musca volitans, muscae volitantes, floater, spots (noun)

spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens

"floaters seem to drift through the field of vision"

floater (noun)

a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills)

vagrant, drifter, floater, vagabond (noun)

a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support

floater (noun)

an employee who is reassigned from job to job as needed

floater (noun)

a voter who votes illegally at different polling places in the same election

floater (noun)

a swimmer who floats in the water

floater (noun)

an object that floats or is capable of floating

floater, floating policy (noun)

an insurance policy covering loss of movable property (e.g. jewelry) regardless of its location

floater (Noun)

Agent noun of float; one who floats.

floater (Noun)

An employee of a company who does not have fixed tasks to do but fills in wherever needed, usually when someone else is away.

floater (Noun)

A threadlike speck in the visual field that seems to move, possibly caused by degeneration of the vitreous humour.

floater (Noun)

An "extra" male at a dinner party, or a young friend of the hostess, whose assignment is to entertain the female guests.

floater (Noun)

(insurance) A policy covering property at more than one location or which may be in transit.

floater (Noun)

(police jargon) A floating corpse picked up from a body of water.

floater (Noun)

An unaffiliated player.

floater (Noun)

A maneuver in which a surfer transitions above the unbroken face of the wave onto the lip, or on top of the breaking section of the wave.

floater (Noun)

A piece of faeces that floats.

floater (Noun)

A coin which does not spin when thrown in the air.

floater (Noun)

Someone who attaches themselves to a group of people, much to the dismay of that group, and repeatedly shows up to participate in group activities despite attempts to get rid of, or flush, that person.

floater (Noun)

A pie floater.

Floater

Floaters are deposits of various size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility within the eye’s vitreous humour, which is normally transparent. At a young age, the vitreous is transparent, but as one ages, imperfections gradually develop. The common type of floater, which is present in most people’s eyes, is due to degenerative changes of the vitreous humour. The perception of floaters is known as myodesopsia, or less commonly as myodaeopsia, myiodeopsia, myiodesopsia. They are also called Muscae volitantes, or mouches volantes. Floaters are visible because of the shadows they cast on the retina or refraction of the light that passes through them, and can appear alone or together with several others in one’s visual field. They may appear as spots, threads, or fragments of cobwebs, which float slowly before the observer’s eyes. Since these objects exist within the eye itself, they are not optical illusions but are entoptic phenomena.

Floater

Floaters or eye floaters are sometimes visible deposits (e.g., the shadows of tiny structures of protein or other cell debris projected onto the retina) within the eye's vitreous humour ("the vitreous"), which is normally transparent, or between the vitreous and retina. They can become particularly noticeable when looking at a blank surface or an open monochromatic space, such as blue sky. Each floater can be measured by its size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility. They are also called muscae volitantes (Latin for 'flying flies'), or mouches volantes (from the same phrase in French). The vitreous usually starts out transparent, but imperfections may gradually develop as one ages. The common type of floater, present in most people's eyes, is due to these degenerative changes of the vitreous. The perception of floaters, which may be annoying or problematic to some people, is known as myodesopsia, or, less commonly, as myodaeopsia, myiodeopsia, or myiodesopsia. It is not often treated, except in severe cases, where vitrectomy (surgery), laser vitreolysis, and medication may be effective. Floaters are visible either because of the shadows imperfections cast on the retina, or because of the refraction of light that passes through them, and can appear alone or together with several others as a clump in one's visual field. They may appear as spots, threads, or fragments of "cobwebs", which float slowly before the observer's eyes, and move especially in the direction the eyes move. As these objects exist within the eye itself, they are not optical illusions but are entoptic phenomena (caused by the eye itself). They are not to be confused with visual snow, which is similar to the static on a television screen, although these two conditions may co-exist as part of a number of visual disturbances which include starbursts, trails, and afterimages.