-11|archive-date=2021-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418213540/https://www.djo.harvard.edu/site.php?url=%2Fphysicians%2Foa%2F1004|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, floaters are more than a nuisance and a distraction to those with severe cases, especially if the spots seem constantly to drift through the field of vision. The shapes are shadows projected onto the [[retina]] by tiny structures of [[protein]] or other cell debris discarded over the years and trapped in the vitreous humour or between the vitreous and retina. Floaters can even be seen when the eyes are closed on especially bright days, when sufficient light penetrates the eyelids to cast the shadows.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} It is not, however, only elderly persons who are troubled by floaters; they can also become a problem to younger people, especially if they are [[myopia|myopic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flashes and Floaters |url=https://kindermanneye.com/new_jersey/floatersflashes.html |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=kindermanneye.com}}</ref> They are also common after [[cataract]] or [[clear lens extraction]] operations or after trauma.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Floaters are able to catch and refract light in ways that somewhat blur vision temporarily until the floater moves to a different area. Often they trick persons who are troubled by floaters into thinking they see something out of the corner of their eye that really is not there. Most people come to terms with the problem, after a time, and learn to ignore their floaters. For persons with severe floaters it is nearly impossible to ignore completely the large masses that constantly stay within almost direct view.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In the case of young people, particularly those under 35, symptomatic floaters are likely suspended within a posterior region of the eye known as the pre-macular bursa. Such floaters appear well-defined and usually bear the appearance of a 'crystal worm' or cobweb. Due to their proximity to the retina, the floaters have a significant effect on the visual field for patients. In addition, such floaters are often in the central visual axis as it moves with the intravitreal currents of the eye. Research on floaters of the pre-macular bursa is minimal, and safe treatment for patients with this disturbance that does not warrant major vitrectomy has yet to be discovered. Moreover, the cause and prognosis for such floaters also remains to be found. Some doctors suggest such floaters may resolve over time, should the floaters move away from the retina.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}