text: my friend says she can see floating black spots around the outside corner of her eye...wth? is that?   they are called floaters. i have them also. floaters are the small spots you may occasionally see in your field of vision. the medical name for floaters is muscae volitantes. floaters can be seen in many different forms, including dots, threads, or cobwebs. floaters may seem to dart away when you try to look at them.most spots and eye floaters are merely annoying but harmless when they temporarily enter the field of vision, and many fade over time. people sometimes are interested in surgery to remove floaters, but doctors are willing to perform such surgery only in rare instances.  if you suddenly see new floaters, or eye floaters accompanied by flashes of light or peripheral vision loss, it could indicate serious conditions such as diabetic retinopathy; vascular abnormalities such as retinal hemorrhages or carotid artery disease, or the beginning of a retinal detachment. the retina can tear if the shrinking vitreous gel pulls away from the wall of the eye. this sometimes causes a small amount of bleeding in the eye that may appear as new floaters. you should see your eye doctor immediately.