Vitreous Detachment: When Your Eye's Jelly Starts to Shift

You’re looking at the sky or a white wall, and suddenly you see little floaty dots or flashes of light, like tiny fireflies zipping around your vision. Then things look a little cloudy or blurry for a while. What’s going on?

This might be a vitreous detachment, and while it sounds dramatic, it’s actually pretty common.
 

What Is It?

Inside your eye is a clear, gel-like substance called the vitreous. As you get older (even in your 20s or 30s), the vitreous can start to shrink or pull away from the back of your eye. When this happens, it’s called a posterior vitreous detachment, or PVD.
 

What Does It Feel Like?

• Sudden flashes of light, especially in the dark.
• New floaters (black or gray squiggly shapes).
• Blurry or cloudy vision in one eye.
• No pain—but definitely weird.

Why Does It Happen?

The vitreous is kind of like clear Jell-O. Over time, it becomes more watery and moves around more. Sometimes it tugs on the retina (the light-sensing layer in the back of your eye) as it shifts. This causes those light flashes and floaters.
 

Should I Be Worried?

Most of the time, it’s harmless and your brain adjusts to the floaters. But here’s the catch, sometimes the pulling can tear the retina, which is a big deal. So, if you suddenly get a ton of floaters, flashes, or a shadow in your vision, go to the eye doctor right away.
 

Call (859) 787-0936 or visit our office, 2020 Eyemax, in Lexington, Kentucky to book an appointment today.