They are known as floaters or, more formally, muscae volitantes – Latin for 'flying flies'. Like regular flies, muscae volitantes are rather pesky, so it's not surprising that people want to banish ...

Floaters don't just come out of nowhere. Eye floaters occur when the vitreous inside the eye starts to shrink due to aging. Some of the strands of vitreous may then clump together. When these strands ...