Floaters and Flashes

Floaters are usually tiny flecks of condensed protein or red blood cells in the vitreous jelly of the eye. These float back and forth as we look side to side. While they can be a normal finding, they also could be a sign of a retinal tear.

As we age, the vitreous jelly in the eye becomes more liquid and takes up less space. In many people, there is a time when the jelly, along with its clear surrounding membrane comes off the retina, where it is loosely attached. There are particles that can be seen as floaters at that point and as the membrane pulls at the attachments to the retina, there are flashes seen — tiny arcs of light, seen especially at night to the side of our vision as we turn quickly.

This can sometimes be a sign of an impending retinal detachment and an examination is important to rule out problems that may require surgical attention.