In a nutshell
Against a uniform blue background, tiny bright dots can move quickly along short, winding paths. They differ from the more slowly drifting dark vitreous floaters.
Why does it happen?
Red blood cells absorb blue light more strongly than white blood cells. When white blood cells pass through fine retinal vessels, moving brightness differences result. The relevant capillaries lie around the vessel-free center of the fovea, not directly in front of its center.
Frequency
The blue-field phenomenon is a normal entoptic effect that not everyone notices equally clearly. How often it is noticed spontaneously is not the same as its visibility in experiments.
Frequency is a qualitative description, not your individual probability.
Is it normal?
The dots arise from structures in one’s own eye.
Does this happen to you?
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Sources (1)
- Investigation of the source of the blue field entoptic phenomenon (opens a new tab)
The findings support the view that white blood cells in retinal capillaries create the bright moving dots.
Editorial update: . AI-assisted research and editing; not individually reviewed by a physician. How we research
