Floaters or Flashes? When to Worry and When to See an Eye Specialist

You may have heard of or have had an eye floater or two, which appear as black specks, squiggly lines, or spots in your vision. Are they dangerous? You may wonder whether you should call your eye doctor if you see a floater. You might also wonder what to do if you see a sudden flash of light in your vision. 

Wolchok Eye Associates, PA, board-certified ophthalmologists and our optometrist perform comprehensive eye exams if you experience a change in your vision. We determine if your floaters are a sign of eye disease. The good news is that in most cases, they’re harmless signs of aging. 

The same is true of seeing flashes of light — if they’re a rare occurrence. The following are helpful times to visit your eye doctor for floaters and flashes. 

What are eye floaters?

If you’ve ever seen a tiny dark spot or a squiggly line that looks like part of a cobweb in your field of vision, it’s a floater. Your eye, like other parts of your body, contains collagen fibers in the gel between the lens and the retina, called the vitreous humor. The fibers give your eye strength and structure. 

As you age, the collagen fibers in your eye can break down, just like other collagen elsewhere in your body. They can form clumps that are now floaters in your eye. Floaters become more visible against a plain white or bright background. 

If you’re highly myopic (nearsighted), you might also experience floaters because your eyeball becomes elongated, increasing the shrinkage of your vitreous humor gel. You may see your eye doctor more than once a year to ensure the condition of your vitreous gel isn’t leading to retinal detachment; it’s a serious condition that can lead to vision loss when the retina tears away from the back of the eye. 

What are flashes of light in your visual field? 

While pop songs speak of “flashes of light” as golden moments, in many cases, flashes of light may signal danger of a retinal tear. 

If you see rapid flashes of light in your vision, the vitreous gel may be starting to pull away from your retina, a condition identified as posterior vitreous detachment. Sometimes your body heals itself when this happens. At other times, bleeding or a retinal tear can occur.  

When to visit your eye specialist when you have floaters 

Occasional floaters aren’t a cause for concern. However, if any of the following conditions occur, call our office for an appointment:  

• A rapid increase in the number of floaters: A floater “shower”
• Flashes of light (photopsia) appear in the same eye as the floaters
• Loss of vision: Seeing only dark shadows, a gray “curtain,” and/or peripheral vision loss
• An increased number of floaters after an eye injury or surgery
• Blurry Vision
• Any sudden or significant change in vision 

The time to visit your eye specialist when you see flashes of light 

If you see a flash of light once in a “blue moon,” it’s probably not a cause for concern. However, experiencing multiple flashes of light can signal a serious eye condition, including a retinal tear or retinal detachment. Call our office for an appointment immediately if any of the following conditions occur: 

• A rapid increase in flashes of light in your vision 
• Loss of vision: Seeing only dark shadows and/or peripheral vision loss
• An increase in the number of floaters – more than a couple of specks or squiggles in your vision  
• Flashes of light that you see after an eye injury, such as a hit to the eye

Contact Wolchok Eye Associates, PA, or request an appointment through our online portal today if you experience sudden changes in your vision.