Little Black Squiggly Things

What are those little black squiggly things you sometimes see?

Ever looked at a white wall or empty sky or some other blank surface and seen little black spots  or cobwebs floating around?

Those are "floaters" and they're IN your eye, so you can't really make them go away by blinking.  Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous, the clear jelly-like fluid that fills the eye. What you're seeing are  the shadows of these floaters cast on the retina, the light-sensitive film at the back of the eye.  Because they are INSIDE your eye, floaters move with your eyes when you try to focus on them. Floaters may become more prevalent as we age and the vitreous  humor thickens and clumps. But don't worry, floaters are harmless and present no danger to your vision. The only time to  worry is when you suddenly see a very large number of floaters or showers of floaters that weren't  there before. In rare cases, this could indicate retinal detachment or a blood vessel in the eye breaking.