Eye flashes and floaters are usually harmless and can appear for several reasons:
Eye Flashes: Occur when the vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills the interior of the eye) presses, bumps, or pulls against the retina. This can occur naturally or after an impact to the eye, rubbing the eyes, forcibly squeezing the eyes shut, and other similar events. It can also occur if there are complications during posterior vitreous detachment.
Eye floaters: Occur most commonly as a result of age-related changes to the vitreous. Over time, bits of the vitreous may clump together, creating shadows (what we see as floaters) on the retina. Floaters can also develop following a retinal tear, retinal detachment, eye infection, eye inflammation, tumor growth, ocular hemorrhage, or other eye conditions.
For most, eye flashes and eye floaters do not require the attention of your eye doctor. However, there are instances where their presence indicates a serious issue. If you notice many flashes or floaters suddenly, it’s important to contact your ophthalmologist.
Flashes in Eyes
Eye flashes, clinically known as photopsias, occur when the vitreous, or the jelly-like substance that fills the inside of the eyes, rubs, bumps, presses, or pulls against the retina in the back of the eye. If you’ve ever heard of someone “seeing stars” after a hit to the head or face, what they are seeing are the flashes created by the brief impact of the vitreous against the retina.
What Can Eye Flashes Look Like?
Flashes can look different with each event. The most common descriptions of eye flashes are:
- Lightning bolts
- Shooting stars
- Sparkles
- Arcs of light
Causes of Eye Flashes
There are several reasons why the vitreous may affect the retina, including:
Posterior Vitreous Detachment
The aging process includes events and conditions that are totally normal but cause eye flashes to appear occasionally. Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is such a condition where the vitreous detaches from the retina, resulting in an increase in eye flashes. For most, this event is not painful, and it does not threaten eye health or eyesight. However, there can be complications during the detachment, where the detachment leads to damage of the retina or the macula.
Without complications, PVD-related flashes can last up to six months following detachment but tend to settle down afterward.
Impact to the Eye or Head
Whether you get hit in the face with a soccer ball or suffer a more traumatic injury to the face or head, the impact can cause the vitreous to quickly bump against the retina, leading to a sudden onset of flashes.
Impact-related flashes can last minutes, or they can appear off and on for a few weeks or months.
Ocular inflammation
Ocular inflammation can result from an eye injury, infection, medication reaction, tobacco use, poor diet, and more. When the eye becomes inflamed, the vitreous presses against the retina, causing flashes to develop.
Depending on the cause of the inflammation, the period of flashing can last minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months.
Migraine Development
Many who suffer from migraines report seeing flashes, haloes of light, or light auras in their line of vision before the migraine sets in. These instances of flashes or light disturbances only last as long as the migraine does and usually fade before the migraine clears completely.
Additional Complications
Some serious complications that require medical attention can result in eye flashes. These include:
- Retinal detachment
- Traumatic brain injury
- Tumor development on or near the optic nerve
- Optic neuritis
- Vertebrobasilar insufficiency
Floaters in Eyes
Eye floaters, clinically known as myodesopsias, occur when the vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills the inside of the eyes) thickens and clumps together. The clumping can cast shadows on the back of your retina, causing you to see odd shapes in your field of vision. Unfortunately, floaters are permanent once they develop. But fortunately, they do not pose a risk to your health or vision and go unnoticed the majority of the time.
Floaters are most noticeable when you are looking at something bright and plain, like a clear sky, white piece of paper, word document on a computer screen, or something similar.
What Can Eye Floaters Look Like?
Floaters can take several shapes, including:
- Squiggles
- Dots
- Cobwebs
- Blobs
- Specks
- Faint shadows
Many times, floaters seem translucent and barely noticeable. Other times, they may be darker and more obstructive to what you are trying to look at.
Floaters can be frustrating to notice in the moment and difficult to “blink away,” but you typically start to ignore them as you focus on other things.
Causes of Eye Floaters
There are several reasons eye floaters can develop, including:
Age
Eye floaters are a part of the natural aging process for many humans, particularly the process of posterior vitreous detachment (PDV) when the vitreous detaches from the retina. As mentioned in the flashes section, PDV is not painful or threatening to your eye health or eyesight. However, complications can cause damage to the retina or the macula.
Nearsightedness
People who are nearsighted tend to develop floaters thanks to the shape of their eyes. Nearsighted patients are naturally more prone to experience PVD, increasing their likelihood of also experiencing floaters.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy often leads to damaged blood vessels in the eyes. Following damage, dark floaters can appear in your line of vision.
Ocular Inflammation
Inflammation in the eye can cause your vitreous to clump together, creating floaters. Inflammation-causing conditions can include eye infections, high-fat diets, smoking and tobacco use, eye injuries, medication reactions, and more.
Tumor Development
Tumors that develop on the eyes, optic nerve, brain, or pituitary glands can affect the vitreous, causing it to thicken and clump together, resulting in floaters.
While Usually Harmless, Flashes and Floaters in Eyes Can Be a Sign of a More Serious Condition. Know the state of Your Ocular Health With a Visit to Vision Eye Group.
Your eye health and the quality of your eyesight matter. If you’re concerned about the floaters in your eyes or eye flashes, our ophthalmologists can examine your eyes and check for more serious complications. Should we discover something that requires ocular or medical attention, we will begin a treatment plan right away.
Schedule an eye exam with our team today.
Call 478-744-1710 to schedule your appointment.
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