I am in my 40's and I have had floaters since my early teens. Some are single spots and others are "strands" that bunch up into a ball from time to time. They cross my vision frequently and are extremely prominent when viewing anything bright, such as a white surface, computer screen or outside on a bright day - especially when looking at the sky (which was mentioned previously). They can be annoying but one learns to live with them and eventually they become unnoticed for the most part.
My opthamalogist tells me these are quite normal and are caused by particles within the lining of the eye occasionally breaking away and floating around in the jelly (or vitreous). Contrary to popular belief, its not protein formation.
If a sudden mass of them were to appear and significantly cloud your vision, get to a specialist because this is indicative of blood in the eye, which can be caused by retinal damage and tears in the lining. If left too long, the vitreous can work in through the tear, get behind the retina and cause detachment. This is not something you have to wonder about, you'll know if it ever happens because the effects are quite rapid and profound.
I'm aware of all of this because of my experiences with laser surgery and learning that the jelly in my eyes is sticky and tugs on the lining, thus pulling off more tissue than normal.
Seeing repetitive localized flashes in the eye is also a potential symptom of retinal damage and should not be ignored.
Also as previously mentioned, some diseases such as diabetes can cause similar eye conditions to manifest.
Bottom line is that floaters are very normal and only if they form rapidly en masse and possibly accompanied by bright flashes do you need to worry.
, but i do wear glasses, it isnt too bad, my vision is like -3. i can see things up close no problem, i am just really worried about those direct hits i got, they say anything over 5mw is harmfull, and i got hit with a 100mw
