What makes eye floaters to become more disturbing?

Age, inflammation: Age and inflammation/infection can commonly casuse the gel-like fluid (vitreous) in the eye to liquefy and break apart leading to loose floaters. More than 50% of 80 year olds will have a vitreous detachment. 40 % of people with posterior vitreous detachments who also experience light flashes can have a 15% chance of developing a retinal tear. Therefore see an opthalomologist immediately.

Floaters: They can shift or move to a different location in the vitreous, causing symptoms that you notice more with activities of daily living.

Probably benign: Floaters are common and become more so in middle years (age 45-70). Isolated 1-3 floaters without vision change, without flashes of light and without seeing a leafy vein pattern are probably not a problem. If any of these occurs, see an ophthalmologist. The presence of a floater or two alone without accompanying symptoms usually is not a problem.