Why am I Seeing Spots Before my Eyes

Have you ever squinted your eyes really hard or sneezed real big  and then you started seeing spots or things that seemed to be floating before your eyes immediately after? I’m sure if you have then you’ve asked yourself, why am I seeing spots before my eyes?

Some people refer to this as being little squigglies or floaters bouncing about in front of their eyes. But don’t start swatting and flailing like a maniac just yet, there is a rational explanation for what’s happening.
 

Where do the Spots or Floaties Come From?

Of course there are many different names for these little flashing fire flies that flutter about your eyes, and blinking rarely has any positive effect on this phenomena. So the real question is, what in the world are those tiny things, and where do they come from?

We’ll have to go all the way back to before you were born to uncover this mystery, but don’t worry, we’ll do it quickly.

These “floaters” as they’re sometimes called are actually tiny particles of what’s called the hyaloid artery. But what is that you may ask? The hyaloid artery is actually the artery that carried blood to your eyes while you were still in the womb. That’s right, while you were nothing more than a bun in the oven.

This hyaloid artery is a major factor in the growth of your eyes, but once your eyes are fully developed, the hyaloid artery will break loose and whither into nothing more than microscopic particles. But the problem is, these particles are sealed inside the eye, so you’re stuck with them, they have no where to go.

So basically you’ll be seeing these floaters for the rest of your life, but don’t worry, it’s nothing harmful and is almost like having a natural kaleidoscope to bring you hours of fun. lol, not really, most of you probably wouldn’t look at it that way, but anyway, it’s just a natural part of the growth process, a catalyst of the development phase if you will.

Are Floating Hyaloid Artery Fragments the Only Cause for Spots?

These floating fragments of the hyaloid artery are not the only cause for seeing spots or flashes of light in your eyes. On occasion the spots may appear more like flashes of light flickering in your eyes. Normally this type of spot only lasts for a few seconds but it’s not caused from the hyaloid artery fragments.

Usually these are caused by sharp or sudden movements, or maybe from hitting your head, it’s a by product of increased blood pressure within the vessels of your eyes. This increased blood pressure will actually cause the nerves in the eye to be fooled into thinking you’re seeing light particles.

You can actually simulate this by closing your eyes and pressing on the outside of your eyelid, creating a firm bit of pressure. Then you will begin to see bright splotches of light flashing about on the inside of your eyelids. If you really want a good experience, try this experiment in a dark room.

Can Spots be a Sign of Concern?

Normally spots and floaties are nothing at all to be concerned with, but there are a couple of exceptions. If you’ve received a major blow to the head by someone or something and it was followed by an abundance of dark spots then this could be something of major concern.
 
It’s possible that dark spots may be a sign that you’ve had blood vessels in your eye burst, or even worse, you could be suffering from a detached retina. What’s happening is, these dark spots are usually caused by droplets of blood floating around in your eye. So I would recommend seeing a physician immediately if you are having problems like this after receiving a good bump in the head.