

Your eyes normally make small amounts of tears all day long. Some people with dry eyes also have periods when their eyes get so watery that tears spill over their eyelids and run down their cheeks. People with dry eyes frequently experience burning and stinging of their eyes, their eyes often feel sticky, and their eyes are often red. While they are uncommon, retinal detachments can cause vision loss, and repairing them quickly is the best way to save your vision.ĭo you have dry eyes? Up to 12 million Americans suffer from a disease called dry eye syndrome. During this examination, your pupils will be dilated to examine your retina to make sure there is no retinal detachment. If you have the sudden onset of new floaters in your vision and/or flashing lights in the periphery of your vision, call your eye doctor immediately to arrange a prompt examination. A retinal detachment is an emergency and often requires surgery to repair. If you have a retinal detachment, you may notice sections of your vision disappearing, as if a curtain or veil is covering parts of your vision. The liquefied vitreous can then pass through the hole and cause the retina to come loose from the back of the eye as well. Sometimes when the vitreous tugs on the retina as it is pulling loose, it can pull so hard that it makes small rips or tears in the retina. But flashing lights can be a more worrisome sign. When the retina is tugged on, it generates the sensation of flashing lights in the periphery of your vision.įloaters are often annoying but not usually a threat to vision. The retina is a thin layer and is like the film of a camera-it is the light-sensing part of the eye. As the vitreous gel pulls loose from the back of the eye, it tugs on the wallpaper lining the back of the eye. Floaters usually do not stay in exactly the same spot in your vision.Īnother common symptom of a posterior vitreous detachment is seeing flashing lights in the very periphery of your vision. Typically, these floaters will move around in your vision, especially when you move your eyes around. Often in eyes with posterior vitreous detachments, the floaters are bigger and somewhat stringy, and you may describe it as a spider web or cobweb in your vision. If you have a single small floater, you may have the sensation that a bug is flying in your face.

These bits of cloudy debris float in the liquefied vitreous like snow in a snow globe. Floaters are exactly what they sound like - tiny bits of debris that appear when the vitreous gel separated from the back of the eye. One common symptom of a posterior vitreous detachment is the appearance of floaters. This sudden and often dramatic event - called a posterior vitreous detachment - often causes a number of symptoms that can be alarming.
#Flashing lights in eyes free
Once enough of the vitreous gel has dissolved - usually when we are in our late 50's or early 60's - the gel pulls free of its attachments to the back of the eye. As we age, the vitreous gel begins to dissolve into a more watery form.

The vitreous gel inflates the back part of the eye in the way that water inflates a water balloon. The eye is filled with a clear jelly called the vitreous gel. Here are few more topics that you may be interested in:įlashes and Floaters: What You Need to Know Contact Grosinger, Spigelman & Grey Bloomfield Hills office today for an appointment.There are many other eye conditions that can affect your eyes.

It is best to act fast to avoid further damage to your eyesight. An ophthalmologist can examine your eyes and provide a diagnosis and treatment. If you notice these or any other unexplained changes, seek medical advice immediately.
