Flashes & Floaters
What are Floaters and Flashes?
Floaters are small shapes that drift across your field of vision, appearing as dots, circles, lines, or cobweb-like strands. Flashes are brief streaks or arcs of light, often noticed in dim lighting or when moving your eyes. At Unia Opticians, we regularly assess patients experiencing these symptoms to determine their cause and ensure your retina is healthy.
Most floaters are caused by normal age-related changes in the vitreous gel that fills your eye, and whilst annoying, they’re usually harmless. However, new or sudden floaters and flashes can sometimes indicate serious problems requiring urgent attention.
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When to Seek Urgent Assessment
Whilst occasional floaters are common and usually benign, certain symptoms require prompt professional assessment. Contact us immediately if you experience a sudden increase in floaters, new flashes of light, a shadow or curtain moving across your vision, or sudden blurring.
These symptoms could indicate a retinal tear or detachment, which requires urgent treatment to prevent permanent vision loss. Even if you’ve had floaters for years, any sudden change warrants examination. We prioritise appointments for patients with these symptoms to ensure any serious problems are identified and treated quickly.
Causes and Risk Factors
The most common cause of floaters is posterior vitreous detachment, a normal age-related process where the vitreous gel shrinks and pulls away from the retina. This is usually harmless but occasionally causes retinal tears. Other causes include bleeding in the eye, inflammation, or very rarely, more serious conditions.
You’re at higher risk of problematic floaters if you’re short-sighted, have had eye surgery or injury, have diabetes, or have inflammation in your eyes. Understanding your risk factors helps us assess your symptoms appropriately and determine what examination and monitoring you need.
Examination and Diagnosis
When you visit us with flashes or floaters, we’ll perform a thorough examination of your retina and vitreous. This typically involves dilating your pupils with eye drops to give us a clear view of your entire retinal surface, including the far periphery where tears often occur.
We use specialist lenses and bright illumination to examine every area carefully, looking for any signs of tears, holes, or detachment. If we identify any problems, we’ll arrange urgent referral to a retinal specialist. If your retina is healthy, we’ll explain the cause of your symptoms and advise on monitoring.
Living with Floaters
If your floaters are caused by normal vitreous changes and your retina is healthy, they’re usually just a nuisance rather than a threat to your vision. Most people find that floaters become less noticeable over time as the brain learns to ignore them.
They may settle below your line of sight or become less prominent, though they rarely disappear completely. Whilst there’s no treatment needed for harmless floaters, you should remain vigilant for any changes. If you notice a sudden increase in floaters, new flashes, or any other concerning symptoms, contact us immediately for reassessment.
Get Your Symptoms Checked Promptly
Don’t ignore new flashes or floaters. Call us today for a thorough retinal examination and peace of mind about your eye health.
