Floaters And Flashes Specialist
Eye floaters or flashes could be a warning signal that something is wrong with your eyes and an underlying eye condition might be brewing. You can receive top quality eye exams at Tayani Institute with locations in Orange County, California. The Tayani Institute ophthalmologists and optometrists spend time with each patient and utilize the latest state-of-the-art tools and technology to achieve the best possible results. To set up your visit, call or use the online booking tool.
Floaters and Flashes Q & A
What are eye floaters?
Inside your eyes, you have a jelly-like material called the vitreous. Microscopic collagen fibers within this jelly-like material can clump together forming small bits of debris that cast tiny shadows on your retina.
You perceive these small shadows as floaters or small gray or black specks or dots, strings, or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes. They appear to dart away quickly when you try to look directly at them.
What causes eye floaters?
Eye floaters are most commonly caused by age-related changes, injury, or inflammation from certain medical conditions.
Floaters can also happen when certain eye medications are injected into the eye causing air bubbles to form in the jelly-like substance.
What are eye flashes?
Eye flashes refer to flashes of light or spots of light that you see in your field of vision. They often show up as flashes of light or lightning streaks that seem to be coming from inside your eye. Eye flashes aren’t caused by lights or anything outside of your body.
Most eye flashes happen when the vitreous gel (the jelly-like substance) shrinks or changes and pulls on your retina. Flashes of light can also happen due to physical force on the retina.
Flashes of light typically appear and fade quickly. Some eye flashes might be a migraine aura or a symptom of another condition.
Occasional light flashes are usually harmless, but be sure to discuss them with your Tayani Institute ophthalmologist during your eye exam.
How are eye flashes and eye floaters treated?
How eye flashes and floaters are treated depends on the cause. There isn’t a treatment for occasional flashes of light or floaters that are caused by age-related vitreous changes.
If you’re seeing a lot of light flashes, floaters, or vision changes, your ophthalmologist might suggest medications, lifestyle changes, or surgery. Other treatment options include:
- Lowering inflammation through medications and lifestyle changes, such as a nutrient-dense diet
- Surgery to remove the jelly-like substance (vitreous) and replace it with a special solution to help your eye maintain its shape
- Laser procedure to disrupt the floaters and break them up with laser energy so they’re less noticeable
Floaters and flashes are often harmless, but they can indicate a retinal tear with or without retinal detachment.
Retinal detachment is a sight-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention. With retinal detachment, the thin layer of tissue at the back of your eye (the retina) pulls away from the layer of blood vessels providing it with nutrients and oxygen.
Protect your vision with superior ophthalmologic care by calling Tayani Institute or click to book online today.
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