Floaters are small pieces of debris that float in the eye’s vitreous humor (clear, jelly-like substance between the lens and the retina). This debris casts shadows on the retina (the light-sensitive tissue layer at the back of the eye). If you have floaters, it is these shadows that you see floating across your field of vision.
At a young age, the vitreous is perfectly transparent. Over time as the eye ages, this vitreous humor can degenerate, losing its form and liquefying. Without the stable vitreous humor, the collagen fibers collapse and bind together to form clumps and knots. It is these fibers that cast shadows on the retina and appear as spots, strings, or cobwebs (floaters).
