Why is there a speck in my vision?

If you can see a speck in your vision, it could be an indication of eye floaters. These appear as small specks that drift through your vision. They could be noticeable when you look into something that is bright such as blue skies or white paper. They can be annoying, but shouldn’t cause any real problems with your eyesight. Floaters are extremely common and may look like strands, webs, clouds, spots, wavy lines or squiggles amongst other shapes.

If you suffer from a large floater, it can cause a shadow over your vision. It is possible to live with floaters. It’s only in extreme cases they require medical treatment.

Floaters can result from a number of conditions. These are discussed below.

Eye injury

If your eye has suffered from any trauma, such as an eye infection, conjunctivitis, force to the eye or long-term use of contact lenses, these can cause floaters in your visual field. Once the associated condition has been cleared up, you usually find that your floaters begin to reduce or disappear altogether.

Diabetic retinopathy

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you could be suffering from diabetic retinopathy if your condition isn’t well controlled. This condition often goes undiagnosed until it’s too late. You might not have any further symptoms until your condition becomes severe. However, some symptoms you may notice include an inability to see colours, blurred vision, a loss of central vision when you drive or read and back spots in vision.

Eye tumours

This is a mass or growth that occurs either next to or in the eye. The cause is dependent on the type of tumour you have. Additional symptoms to eye floaters may include a bulging eye, blurred vision, foreign body sensation, double vision, discomfort or pain in the eye, limited eye or lid movement and a cloudy or white spot on the eye.

When to call your local optician

In certain circumstances, eye floaters could be the sign of a more serious condition such as a detached or torn retina, bleeding in your vitreous, an inflamed retina or vitreous or an autoimmune condition. Therefore it’s important that if your floaters begin to affect your vision, or your symptoms become worse with additional eye pain or strain, then you contact your local optician for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan in order for your vision to return to normal.