Flashes and Floaters: Causes, Symptoms, and When to Seek Urgent Care
Seeing sudden flashes of light or new spots floating across your vision can be alarming. Although flashes and floaters are often caused by a normal age-related change inside the eye, they can also indicate a retinal tear or retinal detachment—conditions that require urgent treatment to protect your sight.
If you suddenly develop new flashes or floaters, contact Meadows Eye Physicians & Surgeons for an urgent dilated retinal examination. Do not wait for the symptoms to disappear on their own.
What Are Eye Floaters?
Floaters are small shapes that appear to move through your field of vision. They may look like:
- Small dots or specks
- Threads or squiggly lines
- Cobwebs
- Rings or circles
- Clouds or shadows
- A swarm of tiny insects
Floaters are usually most noticeable when looking at a bright, plain background, such as a white wall, computer screen, or clear sky. They appear to move when you move your eyes and may drift away when you try to look directly at them.
Floaters are not actually located in front of your eye. They are shadows cast on the retina by small clumps or strands within the vitreous—the clear, gel-like substance filling the inside of the eye.
What Are Flashes of Light?
Eye flashes may look like brief sparks, lightning streaks, flickering lights, or camera flashes. They frequently appear at the side of the vision and may be more noticeable in a dark room.
Flashes can occur when the vitreous gel pulls or rubs against the retina. Because this pulling can sometimes create a retinal tear, new flashes should always be evaluated promptly.
What Causes Flashes and Floaters?
The most common cause of sudden flashes and floaters is a posterior vitreous detachment, commonly called a PVD.
Posterior Vitreous Detachment
The inside of the eye is filled with vitreous, a transparent gel attached to the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye.
When we are younger, the vitreous has a firmer, more uniform consistency. As we age, it gradually becomes more liquefied and develops small clumps. Eventually, the vitreous may shrink and separate from the retina. This natural process is called a posterior vitreous detachment.
A PVD commonly causes:
- A sudden appearance or increase in floaters
- Flashes in the peripheral vision
- A large circular or ring-shaped floater
- Cobweb-like shadows
- Mildly blurry vision
A PVD is common, particularly after age 50, and most cases do not cause permanent damage. Symptoms often become less noticeable over several weeks or months as the brain adapts and the floaters move away from the center of vision.
However, it is impossible to determine from symptoms alone whether a PVD has occurred without damaging the retina. A prompt dilated retinal examination is essential.
Can Flashes and Floaters Mean a Retinal Tear?
Yes. As the vitreous separates, it can pull hard enough on the retina to create a tear. Approximately 10% of symptomatic posterior vitreous detachments may be associated with a retinal tear, although the risk varies based on the patient and clinical findings.
Fluid can pass through an untreated tear and collect underneath the retina. This can cause the retina to separate from the wall of the eye, resulting in a retinal detachment.
A retinal tear may be treated with laser therapy or cryotherapy to help prevent it from progressing to a retinal detachment. Early detection and treatment can be vision-saving.
Warning Signs of a Retinal Tear or Detachment
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- A sudden increase in the number of floaters
- New flashes of light
- Numerous dark spots resembling pepper or a swarm of insects
- A dark curtain, veil, or shadow moving across your vision
- Missing peripheral vision
- Sudden blurry or decreased vision
A retinal detachment is a medical emergency. It usually does not cause pain, so the absence of discomfort does not mean the condition is harmless.
The National Eye Institute advises patients with symptoms of retinal detachment to contact an eye doctor or visit an emergency room immediately. Prompt treatment can help prevent permanent vision loss.
Who Is at Greater Risk?
Flashes, floaters, retinal tears, and retinal detachment can affect anyone, but the risk may be higher if you:
- Are over age 50
- Are highly nearsighted
- Have previously had a retinal tear or detachment
- Have a family history of retinal detachment
- Have undergone cataract or other eye surgery
- Have experienced an eye injury
- Have lattice degeneration or thinning of the retina
- Have inflammation inside the eye
- Have certain retinal diseases
Patients who have experienced a PVD in one eye may eventually develop one in the other eye as well. Any new symptoms in either eye should be examined.
Urgent Evaluation for Flashes and Floaters in Las Vegas
Meadows Eye Physicians & Surgeons provides specialized retinal evaluation and treatment for patients experiencing flashes, floaters, retinal tears, and retinal detachments in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada.
Our retina specialists use comprehensive dilated examinations and advanced diagnostic technology to determine whether your symptoms are caused by a routine vitreous change or a condition requiring immediate treatment.
If you are experiencing sudden flashes, new floaters, a curtain over your vision, or sudden vision loss, contact Meadows Eye immediately for an urgent evaluation.
Call Meadows Eye Physicians & Surgeons at (702) 358-0472.