What are the squiggly things in your eye?

The little squiggly lines you see sometimes in your visions are called floaters and they are experienced by about 70% of people. They are usually shadows casted by objects drifting in the clear, gel-like substance that makes up most of the eye’s interior. It’s called vitreous and helps keep the eye’s round shape. When it passes through the lens, focused light has to go through the vitreous in order to get to the retina at the back of the eye. The majority of it is made up of water but it also contains proteins and various of other substances. Floaters are mainly proteins of the vitreous gel that have clumped together and it blocks light. Therefore, they cast a shadow on the retina. They usually appear as transparent circles or tadpoles and stay permanently in your eye.

Sometimes, small hemorrhages in the eye can be the reason for floaters because red blood cells enter the vitreous. This can happen if the gel pulls on the blood vessels located in the retina. Floaters can also be caused by shrinkage of the vitreous gel that occurs naturally as we age. Aa the vitreous pulls from the retina, parts of debris can enter the gel and become floaters. They mostly appear if you gaze at something really bright, such as a piece of white paper or a blue sky.