Overview

Floaters and flashes are usually harmless

• floaters - such as small dark dots, squiggly lines, rings or cobwebs
• flashes of light

in your vision, it's not usually a sign of anything serious.  Especially if:

• you've had them for a long time
• they're not getting worse
• your vision isn't affected

Flashes may stop themselves, (and can be related to migraines) and floaters often become less noticeable as you get used to them.

Contact your optometrist/optician or get advice from 111 now if:

• floaters or flashes appear suddenly
• floaters or flashes suddenly increase in number
• you have a dark "curtain" or shadow moving across your vision
• you also have blurred vision
• you also have eye pain
• floaters start after eye surgery or eye injury

These could be signs of a serious problem with the back of your eye, which could permanently affect your vision if it's not treated quickly.

They will tell you what to do. They can tell you the right place to get help if you need to see someone.

In Wales this appointment is likely to be free on the NHS, ask the practice you contact for more details.

Find an optometrist/optician

What happens at your appointment

Your eyes will be checked to see if you might need to be seen by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) for more tests or treatment. It is likely that the optician will need to put drops in your eyes to check your eyes more thoroughly, this means that you would not be advised to drive to the appointment as it is not safe to drive for a few hours after these drops, ask your optician whether they advise you bring someone with you to the appointment or consider public transport. They also may advise you to bring sunglasses as the drops can make you more sensitive to light for a few hours.

You'll usually only need treatment if you have a problem that could affect your vision.

Causes of floaters and flashing lights

Lots of people, particularly older people, get floaters and flashing lights.

They're usually caused by a harmless process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), which happens as you get older. Once you have seen an optician and this has been confirmed, you may find you notice the floater/floaters for a a number of weeks, most people find this settles down. Occasionally you might carry on noticing them in certain lighting conditions (bright sunlight) or looking at a blank white wall. This is normal as long as they are floaters you have previously noted.

Sometimes they can be caused by retinal detachment.

This is a serious condition where a thin layer that sends signals to the brain (the retina) pulls away from the back of the eye. It can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated.

You are more at risk of retinal detachment if

• have had eye surgery, such as a cataract operation or laser surgery after a cataract operation
•   are moderately short-sighted (over -3.00D)
•  have had a previous eye injury
•  have a family history of retinal detachment
•  have had a previous retinal detachment in that eye or the other eye
• are over the age of 50
•  have certain retinal diseases such as lattice or other retinal degeneration • have certain systemic diseases such as Marfan syndrome.

Floaters and flashes can also happen for no obvious reason but it is important to get them checked by an optometrist, especially if they are a new symptom