Eye 'flashes'

no1catman

Many people experience 'floaters' in their eye vision, but has anyone here experienced 'flashes'? They would occur in just one eye, where the 'flashes' may go from one side to the other or be in just one corner.
It can be a sign of retinal displacement.


Interested in people's experiences - how long did their last? And how do you think it started i.e. circumstances immediately before the onset?

torbrex

I started getting them as a teenager and still get them.
I have spoken to my optician, my GP and a surgeon that deals with operations on eyes and I have yet to have it explained to me why it happens.

Februarycat

I have got floaters in both eyes and got the flashes just before the floaters appeared.

GlasweJen

The flashes that indicate retinal displacement/detachment aren't intermittent, it's lots of flashes accompanied by much more floaters than you're used to and usually a change in vision (most people describe it as a curtain coming down over the vision).

Some people do experience the odd flash and we always encourage them to get it checked out to be sure there's nothing going on.

no1catman

GlasweJen:


My Partner started getting the 'flashes about 90 mins., after doing a small bit of writing. Almost at the end of the writing her eyes smarted, she rubbed them, and wiped them.
It was late afternoon when the flashes started, - quite often sometimes in groups every minute! Less so if eyes opened during the night, but still occurring the next morning though next morning.
Visited Doctors' who advised seeing an optician, after telling us it tends to effect people of 'a certain age'! The one we went to had excellent equipment, and said to come back if peripheral vision starts going, but it could take 3 months.
Since then, flashes have gone down - though can occur with stress and/or exercise, and more confined to the corner rather than right across.


Who is 'we'?

C_Mababejive

I would strongly suggest that anyone who has these symptoms should visit a good optometrist who has 3D ocular coherence tomography equipment to closely map the retinas of both eyes. If you become aware of any loss of vision such as a dark area on the periphery of your vision, visit your local A&E straight away. Even better, if you have a specialist eye hospital in your City/Town.