NHS has ‘urgent’ advice to people that get ‘floaters’ in eye

Here is the NHS advice on what to do if you see 'floaters' in your eye – and when you need to make an 'urgent' appointment with the optician.

It's a phenomenon we've likely all experienced from time to time. One moment you're going about your day, and the next, you see a strange wiggly line float across your vision.

They can appear as anything from small dots to squiggly lines and rings. Some people can also experience flashes of light in their vision.

These faint squiggles are known as 'floaters' and are usually caused by a harmless condition called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), in which the gel inside the eye changes. They're more likely to happen when you're looking at a plain wall, into the light, or the sky on a clear day.

PVD is typically common in older people, although you can experience floaters at any age.

We've probably all seen this at some point in our lives (Getty Stock Images)

According to Dr Polya, who recently spoke to MailOnline about the science behind floaters, these wiggly lines are the result of vitreous fibres in the eye 'clogging together'.

"It's the condensation of the collagen fibres. Large molecules of collagen clog together and cast shadows on your retina which you perceive as eye floaters," he said.

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EXPERT EXPLAINS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU START SEEING THESE 'FLOATERS' IN YOUR EYES

So, in most cases, nothing to worry about. However, the NHS warns that certain symptoms should be checked out by an 'urgent' appointment with your optician.

Should I be concerned about floaters in my vision?

While the condition is mostly not a cause for concern, especially if it is something you often experience, NHS advice does note that floaters can sometimes be a symptom of something more concerning.

Symptoms to be aware of are:

• Suddenly getting flashes of floaters in your vision for the first time
• The number of floaters in your vision suddenly increases
• Blurred vision
• Eye pain
• You experience a dark curtain or 'shadow' across the vision
• Floaters appear after surgery or an injury to the eye

Experiencing floaters are normally nothing to worry about, however it's important to make sure they're not a sign of a detached retina (Getty Stock Images)

Any of the above symptoms could suggest a problem with the back of your eye, such as a detached retina.

Retinal detachment can occur as a complication of surgery or a condition connected to age-related issues. It can also be caused by injuries or trauma to the eye.

A detached retina occurs when the thin layer of light-sensitive tissue, called the retina, comes away from the back of the eye. This condition requires urgent medical attention as it can lead to permanent loss of vision if left untreated.