The term “eye floaters” is very common now. The number of patients seeking treatment for eye floaters is increasing gradually. What is an eye floater? It just means “Something that floats”. The patient experiences small dark objects – dots, webs, strings, thread, etc. in front of the eyes. It is not fixed, but moving. It darts away when the patient tries to focus on it. So, the name – eye floaters.
Simple eye floaters in a small level is harmless. It is seen in without any visual impairment or any other serious symptom, especially in senile people. But eye floaters are seen as a symptom in many other severe ophthalmic pathologies such as chorioretinopathy, macular edema, high myopia, retinal detachment, vitreous detachment, macular degeneration, etc. In hypertensive retinopathy and diabetic retinopathy also, patients may experience floaters. So, a differential diagnosis becomes absolutely necessary to proceed with treatment.