On call: Floaters

Q. I'm 55 years old, and I only need glasses for reading. Recently though, I've seen tiny black specs that move around in random directions. My eyes are not red, watery, or painful, but I'm worried that I may have the start of an eye disease.

A. The short answer is that your symptoms suggest a common and medically unimportant problem called floaters. But since your eyesight could suffer if you neglect flashes or the sudden appearance of large or numerous floaters, a long answer may be helpful.