What are Flashes & Floaters?
Floaters are shadows that are cast inside our eyes when light enters the eye just the right way. These shadows can be caused by normal cellular material such as blood cells moving through your veins or large pieces of proteins floating inside your eye. Unfortunately, floaters can also be caused by something as dangerous as a retinal hole, tear, or detachment. If you are having new floaters, we recommend coming in for an urgent dilation to determine if your floaters are normal or if you are having a retinal detachment.
Flashes are quick lights that occur at the edge of vision. This can be caused by migraines or by cells that are being stimulated inside the eye. If you are having flashes, this may be a sign that something is pulling at the retina. We recommend urgent dilation to determine if there are any areas of your retina being torn if you are having quick light flashes.
What are Retinal Holes & Tears?
Retinal holes and tears are types of retinal conditions and are diagnosed as small breaks in the retina. Usually, holes and tears don’t immediately result in serious vision problems. However, retinal holes and tears may cause problems if fluid seeps behind the retina.
Fluid builds up behind the retina, can cause the retina to separate from the wall of the eye, damaging part of the retina.
Retinal holes and tears are urgent retinal diseases that can lead to total blindness.
What are the symptoms?
Sometimes retinal tears and holes have no symptoms. At other times, the symptoms are quite obvious, which can include:
- A dark shadow in your peripheral (side) vision
- Cloudy, blurry, or wavy vision
- Sudden floaters and flashes
If you’ve experienced any of the above symptoms, contact us immediately.
