UPMC Eye Center

Flashes and Floaters

Floaters are harmless specks, strands, or cobwebs that float in one's field of vision. These small blotches are also usually more noticeable in bright light or when looking at a white background. Floaters occur naturally with age.

The vitreous, the jelly-like substance which fills the inside of the eye, is clear. As people grow older, strands of the vitreous attach to each other and float around inside the eye. When light strikes these strands, shadows are formed, and a person sees them as floaters. It is normal for people over the age of 50 to experience some floaters. Many young people experience floaters as well.

However, the sudden appearance of large floaters may be an indicator of the detachment of the vitreous from the back wall of the eye, a condition known as posterior vitreous detachment.

Flashes, or bursts of light, can occur when the retina is damaged. The retina is the part of the eye responsible for collecting and sending information about light to the brain. These flashes are the retina’s way of warning that there may be a hole, tear, or detachment of the retina. Flashes can occur as a side effect of migraine headaches, but these flashes are not accompanied by the blurred vision of retinal damage and do not signal eye damage.

Diagnosis
In order to determine the cause of floaters and/or flashes, your doctor will thoroughly examine your retina during a dilated eye exam.

Flashes and floaters are common reasons for patients visiting the eye doctor. Any sudden or new flashes or floaters should be reported to your eye doctor.

Treatment
Treatment will depend on the cause of the flashes or floaters. If an eye doctor cannot determine the cause of a person’s symptoms, the patient may be asked to return for re-examination at a later date. Unfortunately, most patients will have to live with their floaters.  With time, the floaters should settle down to the bottom of the eye due to gravity.  Any flashes related to retinal damage should cease once the problem has been treated. 

For more information, or to make an appointment with an eye doctor, please contact the UPMC Eye Center at 412-647-2200.

Website Terms of Use | E-mail Terms of Use | Medical Advice Disclaimer | UPMC
Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences | Contact UPMC