They look like small filaments, even almost transparent dots, which suddenly pass in front of our field of vision as if they were literally sliding over our eyes. These small floating shapes appear especially when looking at a light source. Does that mean anything to you?
If so, don’t worry, you are far from the only one. Known by the scientific name myodesopsia, these “floaters” affect almost 70% of the world’s population at some point in their lives. Intriguing, even disturbing, they are no less harmless. At least, in the vast majority of cases.
Glazed mood
It’s all the fault of one particular substance: a transparent gelatinous material that fills about 80 percent of the inside of the eyeball. Called vitreous humor, it is composed of 98% water and 2% proteins, and its mission is to maintain the round shape of the eye and protect internal structures, such as the retina, explains Sciences et Avenir.
Except that over time, this gelatinous material degrades a little. It loses its consistency, worse, it shrinks and liquefies. Result: it releases small floating particles. Do you see where we’re going with this?
This debris, made up of collagen fibers and other proteins, then floats in the eye. Or rather, they slide across the inner surface of the eye, casting shadows on the retina. We then see them as filaments or black dots, particularly visible when staring at a light source.
The fault of aging
You have probably already observed this phenomenon when you were young. Don’t panic, it’s completely normal. Just know that as time passes, these little floaters will be more present.
Posterior vitreous detachment is in fact a natural process linked to the aging of the eye. With age, the gelatinous fluid becomes less…
Read more on Slate.fr
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