Migraines can cause other visual sensations as well, but eye floaters aren’t one of them. If light flashes go on for longer than 30 minutes and aren’t accompanied by other migraine symptoms, it’s unlikely that one of these migraines is causing your flashes. Ocular migraines or migraines with aura can also cause the appearance of flashing lights. This can occur within hours, days or weeks. If the vitreous pulls away from the retina (a condition called posterior vitreous detachment) without causing a retinal tear or detachment, the flashes usually stop. Frequently, they may eventually move out of your field of view, appearing to go away on their own.Įye flashes, on the other hand, occur erratically and tend to be temporary. If you suddenly see flashes of light and a large number of floaters, see an eye doctor immediately to rule out the beginning of a detached retina.Įye floaters are almost always permanent, but they usually fade or become less noticeable over time.
This liquefaction of the vitreous is also what causes normally clear and transparent collagen fibers to clump together and form opaque clusters that lead to floaters.Įye floaters and eye flashes can appear suddenly and may occur separately or together.įloaters are very common and usually are not a symptom that anything is seriously wrong with your eyes (especially if you notice only a few floaters and they aren’t accompanied by flashes of light).Įye flashes, on the other hand, could signal you are at risk of a retinal detachment, which is a medical emergency. This is a normal aging change that coincides with the vitreous becoming more liquid and less gel-like in nature. It is these shadows that we perceive as floaters in our vision.Įye flashes are caused by the traction (pulling) on the surface of the retina that occurs when the back portion of the vitreous begins to separate from the retina. These clusters of collagen are opaque and cast shadows on the retina when light enters the eye. The vitreous is a gel-like fluid that fills the large cavity inside the back of the eye (the space between the lens and the retina). CausesĮye floaters are caused by discrete clusters of a protein called collagen within the vitreous of the eye. The key differences between eye floaters and flashes are their appearance and causes: AppearanceĮye floaters are shadowy spots, clumps, and irregular linear and fuzzball-like shapes (like the “pilling” of the fibers of a sweater) that drift slowly across your field of view - which makes them appear as though they are floating in front of your eyes.Įye flashes appear just as their name suggests - they are bright (often arc-shaped or jagged) flashes of light, which tend to appear more frequently in your peripheral vision. Most complaints about Entoptic Phenomena seem to be about blue field entoptic phenomenon and floaters, these may be sometimes confused for each other and blue field entoptic phenomenon may in cases be confused for Visual Snow.By Adam Debrowski reviewed by Gary Heiting, ODĮye floaters and eye flashes are examples of entoptic phenomena - which means they are visual effects whose source is within the eye itself. So while these phenomena can be annoying and at times more noticeable than the actual Visual Snow, they are not a cause for panic.
Physical deterioration can of course however occur irrespectively. However in Visual Snow Syndrome signals appear to be unable to be filtered down as normal.Ĭhanges in entoptic phenomena in this way have nothing to do with physical deterioration of the eye if they come together with Visual Snow. Normally networks in the brain are able to filter out unimportant or insignificant signals.
Those with Visual Snow may however see these phenomena more clearly and frequently irrespective of their age, or the physical condition of their eyes. A heightened awareness of Entoptic Phenomena is part of the clinical classification of Visual Snow Syndrome.Įntoptic Phenomena are seen within the wider population, particularly those who are older when their eyes physically deteriorate.
Entoptic Phenomena literally translates as “phenomena inside the eye”.
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