Flashes: Diagnosis and Treatment at Chapel Hill Ophthalmology

A bright flash of light never fails to get someone's attention. When you have no explanation for seeing recurring flashes, however, the origin point may be inside your eyes. It is a common issue, and quite often a benign one, but it can also indicate underlying retinal problems that require immediate evaluation and treatment. Here at Chapel Hill Ophthalmology, we're more than happy to examine your eyes, analyze your symptoms, and perform any necessary treatment measures to keep your vision safe.

Why Flashes Invade Your Vision

Odd visual phenomena such as flashes and their occasional companions, floaters, can alarm you if you've never experienced them before. Flashes typically take the form of spots, blobs, or jagged lines of light that stretch across part of your field of vision. These artifacts may linger for some time before finally fading away as mysteriously as they appeared. Thankfully, most flashes don't indicate imminent or permanent danger to your eyesight. Potential causes may include:

• Ocular migraines - These odd events cause visual changes without necessarily producing the crushing headaches characteristic of standard migraines.
• Age-related changes - The gelatinous fluid in your eye, a material known as the vitreous, tends to shrink over time as it loses water content. This shrinkage can pull against the lining of the retina, producing flashes as a reaction.
• Retinal tear - A particularly strong tug on the retinal tissue, or an injury that involves an impact to the eye, may cause part of the retina to tear. A minor tear may heal on its own without complications.
• Retinal detachment - A retinal detachment is an emergency condition that can cause permanent vision loss. Large retinal tears or other injuries may grow into full-scale detachments. This problem may announce itself through a sudden increase in flashes.

Our Ophthalmologist in Chapel Hill Can Answer Your Questions

Whatever kinds of flashes you're seeing, don't panic -- just ask Chapel Hill ophthalmology for help. Our ophthalmologist in chapel Hill can view the inside of your eye to check for signs of retinal tearing or detachment. If your retina appear healthy or minimally affected, you may need no treatment other than time to heal. If your retina requires repairs, we can perform surgery to restore it to its proper position and help it to heal normally, potentially saving your sight in the affected eye.

Don't Take Risks With Your Eyes -- Visit Our Chapel Hill Eye Doctor

Flashes can be just a part of getting older, or they can be something more ominous. Play it safe by calling our Chapel Hill eye doctor at 919-942-8701 and requesting an evaluation!