The eyes are complex organs that experience various changes as you age. One of the more peculiar changes in the eye is having floaters and flashes materialize in your field of vision. They usually react every time you try to look at them, moving as you move your head position. 

Another peculiar feature is getting flashes that appear in your field of vision, like the flash of a camera or lightning. While floaters and flashes may be common, they could also be signs of more severe conditions. 

What Are Eye Floaters?

Floaters are small shapes that seem to cross your field of vision. They often become visible when you look at bright lights or a blank wall. They are usually blurry forms that look like small smudges in the window or on your sunglasses. They do not disappear when you try to blink them away. Additionally, they move along with your gaze when you try to look away. 

Eye floaters usually develop when the gel-like liquid in the middle of your eye begins to solidify. The solidifying parts of the gel-like liquid, the vitreous humor, appear like blurry shapes. Solidification usually happens when the fluid starts to shrink as you age and is a natural aging process. 

What Are Flashes?

Flashes usually appear like lightning streaks or stars in your field of vision, and people may compare them to the lights you may see after hitting your head. Flashes can often appear over several weeks or months due to the vitreous humor pulling or rubbing on your retina. 

Unique Flashes

Flashes that appear like the flash of a camera are common, but a different type is one that looks like heat waves or jagged lines. These types of flashes usually last much longer than regular ones. In some instances, you could experience them for up to 20 minutes. They can affect both eyes or one eye and are often a result of a migraine. 

If you have a headache after having these flashes, it is likely to be a migraine headache. However, you could have these flashes and no migraine, which is an ophthalmic migraine. 

What Are the Causes?

Aging

Aging is the primary cause of these effects, and it is because of its impact on the vitreous humor. The vitreous is made of collagen, a protein, water, and a particular type of carbohydrate called hyaluronan. It is essential in ensuring clear vision and maintaining the eyeball's round shape. As you age, the fluid liquefies and contracts and begins to pull away from the surface of the eyeball. This liquefaction process causes the collagen fibers to collect and form strings and clumps. These clumps cast the tiny shadows that are the floaters you see in your field of vision. 

Uveitis

Uveitis is a condition that causes inflammation of specific tissues in the back of the eye. It affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye wall called the uvea. The condition usually causes floaters to form in the vitreous humor. It typically occurs due to infection, inflammatory disorders, and autoimmune disorders. 

Treatment Options

Floaters are usually harmless and do not require any treatment, as they typically fade away independently. If you suddenly start seeing many floaters or flashes, you may have a severe condition. Consulting with an eye doctor is essential for a proper diagnosis.

For more information on flashers and floaters, visit Gulf Coast Retina Center. Be seen today at our office in Venice or Sarasota, Florida. Please call (941) 312-2769 to discuess and questions with our team of experts or to schedule an appointment today.