The Significance of Sudden Eye Floaters

Floaters are a common eye condition that can seem to occur suddenly and affect vision. Floaters are typically not dangerous, but a sudden onset of hundreds of floaters could have dangerous implications.

Significance

• Floaters are extremely common, and are typically fleeting and harmless. However, the sudden presence of many floaters in one or both eyes can be a sign of a serious eye condition. Many sudden floaters associated with flashing lights could imply a retinal tea, which can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated quickly and effectively.

Identification

• One or multiple "fuzzballs" or specks that appear in the visual field are floaters, which can come in various shapes and sizes. These are dislodged pieces of membrane in the eye's vitreous gel that "float" as gray shapes in the visual field when light passes through the front window of the eye.

Causes

• The gel of the eye begins to liquefy with age and cause bits of dislodged tissue, which may seem to appear suddenly. Dislodged tissue can also occur with an injury to the eye or head, as part of another eye condition, as a side effect of eye surgery, or with any shift in cellular eye material caused by inflammation or hemorrhage.

Symptoms

• Floaters may occur suddenly in one or both eyes, though AllAboutVision.com's report on floaters says that no two patterns are alike. Various spots, O-shapes, curved lines, C-shapes, or branch-like shapes may form the pattern. These cloudy, gray shapes may be thick or thin, and may appear as a sudden single floater or many floaters.

Medical Emergencies

• The sudden occurrence of floaters is likely harmless, but it still be determined as such by an ophthalmologist. A sudden "shower" of floaters that significantly obstructs the vision, accompanied by light flashes, are considered eye emergencies, since these signs are associated with retinal detachment, which can lead to permanent vision impairment if not treated quickly.

Treatment

• Dr. Andrew A. Dahl's floaters report for MedicineNet.com says that most floaters require no treatment because they will go away on their own, and that there is no medication or eye drops to make floaters disappear. Some floaters, however, are debilitating and lasting enough that patients may seek laser surgery or vitrectomy for treatment.