Why do I see floaters in my vision?

Those drifting specks, threads, and cobwebs are not on your eye - they are in it. The eyeball is filled with a clear gel (the vitreous), and MedlinePlus explains that floaters are bits of cell debris drifting in that gel, casting shadows on your retina. Most adults have at least a few, and they show up most against bright, plain backgrounds like sky or a white wall. The usual cause is age: the gel slowly liquefies and shrinks, clumping in places and eventually peeling away from the retina - a harmless process the NHS calls posterior vitreous detachment, which is why floaters become common in later life. Existing floaters that stay stable for years need nothing; many people stop noticing them. The urgent pattern is change: the NHS says get an urgent optician appointment or NHS 111 help if floaters or flashes appear for the first time, suddenly increase in number, come with a dark curtain or shadow moving across your vision, or come with blurred vision or eye pain. That combination can mean a retinal tear or detachment, and retinal detachment leads to permanent vision loss if untreated - it is one of the few true same-day eye emergencies. New floaters after eye surgery or an eye injury also deserve prompt review. So the rule: stable specks, relax; a sudden shower, act today. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, that can help you decide which you have.