Floaters and Light Flashes

Many people experience occasional eye floaters or flashes of light, especially as they age. These phenomena are often harmless but can sometimes indicate more serious conditions, such as retinal tears or detachment. Understanding the causes and risks of these symptoms can help you protect your eyesight and ensure prompt treatment. 

What are Eye Floaters?  

The eye is filled with a jelly-like material called vitreous, which shrinks and condenses over our lifetime and can pull away from its attachment to the retina. 

Once free, the jelly can float freely in our vision (noted by many as ‘floating spots’ or ‘eyespots’). This is a regular occurrence with advancing age and usually has no adverse consequences. While pulling away from the retina, the patient sometimes notices the vitreous as a ‘flashing light’ in the vision. 

What are Light Flashes?  

Light flashes, or photopsia, are brief bursts or flickers of light that can appear in your vision. These flashes are often described as lightning streaks or flickering lights. They occur when the vitreous pulls on the retina as it detaches, stimulating the retinal cells and creating the sensation of flashing lights. 

While occasional light flashes can be expected, especially as the vitreous changes with age, they may also indicate a retinal tear or detachment if accompanied by a significant increase in floaters or a shadow in your peripheral vision.  

What Causes Eye Floaters and Light Flashes?  

In some cases, as the jelly pulls away from the retina, a small tear can develop. This tear (not noticed/known by the patient) can begin to spread and separate from the retina and become a visually devastating retinal detachment. 

Retinal Detachments are serious conditions that can affect an eye for various reasons. They can be caused by trauma, high nearsightedness, vitreous detachments, and other retinal pathology. Retinal detachments can begin as dramatic as a loss of vision, resembling a curtain moving over the eye, or as subtle as flashing lights and floating spots. 

Because retinal detachments often lead to blindness if not treated, it is imperative to be seen immediately in our office with the onset of new flashing lights or floating spots to ensure that the simple vitreous detachment does not tear the retina. 

Treating Floaters and Flashes 

Occasional floaters and flashes do not require treatment; however, depending on the severity and location of the detachment or tear, several treatment options are available: 

1. A laser can seal small retinal tears and prevent them from progressing to a full detachment. The laser creates small burns around the tear, forming scar tissue that attaches the retina to the back of the eye. 
2. For certain retinal detachments, a gas bubble can be injected into the eye to push the retina back into place.  
3. Scleral buckling involves placing a flexible band around the outside of the eye to push the wall of the eye inward, helping the retina reattach.  
4. In cases where the vitreous gel has contributed to the detachment, a vitrectomy may be performed to remove the gel and replace it with a saline solution or gas bubble. 

Schedule an Appointment 

If you’ve noticed new floaters or flashes of light in your vision, it’s important to seek professional care as soon as possible. Don’t wait until your vision is at risk—schedule an appointment with Total Eye Care today for a thorough examination and personalized treatment plan. Your vision is our priority, and we’re here to ensure it stays healthy.  

Patient Portal

Financing

Forms

OUR TEAM

Our approach to patient care starts with our doctors who are devoted to creating a welcoming, and family-oriented relationship with our patients. We employ highly-trained staff to deliver the first-class attention that our patients have come to appreciate and expect.

Meet Our Team