Causes of Seeing Lines in the Eye and Treatment

Lines in the eye are tiny spots you see in your field of vision. They may look like black dots, specks, rings, or “cobwebs” that drift aimlessly across what you’re looking at. Although they can be annoying, eye floaters (as they’re commonly called) are very common and usually not a sign of anything serious.

Read also: Everything You Need to Know About Eye Floaters | Causes and Treatment

Eye floaters develop in the vitreous body, the clear, gel‑like substance that fills the back chamber of the eye and helps it maintain its round, globe‑like shape. For this reason, these lines or threads in the eye are called vitreous floaters.

The vitreous is mostly made of water, but it also contains a protein called collagen. As you get older, the vitreous becomes less gel‑like and more watery. When this happens, some of the collagen fibers inside the vitreous can clump together and form structures that look like strands or lint.

These irregular collagen clumps float in the more liquid vitreous and can interfere with the light passing through the eye. When they drift close to the light‑sensitive retina at the back of the eye, they cast small shadows on it. These shadows are what we perceive as lines or floaters in our vision.

Read also: Causes of Yellow Eyes, Treatment, and Indications

When Are the Lines Most Noticeable?

You’re more likely to notice vitreous floaters when you’re looking at a clear or overcast sky. They often appear in your peripheral vision, which makes it easy to mistake a floater for a small insect flying in front of your face.

People also tend to notice floaters more when staring at a computer screen with a white or light‑colored background. Once you become aware of floaters, it can be hard to ignore them, especially if you’re anxious or under stress.

Because the collagen clumps that cause these lines are usually suspended in the peripheral part of the vitreous, it can be almost impossible to look at them directly. When you move your eyes to try to see them better, the floater moves in the same direction and then drifts back into your peripheral vision and out of direct sight.

Read also: Conjunctivitis of the Eye: Types, Causes, and Treatment

When Do Lines in the Eye Become a Medical Emergency?

Underlying Causes

Normally, light entering your eye stimulates the retina. This stimulation generates an electrical signal that is carried by the optic nerve to the brain, where it is interpreted as light or an image.

If the retina is stimulated mechanically (physically touched, pulled, or tugged), a similar electrical signal is sent to the brain. The brain then interprets this signal as a “flash” of light. When the retina is pulled, torn, or detached from the back of the eye, people often notice flashes or flickers of light. Depending on how severe the pulling, tear, or detachment is, these flashes may be brief or may continue indefinitely until the retina is treated.

Some people experience flashes of light that appear as jagged lines or “heat waves” in both eyes, usually lasting 10 to 20 minutes. These types of visual phenomena are usually caused by a spasm of blood vessels in the brain. If a headache follows these visual disturbances (including flashes of light), the condition is called migraine with aura. When the flashes occur without a subsequent headache, this is referred to as ocular migraine (or visual migraine).

Laser Treatments

A less invasive laser procedure, called laser vitreolysis, is often considered a safer alternative to vitrectomy for treating eye floaters. In this in‑office procedure, a laser beam is directed into the eye through the pupil and focused on the larger vitreous strands, breaking them up and/or vaporizing them so that they disappear or become much less noticeable.

To determine whether you are a good candidate for laser vitreolysis to treat lines or floaters in your vision, your ophthalmologist will consider several factors, including:Lines in the eye are tiny spots you see in your field of vision. They may look like black dots, specks, rings, or “cobwebs” that drift aimlessly across what you’re looking at. Although they can be annoying, eye floaters (as they’re commonly called) are very common and usually not a sign of anything serious.

Read also: Everything You Need to Know About Eye Floaters | Causes and Treatment

Eye floaters develop in the vitreous body, the clear, gel‑like substance that fills the back chamber of the eye and helps it maintain its round, globe‑like shape. For this reason, these lines or threads in the eye are called vitreous floaters.

The vitreous is mostly made of water, but it also contains a protein called collagen. As you get older, the vitreous becomes less gel‑like and more watery. When this happens, some of the collagen fibers inside the vitreous can clump together and form structures that look like strands or lint.

These irregular collagen clumps float in the more liquid vitreous and can interfere with the light passing through the eye. When they drift close to the light‑sensitive retina at the back of the eye, they cast small shadows on it. These shadows are what we perceive as lines or floaters in our vision.

Read also: Causes of Yellow Eyes, Treatment, and Indications

When Are the Lines Most Noticeable?

You’re more likely to notice vitreous floaters when you’re looking at a clear or overcast sky. They often appear in your peripheral vision, which makes it easy to mistake a floater for a small insect flying in front of your face.

People also tend to notice floaters more when staring at a computer screen with a white or light‑colored background. Once you become aware of floaters, it can be hard to ignore them, especially if you’re anxious or under stress.

Because the collagen clumps that cause these lines are usually suspended in the peripheral part of the vitreous, it can be almost impossible to look at them directly. When you move your eyes to try to see them better, the floater moves in the same direction and then drifts back into your peripheral vision and out of direct sight.

Read also: Conjunctivitis of the Eye: Types, Causes, and Treatment

When Do Lines in the Eye Become a Medical Emergency?

Underlying Causes

Normally, light entering your eye stimulates the retina. This stimulation generates an electrical signal that is carried by the optic nerve to the brain, where it is interpreted as light or an image.

If the retina is stimulated mechanically (physically touched, pulled, or tugged), a similar electrical signal is sent to the brain. The brain then interprets this signal as a “flash” of light. When the retina is pulled, torn, or detached from the back of the eye, people often notice flashes or flickers of light. Depending on how severe the pulling, tear, or detachment is, these flashes may be brief or may continue indefinitely until the retina is treated.

Some people experience flashes of light that appear as jagged lines or “heat waves” in both eyes, usually lasting 10 to 20 minutes. These types of visual phenomena are usually caused by a spasm of blood vessels in the brain. If a headache follows these visual disturbances (including flashes of light), the condition is called migraine with aura. When the flashes occur without a subsequent headache, this is referred to as ocular migraine (or visual migraine).

Laser Treatments

A less invasive laser procedure, called laser vitreolysis, is often considered a safer alternative to vitrectomy for treating eye floaters. In this in‑office procedure, a laser beam is directed into the eye through the pupil and focused on the larger vitreous strands, breaking them up and/or vaporizing them so that they disappear or become much less noticeable.

To determine whether you are a good candidate for laser vitreolysis to treat lines or floaters in your vision, your ophthalmologist will consider several factors, including: