The appearance of filaments in the eye may be due to filamentous keratitis, which is characterized by a large number of filaments on the surface of the cornea and causes a foreign body sensation in the eye, photophobia, and tearing. For more obvious filaments, the filaments can be removed in the hospital under superficial anesthesia and topical antibiotic eye ointment can be applied. If translucent filaments are present in the eye and both ends are free, they are commonly associated with dry eye and can be treated with artificial tears to reduce secretions.