What are Flashes and Floaters?
Flashes, or the sensation of bright lights in the peripheral vision that are not really present, and floaters, or seeing something floating in the vision, such as strings or dots, are common eye conditions that appear as we get older.
As we age, the gel inside our eyes that allows it to maintain its round shape, called the vitreous, starts to thicken or shrink. Sometimes clumps or strands begin to form in the vitreous. If the vitreous begins to pull away from the back of the eye, it is called posterior vitreous detachment, and that is usually when floaters happen. Floaters are the tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous that fills your eye. They may appear as small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. Although they seem to be in front of your eye, they are actually floating inside, and what you are seeing is the shadows these clumps cast on your retina.
It is also common to see flashes in your field of vision as we age. Flashes occur when the vitreous rubs or pulls on your retina. Flashes can look like lightning streaks or flashes of light. This can sometimes be compared to seeing “stars”. You might see flashes on and off for weeks, or even months.
What are the symptoms of Flashes and Floaters?
Symptoms of floaters include:
- Small shapes in your vision (they may appear as dark specks, transparent strings of floating materials)
- Spots that seem to disappear or move when you move your eyes (Often when you try to look at them, they move quickly out of your line of vision)
- Spots that become most noticeable when you look at a plain background, such as a white wall or clear sky
- Small shapes or strings that drift in and out of the line of vision
Symptoms of flashes include:
- Jagged lines that look like heat waves in your vision
- Bright flashes of light
- Streaks of light across your vision
What are the causes of Flashes and Floaters?
The most common cause of flashes and floaters is age-related eye changes. As you age, the vitreous changes and begins to liquify and contract. This causes it to pull away from the eyeball’s inside surface, resulting in flashes and floaters. Flashes are also often an outcome of migraines and headaches. Migraines are a spasm of blood vessels in the brain which may affect your vision. It is common for headaches to start both before you see flashes or after.
Inflammation in the back of the eye is also a common cause of flashes and floaters. Uveitis is inflammation in the middle layer of tissue inside the eye wall (uvea), and posterior uveitis is inflammation in the back of the eye, which includes the retina and a layer called the choroid. These can both cause floaters in the vitreous. Inflammation in the back of the eye is often a result of an infection, autoimmune disorders and inflammatory diseases.
Another less common cause of Floaters and flashes is from blood pooling in the eye, sometimes from eye injuries, but often linked to diabetes. Diabetes can lead to a condition called diabetes-related retinopathy, which causes blood from the retina to bleed into the vitreous. If you have diabetes, we highly recommend regular eye exams to check your vision and eye health.
How will you know if you have it? What are the treatment options?
Floaters are typically not serious, and will usually tend to fade and become less noticeable over time. If severe, they can be removed by surgery, but this can come with risks and is rarely necessary or recommended. However, changes in the vitreous gel can cause pulling or tearing of the delicate retina tissue and which leads to a serious condition known as retinal detachment. If it is caught early, a retinal detachment can usually be easily repaired with a laser. If it progresses to involve more of the retina, however, it can be difficult to repair and can result in permanent loss of vision and even blindness.
You may be prone to flashes and floaters in your vision if you:
- Are Older than 50 years of age
- Are nearsighted (have trouble seeing things that are farther away)
- Have diabetes
- Are prone to headaches and migraines
- Have had a eye injury
- Have had eye issues in the past like swelling and inflammation
- Have had surgery to correct cataracts
Though typically harmless and fairly normal to see flashes or floaters occasionally on their own, especially as we age, it is important to be aware of the combination of these along with other symptoms. This is commonly the first sign of retinal detachment and other serious problems inside of the eye. Remember that the earlier this is detected, the easier it is to treat.
