Editing Floater (section)

=== Vitreous detachments ===
[[File:Vitreous Floaters.jpg|right|thumb|Weiss ring: a large, ring shaped floater that is sometimes seen if the vitreous body releases from the back of the eye]]
As part of the normal human aging process the liquefied vitreous body loses support and contracts. This leads to [[posterior vitreous detachment]] in which the [[vitreous membrane]] is released from the sensory retina.<ref name="Alila Medical Media-2020" /> During this detachment, the shrinking vitreous can [[phosphene|stimulate the retina mechanically]],<ref name="Alila Medical Media-2020" /> causing the patient to see random flashes across the visual field, sometimes referred to as "flashers", a symptom more formally referred to as [[photopsia]]. The ultimate release of the vitreous around the optic nerve head sometimes makes a large floater appear, usually in the shape of a ring ("Weiss ring").<ref>{{cite web |title=Flashes & Floaters |url=http://www.agingeye.net/visionbasics/flashesandfloaters.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725211059/http://www.agingeye.net/visionbasics/flashesandfloaters.php |archive-date=25 July 2008 |access-date=2008-02-24 |publisher=The Eye Digest}}</ref>

Posterior vitreous detachment is more common in people who:
* are [[Near-sightedness|nearsighted]];
* have undergone [[cataract surgery]] or [[clear lens extraction]];
* have had [[Nd:YAG laser]] surgery of the eye;
* have had inflammation inside the eye.<ref>American Academy of Ophthalmology – patient education pamphlet</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=Source isn't cited properly, and isn't sufficient enough.|date=March 2022}}