What are floaters/flashes?
Floaters can come in different shapes and sizes and look like specks, dots, lines or cobwebs. Floaters are a very common occurrence as many people experience this at different stages of their lives. One can notice floaters when looking at blank backgrounds or at a blue sky. Flashes, on the other hand, look like lightning streaks or flashes of light. This occurs when the retina is stimulated by the vitreous pulling on it.
When we are born, the vitreous humor is attached to the retina and with time, the vitreous humor begins to liquify and start to pull away from the retina. The process of the vitreous collapsing and pulling away from the retina is referred to as posterior vitreous detachment. When this happens, people start to see floaters which are protein debris from the vitreous gel and become more noticeable as they enter your field of vision; some will experience flashes of light every time the retina is stimulated.
What to expect?
When the first experiencing flashes and floaters, it’s recommended to have a dilated retinal examination as in the first 6-8 weeks, people are more likely to develop a retinal tear/detachment. After this time period, the risk reduces but people can still have residual flashes and floaters. People should give these symptoms a few weeks to a few months to settle down as normally this improves over time. There are certain cases where floaters become an annoyance in a person’s life and hinder important activities such as reading, driving and work. When this becomes the case, the doctor can offer vitrectomy in order to remove the floaters. Although floaters are mostly benign, some floaters can be caused by other retinal diseases such as retinal tear/detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, or inflammation in the eye. For this reason as well, a dilated exam is recommended to rule out any of these possibilities.