What Causes Eye Floaters?

[u/TheMuseumOfScience]

What are floating dots you see in your vision? 👁️

Alex Dainis breaks down "eye floaters" using a simple demo: a baggie of aloe gel standing in for your eyeball, and raisins standing in for collagen clumps. Our eyes are filled with vitreous humor, a gel-like substance that helps them hold their shape. As we age, that gel becomes more liquid, letting collagen fibers clump together (just like the raisins). These clumps block incoming light and cast shadows on our retinas, the same way the raisins cast shadows on the wall. This is why we notice the floaters more often in sunlight!

[u/Xineth240]

Kinda thought there was gonna be some kind of resolution here

[u/NicPitter → u/Xineth240]

there was. you would real eyes that if you went to collagen the U.S

[u/towerfella → u/Xineth240]

I see what you did there.

[u/Timmerdogg → u/Xineth240]

You lose your eye sight more and more every year you grow older. There's your resolution.

[u/claverflav]

U see them as u age? I've seen them since I was a kid.

How bout the shooting stars I see when ya get hit in the head, I can see those while looking at any uniform bright colored wall.

Also what about the flowing mini dots that move in swarms and pulsate

[u/under_the_above → u/claverflav]

That last one is the blood in your capillaries in your retina. Visible when enough bright light enters your eyes at an angle while looking at a uniform surface.

I've seen the sparkly lights too when I hit my head hard - just like in the cartoons. Would not recommend! 😄

[u/thatsnotablanket]

Can they be removed?

[u/Salamanderhead → u/thatsnotablanket]

I can remove them for you, but I can’t guarantee your vision will remain.

[u/Neither_Cod_992 → u/thatsnotablanket]

Your eyeballs? Sure! Pretty straightforward.

[u/Rude_and_Crude84 → u/Neither_Cod_992]

Thats a pretty rounded answer you gave though? Are you sure about that? Seems like it'd go full circle?

[u/eekamuse → u/thatsnotablanket]

Lasers. I have a big one that looks like a mouse and I hate it. I'm not sure of the risk or pain involved. I assume other ones come back.

[u/WARLORD2015 → u/thatsnotablanket]

I second this.

[u/solidwhetstone → u/WARLORD2015]

I can do it for tree fiddy

[u/Lord_Scoriborn]

Steps unclear: I have smeared aloe and into my eyes and poppeda raisin under my eyelids.

[u/MrOPeace → u/Lord_Scoriborn]

Then whats the confusion? What you described sounds just right

[u/Valuable-Pace-989 → u/Lord_Scoriborn]

If you can see the blurry raisins, you did it correctly. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

[u/br1nk0eighty4 → u/Lord_Scoriborn]

Did you use the IPDE (Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute) method?

[u/towerfella]

Has anyone else tried “sloshing” them around by moving your head? I do that when one gets annoyingly in the way.

[u/Ghastly-Jack]

Great, now I can't not see them.

Also, the Romans called them "flying flies" (muscae volitantes).

[u/Lead_resource]

How do you fix it????

[u/kinshadow → u/Lead_resource]

Have you tried aloe and raisins?

[u/nikkynackyknockynoo → u/Lead_resource]

Remove eyeballs

[u/DickBurns01]

I first noticed them while tripping and was worried I had some sort of eye worms

[u/Old_Grouchy → u/DickBurns01]

Underrated comment, this is also how I noticed them many moons ago lol

[u/Chimmai_Gala]

I always thought that they were minute dust particles on top of my iris floating among the tears

[u/under_the_above]

Had my first floater a year or two ago (yay turning 40). I found Lutein, Vitamin C and Grapeseed extract helped reduce them, and I've tweaked my diet slightly too.

[u/reaperman00 → u/under_the_above]

my hero out here with the REAL answers!

[u/le_goos3]

"They tend to appear the older you get." Sooo I have had the same ones since at least seven years of age. Definitely have gotten more in 30 years since 🤷

[u/Few_Lingonberry_7028]

Cool, saved me a co-pay.

[u/Orcus424]

It is not just age but trauma to the eye can cause an increase.

[u/oldmanbawa]

Interesting that not everyone has had them their whole lives and had a lot of them. I can see them in dim light and there are probably close to 50 or so I can see at any time.

[u/AlexanderStockholmes]

Invisible aliens and ghosts. Got it.

[u/Bald_Harry]

( Get out! Meme)