Flashing lights in eyes

I See Flashing Lights!

There are people who, having their retina damaged, experience vision problems, by seeing flashes, lights or cobweb-like obstructions blocking certain parts of their sight. However, one should not jump to conclusions early and should wait for several days since this phenomenon may come and go. In fact, it usually does. Nevertheless, if the flashing lights remain persistent after this period, you are advised to seek medical assistance as soon as possible, since a permanent damage may be done to your retina or other parts of your eyes. This condition causes many difficulties in everyday life, since one's vision might be blocked significantly by these flashing lights, no matter where he/she looks. Therefore, timely action is an absolute must, if you desire to deal with this problem successfully.

Possible Reasons behind Seeing Flashing Lights

There is a condition most people are likely to experience as soon as they cross the 60th year of their life. Namely, we all have a liquid in our eyes, called vitreous, which has a crucial role in our sight and the health regarding our eyes. However, in time, with age, this liquid gets either shifted from our retina or reduced in necessary quantity due to wear and tear effect our aging has. Additionally, injuries or traumas to the eyes may lead to disappearance of this liquid too. Whatever the cause might be, lacking this liquid, our eyes experience problems, and we are likely to see flashing light and other bright sight obstructions.

Along with vitreous detachment, retina tearing also takes place. Usually hand-in-hand with the previous problem, one's retina gets damaged or torn due to external causes. Then, blood may be present and we can experience the above mentioned eyesight problems.

Males between 30 and 50 years of age may be in danger of developing a disease called Eale's disease. This health condition takes place due to an inflammation of different parts of our retina. This is a very persistent condition, hard to be treated, and one is bound to experience numerous sight complications, including seeing flashing lights.

Another illness affecting our retina and other parts of the back of our eye is called uveitis, and it might be involved in these eye problems too.

Finally, there might be a more benign cause of your light flashes in vision. Namely, sometimes, when we look at the sun or any other bright objects, we might see flashing particles or lights. These are actually harmless white blood cells in our eyes and this condition goes away quickly.

Nevertheless, as soon as you start experiencing these things, make sure you pay your doctor a visit, and rule out any serious reasons behind the flashing lights you see.