Floaters and Flashes

18 Jun Floaters and Flashes

Floaters look like small hair-like or mosquito-like or cobwebs in the field of vision, especially when looking at something plain and light coloured (like a blank wall or a blue sky). While they seem to be in front of the eye, they are actually floating inside the eye.

Flashes can look like flickering lights or lightning streaks in the field of vision mostly seen at night or in dark rooms. They might be seen on and off for weeks, or even months.
As we age, the jelly inside the eye (called vitreous) starts to shrink. This process can create some clumps or strands of various shapes in the vitreous which cast a shadow on the retina and appear as floaters.

The vitreous then starts to pull away from the back of the eye, in a process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Flashes are seen when the vitreous pulls on the retina. If the pull is strong, then the retinal blood vessels may rupture causing bleeding inside the eye. An even stronger pull can cause a retinal tear that can lead to retinal detachment and subsequent loss of vision.

Floaters are usually not serious, and they tend to fade or go away over time. Severe floaters can be removed by surgery, but this is seldom necessary.

The risk of developing floaters in more in those with high minus numbers, after cataract surgery and in eyes that had swelling in the past.

It is important to show the eye doctor if:

• lot of new floaters are seen
• lot of flashes are seen
• a shadow appears in the peripheral (side) vision