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If you’ve ever looked at a bright area that is all one color, such as the sky, a very snowy area, or even a TV screen that is all one color, you have likely seen tiny little things that are floating along in your field of vision. Some people even see them when they close their eyes.
Well, if you have seen them, you are not alone. An estimated 76% of non-visually impaired people report seeing these little objects, but most people don’t understand what they are.
Some common theories are that they are tiny parasites, bacteria, worms, or blood vessels, but none of these things are right.
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The scientific name, however, doesn’t give people much comfort. They are called Muscae volitantes, which translates to flying flies. Fortunately, they aren’t flies or fly larva, or anything to do with insects.
They are, however, tiny little objects that float within your eye. They could be a number of different things including red blood cells, clumps of protein, tiny pieces of tissue, for example.
The tiny little things float around in the vitreous humor of the eye, which is the gel-like area that is located between the lens of the eye and the retina. Its job is to help keep the eye in shape.
Technically speaking, these floaters aren’t supposed to be there, but they don’t generally cause any problems either. The only reason people can see them is because when light enters the eye, it activates specific cells on the retina. The tiny objects may be small, but they are big enough to cast a very small shadow on the retina, which creates the object that people see floating in their vision.
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While certainly weird, and for some people, gross to think about, the reality is that they aren’t a problem. Even those people who don’t see them, they are there.
Your eyes clean themselves out naturally all the time, so as needed these little floaters will be washed away and then undoubtedly replaced by other things. It is really nothing to worry about.
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