Floaters and flashes can indicate retinal tear or retinal detachment that can lead to serious vision loss. However, some flashes and floaters are harmless. Many people, specifically older people, develop floaters and flashes due to posterior vitreous detachment, where the gel inside the eye changes its consistency due to ageing.
Let’s take a closer look at flashes and floaters and how they can affect you.
Likely Causes
The vitreous changing its shape usually causes flashes and floaters in your eyesight. This is a normal ageing process, however, this change in shape might cause traction on the retina, which in turn might cause a tear.
If you have a retinal hole or tear, liquid might pass through it and find its way behind the retina. In that case, you could develop retinal detachment.
Retinal detachments need urgent diagnosis and repair. The sooner you get retinal detachment surgery, the better the outcome. Small tears if detected early can be secured just with the help of OPD-based laser barrage procedures. But if there is a delay and an associated retinal detachment, surgery has to be performed to reattach the retina.
Nearsighted patients have a thinner or more stretched retina. This condition might lead to tears in the retina, which eventually can lead to retinal detachment.
Lastly, some flashes in your vision are caused by vascular issues and can be linked with migraines.
Posterior Vitreous Detachment & Its Symptoms
The vitreous gel can turn into a liquid in middle age and collapse away from the back of the eye. This condition is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).
When PVD ensues, more floaters than normal suddenly appear in the vision and photopsia (flashing lights) effects can occur along with blurred patches. It is crucial to see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible to check for probable retinal tears.
PVD is a common condition, however, if the retina is undamaged, then treatment isn’t required. Even if you have floaters, it will not worsen vision over time. With time, the floaters become less noticeable and the light flashes stop. They can be very annoying but there’s no simple way to get rid of them.
Link Between Posterior Vitreous Detachment & Retinal Detachment
A vitreous detachment is separate from a retinal detachment. However, vitreous detachment can cause a retinal detachment by tearing the retina as the vitreous gel retracts from the retina. Therefore, you will need a careful eye examination to assess the level of detachment and if treatment is required. Typically, retinal tears form when PVD occurs first. If there are no holes or tears, you should be fine.
However, if you develop more symptoms such as floaters, flashes or worsening vision, you need to seek professional advice immediately.
Floaters and flashes are symptoms of retinal detachment, but they don’t always indicate a detached retina. If you detect other sudden differences in your vision, such as shadows or stars in the field of your vision, book an appointment with Laxmi Netralaya.