Get rid of eye floaters

Up to 76% of us have eye floaters (dots or squiggles that drift across our vision). Aging, rubbing your eyes, coughing, sunlight exposure, and even straining during bowel movements can break down collagen in the eye, as can injury or trauma, says Robert Abel Jr., M.D., author of The Eye Care Revolution. And when collagen fragments clump together, they cast shadows on the retina that we see as floaters. Here's how to see clearly.

- Melissa Gotthardt

Give it time

A study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology found that most floaters subside with time. One reason: Gravity can cause them to drop down and out of your line of sight over a period of weeks or even months. And fibers in the eye can contract over time too.

"This pulls them farther away from the retina and makes floaters smaller in appearance," Dr. Abel explains.