My 7-year-old daughter says she is seeing tiny black spots in her left eye at the top part of her vision. What could this be?

Floaters are very rare in children under 15. You should call right now to make an appointment for your daughter to have a complete eye exam. Be sure to mention when you call that this is for new floaters, not a routine eye exam, so the office staff can schedule your child to be seen immediately. All ophthalmologists, no matter how busy, always keep openings in their schedule every day for trauma, pain, loss of vision, or new floaters. Just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean it isn't serious.

Let your ophthalmologist know when your daughter first mentioned the floaters and how frequently she sees them. Also mention any trauma she may have had before seeing the floaters Many new floaters can be a sign of retinal tear or retinal detachment, or inflammation inside the eye.

Floaters in children are always a source of concern. We are concerned in adults if they have many new floaters, persistent flashing lights, or a curtain of blur or loss of vision. Floaters are common in older people and in very nearsighted people. Almost all nearsighted people have floaters by the time they are 20, and almost everyone over 70 has floaters.