What causes sudden floaters in the eyes?

Sudden onset of floaters in the eye generally refers to the symptom of suddenly seeing floating dark spots in the visual field. The sudden appearance of moving black shadows may be caused by conditions such as vitreous degeneration, cataracts, or glaucoma.

1. Vitreous Degeneration

This condition causes the vitreous body of the eye to change from a gel-like to a more liquid state, potentially disrupting normal electrical signal transmission in the optic nerve. When signal transmission along the optic nerve is impaired or interrupted, symptoms such as blurred vision, floating black spots or wavy lines in the visual field, and decreased vision may occur.

2. Cataracts

This disease leads to rapid breakdown of lens proteins and fibers within the eye, impairing their normal transparency. Over time, patients may gradually develop symptoms including blurred or dimmed vision, dark spots or drifting shadows in the visual field, and increased sensitivity to light and glare.

3. Glaucoma

If left untreated or uncontrolled, this disease can damage the optic nerve. This results in impaired transmission of visual information from the eye to the brain, leading to symptoms such as eye pain or pressure, dark spots or lines in the visual field, and even sudden vision loss.

Other conditions, such as retinal holes, can also cause similar adverse symptoms. The exact cause can only be definitively diagnosed after a thorough medical examination.