Floaters and Flashes

What are Floaters and Flashes?

Floaters and flashes are visual disturbances often caused by changes in the vitreous gel, the clear, jelly-like substance inside the eye. While they are commonly related to aging, sudden or severe symptoms may indicate a more serious condition involving the retina, such as a tear or detachment.

Floaters appear as small specks, threads, or cobweb-like shapes in your field of vision. They are caused by tiny clumps of collagen within the vitreous gel that cast shadows on the retina as they move. As floaters move, they pass your macular, allowing you to see their shadow. Flashes are brief bursts or flickers of light, often seen in your peripheral vision. They occur when the vitreous gel pulls on or tugs the retina, which may irritate or even tear it.

The retina is located at the back of the eye and converts light into signals interpreted by the brain. The vitreous gel is a jelly-like substance made up of collagen that helps maintain the shape of the eyes.

Floaters and flashes can be caused when the vitreous membrane shrinks and detaches from the retina. Floaters and flashes can also be caused by retinal tears, aging, inflammation, bleeding, or other eye conditions.

What are the symptoms of Floaters and Flashes?

There are many ways to describe eye floaters and they come in many shapes. If you have floaters, you may see shapes such as spots, squiggly lines, spiderlike shapes, and threadlike shapes. You may also notice other symptoms such as:

• Blurred or reduced vision
• Flashes of light
• Murky shapes and images in the field of vision

In most cases, floaters and flashes are not a problem and are a normal part of the aging process.

However, if you notice symptoms such as a lot of new floaters or flashes, a shadow appearing in your peripheral vision or a gray curtain covering part of your vision, you should consult an ophthalmologist. It may be indicative of a more serious issue.

What causes Floaters and Flashes?

Floaters are commonly associated with aging and typically occur as the vitreous gel shrinks and separates from the retina — a process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).

Other less common causes of Floaters include:

• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Eye inflammation
• Tumors.

Flashes may occur when the vitreous gel tugs on the retina during separation. If the pulling is strong enough, it may cause a retinal tear. A warning sign of retinal tear is repeated flashes that occur within seconds or hours of each other.

How do you prevent Floaters and Flashes?

Here are some tips to maintain healthy eyes and clear sight?

• Routine eye examinations: Regular eye examinations allow for early detection of subtle changes that could lead to floaters and flashes. 
• Managing chronic conditions: You can prevent eye complications from developing by managing health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Keeping your overall heart health strong will help to ensure your eye health and vision remains strong. 
• Wearing protective eyewear: Wear sunglasses when going out to protect yourself from the sun's UV rays. Also, wear safety glasses when necessary to protect your eyes from any foreign objects or injuries. 
• Quit smoking: Smoking increases your risk of cataracts and optic nerve damage. The reduced blood flow caused by smoking also accelerates the ageing of your eyes. You can speak to your doctors about ways to quit smoking or follow some of our tips here.
• Following a healthy diet: Eating a healthy diet with leafy greens and fishes rich in omega-3 can help improve your eye health. 
• Stay hydrated: Dehydration can dry out the vitreous gel in your eyes and leave your eyes more susceptible to eye floaters due to clumping and shrinking caused by vitreous degeneration. 

How are Floaters and Flashes diagnosed?

Eye examination
An ophthalmologist will perform an eye examination to examine the retina for signs of tears, detachment, bleeding, or inflammation. Further imaging tests like ocular ultrasound or optical coherence tomography (OCT) may be done if necessary.