What Are Those “Floaty” Things In Your Eyes? [VIDEO]

What’s that thingamajig floating around in my eye? Do you see it? No? I’m pretty sure “floaty thing” is not quite the scientific term, but believe it or not we do all have these things in our eyes.

Ok, they’re actually called Muscae volitantes, but floaty things is so much easier to say, and you really shouldn’t be too concerned about them. They are not dangerous and they aren’t stealing your memories.

So what are these crazy things hanging out in the vicinity of your eyeball? Ok, here is my nerd explanation…

Ever wonder what those floaty things in your eyes are? Well, the folks at TED-Ed have an explanation, broken down into understandable terms that anyone — and not just those with biology degrees — can understand.

Inside your eyeball, there is a gel known as vitreous humour. Over time, the constituents of the vitreous humour break down and drift away, hence the name "floaters." According to science, floaters may be bits of protein or tissue, or perhaps red blood cells. These fragments "cast shadows on the retina," and thus, when they're closer to the retina, the stronger the shadow will be. Ok, I’ll take my dork hat off now. Take a look at this video.