Floaters and Flashes

Floaters and flashes are common eye symptoms. Many people describe them as " specks" or lightning flashes in their eyesight. Many times, these symptoms are nothing more than bothersome- they may not affect your site or lead to a more serious eye problem. Sometimes, however, floaters and flashes are more than bothersome. Some people with floaters and flashes develop serious eye problems. For this reason it is very important for anyone who has floaters are flashes to see an eye doctor. To help you better understand how floaters and flashes can effect your eyes, refer back again to our explanation regarding how your eye works.

What are Floaters?

In young people, the jelly- like vitreous in the middle of the eye is firm, like cold jello. It fills the center of the eye ball and is in contact with the entire surface of the retina. As we age, the vitreous changes. It becomes less solid and more liquid. (See figure below) When this happens, floaters and flashes may develop.

A floater is a particle in the eye which has always been there - it only becomes noticeable when the vitreous becomes more like liquid and allows the floater to move around. Floaters may appear in a variety of shapes, including spots, clouds, flecks, grids, specks, spider webs, strings, and wavy lines. Most of the time floaters do not indicate that there is anything wrong with your eyes. They may be bothersome but they usually do not harm sight.

Are floaters sometimes a danger signal?

Unfortunately, not all floaters are harmless. Sometimes they are a sign of serious eye problems. Remember that as we grow older, the vitreous changes and gets more liquid. Sometimes, the vitreous becomes so liquid that it suddenly shrinks and pulls away from the retina. This sudden change is called a vitreous separation or vitreous detachment. A vitreous separation is pictured below:

When the vitreous pulls away from the retina, many floaters are suddenly seen, and this may be a sign that the retina is in danger. This is because the vitreous can tug at the edge of the retina. When there is tugging, people often see sudden bursts of light or very quick flashes. If the vitreous pulls on the retina hard enough, it can rip or tear the retina. Most retinal holes or tears will not damage your eyesight, but they may lead to a serious condition called retinal detachment.

Retinal detachment is a condition the where the retina peels away from the eye wall like wallpaper peeling off a wall. When this occurs the retina stops working and sight is lost.

How are holes or tears in the retina repaired?

In order to prevent retinal detachment, retina specialists recommended treating the most retinal tears or holes with either laser treatment or cryotherapy. Both kinds of treatment cause a seal to form around the retinal hole or tear. By sealing the hole or tear, a retinal detachment can usually be prevented. Both the laser and cryotherapy procedures can be performed in the doctor's office or outpatient clinic. With the laser, a very concentrated beam of light is focused around the hole or tear to seal it. Cryotherapy involves using a pencil - like instrument to freeze around the hole. Both procedures are equally effective and cause little discomfort.

Is follow-up treatment required?

In most cases, laser treatment or cryotherapy will seal the retinal hole and prevent a retinal detachment. After treatment, an eye patch may be worn for a day or so and eye drops may be prescribed. Several follow-up retina examinations are usually necessary to be sure the treatment has been effective and the retina is not detaching.

How is a retinal detachment repaired?

If just a small amount of the retina has detached, laser treatment or cryotherapy can be used to stop the detachment. However, most retinal detachments require a delicate surgery to put the retina back into position. This surgery is usually performed in a hospital. Many times, the surgery performed to repair the detached retina will be successful in restoring eyesight. Sometimes, however, a detached retina can only be partly repaired and some eyesight may be permanently lost. For this reason, it is very important to see your eye doctor immediately if you suddenly develop floaters and/or flashes. Only a trained expert can tell if the floaters and flashes are just an annoying symptom, or if they mean that there has been tearing of the retina or retinal detachment. Remember: Retinal tears and holes are more likely to develop if you suddenly notice a shower of floaters or flashes of light. About one person in 10 who has sudden floaters or flashes will have a retinal tear. If the hole or tear is not detected and is left untreated, it could lead to loss of sight from a retinal detachment.