Flashes of light sometimes also appear as symptoms of migraine headaches. Retinal detachment must be treated immediately or you can risk a permanent loss of vision. This often happens when the vitreous is pulling on the retina which would be a warning sign of a retinal detachment. The most common of these is seeing flashes of light. There are some cases where seeing spots is accompanied by other symptoms that could be a sign that there is a more serious underlying problem. A torn retina can lead to a retinal detachment which is a very serious condition where the retina separates from the back of the eye and if untreated can lead to permanent vision loss. Retinal Tears or Detachment: Retinal tears or detachments can be a cause of floaters. This includes cataract surgery and laser surgery as well as other types of eye surgery.Įye Disease: Certain eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, eye tumors or severe inflammation can lead to floaters. You are also more likely to develop floaters if you are nearsighted.Įye Surgery or Injury: Individuals who have previously had an injury, trauma or eye surgery are more susceptible to floaters. These clumps block some of the light passing through your eye, causing the shadows which appear as floaters. With time, the fibers in the vitreous begin to shrink and clump up as they pull away from the back of the eye. If the floaters are so serious that they are blocking your vision, a surgical procedure to remove the clumps may be performed.Īge: Although floaters may be present at any age, they are often more apparent as a result of aging. In most cases, there is no treatment for floaters, people just get used to them, however if there are more serious symptoms that accompany them, there could be an underlying problem such as inflammation, diabetes or a retinal tear that needs to be addressed and treated. Patients usually see them more when they are looking at a plain background, like the blue sky or a white wall. Usually, floaters don’t go away, but you tend to get used to them and eventually notice them less. They can appear as dark dots, threads, squiggles, webs, or even rings.īut what causes them to appear? Floaters are shadows from clumps of fibers within the vitreous, the jelly-like substance in your eye, that are cast on the retina at the back of the eye. Usually they move away when you try to focus on them. If however, your floaters are accompanied by a sudden loss of vision, pain or flashes, they could be a sign of an underlying serious eye condition and should be checked out by an eye doctor as soon as possible.įloaters, like their name, are specks or spots that float in and out of your visual field. Usually they are harmless, a benign, albeit annoying sign of aging. Eye floaters are spots, squiggles or flecks that appear to drift into your visual field.

Spots before your eyes