(HealthDay News) -- Floaters are like little cobwebs in your eye.
Sometimes, they appear as flashing lights in your field of vision. They move as your eyes move, and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly.
According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), floaters are just part of the natural aging process. They can be annoying and distracting, but they usually don't indicate any form of eye problem.
They're more common in people who are very nearsighted, have diabetes or have had a cataract operation, the NEI says.
No treatment is recommended unless floaters become too dense and numerous. In those cases, doctors may perform a vitrectomy, a process that removes floaters from the vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills 80 percent of the eye.
