Medically Reviewed by Duna Raoof, M.D.
Seeing Flashing Lights in Your Eyes – When to Seek Treatment
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Medically Reviewed by Duna Raoof, M.D.
Seeing flashes of light streaking across your vision is always alarming, unless you happen to be watching fireworks at the time. Seeing flashing lights without cause is known as “strobing vision,” and it may have any number of causes, most of them pretty serious medical conditions. The bottom line is, this is a serious problem which should never be ignored.
If you start experiencing intense episodes of flashing lights, you likely need to take this to a medical professional. In some cases this can be a localized problem with your eyes or vision, or a more general problem involving neurological issues.
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What Causes Flashing Light Visions?
When your eyes are healthy and working well, the only light you should be seeing comes from external sources. If you are seeing flashes of light that others can’t see, that typically indicates a health problem.
There could be issues with your vision or general health.
Symptoms
The primary symptom of this issue is simply seeing flashing lights that aren’t actually there. They often appear as shooting stars, lightning streaks, or spots of light, and it’s common for them to appear in the corners of the eye. They may also be accompanied by clouds or dark spots or shadows in your field of vision.
Since strobing vision comes from inside the eye, other people will not see the effects.
Vision Causes
Retinal detachment. The retina is a small slice of tissue in the back of your eye which transforms light into images. The retina needs a steady flow of blood to work correctly, and when that is interrupted through a tissue detachment, your visual signal processing breaks down. Your brain interprets the break as a flash of light. This is a medical emergency, as the longer the tear remains, the more likely it is that you will have permanent vision loss.
Shrinkage of vitreous humor. Vitreous humor is a thick, gel-like substance inside your eyeball which keeps your retina in place. As you age, some of that material gets lost or shrinks. Sometimes, it disrupts the placement of the retina, and that can lead to flashes and sparks occurring in your field of vision. This is a common problem, according to Harvard Medical School, since about a quarter of people have vitreous humor shrinkage by the age of sixty. For about one person in six, the reduction leads to retinal detachment.
Internal eye hemorrhage. Blood nourishes every cell in your body, and in your eyes, it’s delivered by tiny little vessels called capillaries that line the eye socket. If one of those capillaries breaks, blood can leak into the space behind your retina, and that can lead to retinal detachment and seeing flashes of light.
General Health Causes
Stroke. Bleeding inside the brain can also cause you to see flashes of light. Other stroke symptoms include numbness, weakness, slurred speech, or headache. This is a medical emergency.
Migraines. Some people develop an aura before the pain of a migraine hits. Unusual electrical activity in the brain leads to all sorts of shifts in perception, including flashes of light. If they last for 10 to 20 minutes and are followed by pain, the light is probably sparked by a migraine, according to the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Causes of Retinal Detachment
If you have age-related shrinkage of vitreous humor past the age of sixty, that is something one might expect as a side effect of general aging. But what if you’re younger than sixty and suddenly experience these symptoms? Usually some kind of trauma is the culprit. The human eye is a delicate thing, and together with our brains, constitutes a lot of soft tissue that doesn’t fare well in cases of extreme trauma or shock.
Suspect retinal detachment if you experience flashing lights in your vision after any of the following incidents:
- Blunt trauma – Getting clubbed in the head, hit by a ball, falling on your head, etc.
- Penetrating injuries – Anything piercing the eyeball such as a splinter of glass or metal
- Chemical burns – Exposure to harsh chemicals that can damage your eye
- Rapid acceleration or deceleration – Sudden stops and starts, such as an auto accident
- Explosions and shock waves – Being near an explosion that is violent enough to shake you
And yes, the phenomenon of seeing flashes of light in your vision after a head injury really is the origin of the expression “seeing stars”! Though your brain and optic nerves tend to do this whenever jostled, so there’s no reason to suspect retinal detachment unless the flashes of light persist well beyond the head trauma incident.
When Should You See a Doctor?
The occasional vision “hallucination,” if it’s gone quickly and doesn’t return, may not always require urgent care. For example, simple visual hallucinations may have several triggers including disturbed sleep or intoxication from alcohol or drugs. But persistent episodes of visual flashes and other distortions call for a medical diagnosis.
Check with your doctor if your light flash visions have any of the following characteristics:
- The light is accompanied by cloudiness or dark blobs blocking your view.
- You see flashes when you’ve never seen them before.
- The flashes get suddenly stronger or brighter, and they will not go away.
- A dark cloud (sometimes described as a curtain) slides across your field of vision.
You should also see a doctor immediately if the flashes are accompanied by numbness or an inability to talk. Severe pain in your eyes, especially after you’ve been hit in the head, should also prompt quick medical care.
Treatment Methods
The treatment you will need depends on the issue causing your flashes. If you have a stroke, for example, your doctors will work to remove the blood clot and restore blood flow. If you have a migraine, doctors might use medications to soothe the symptoms.
For when the flashes are caused by retinal detachment or some other retinal issue, you will need eye surgery. Doctors can perform a vitrectomy to remove the gel inside your eye (which can fix bleeding tissues), to push the retina back into place, and to hold it there as it heals. Every surgery is a little different, and the care you need might be different than the care someone else needs. But these are all considered specialty procedures, so you will need an eye expert to help you.
Every surgery is a little different, and the care you need might be different than the care someone else needs. But these are all considered specialty procedures, so you will need an eye expert to help you.
Protecting Your Eyes With Defensive Care
Annual eye exams can help your doctor spot changes in your vision before they cause significant problems. Your doctor can dilate your pupils to allow for examination of the back of the eye, and they can check eye pressure to make certain glaucoma is not developing. Keeping these appointments is one of the best ways to protect your eyes.
Your doctor might also ask that you periodically check your vision at home. Typically this is a simple test that takes a minute:
- Cover one eye
- Look straight ahead, and check your vision
- Look to the side, and check your vision
- Note the placement and presence of floaters and flashes
- Check the other eye
Bring your notes with you to your appointment, and talk with your doctor about anything unusual you’ve seen. Early and frequent communication about visual issues will help your doctor head off problems before they become severe.
As a final note, since many of the causes of retinal trauma are associated with blunt trauma, shock, and injuries, it is advisable to avoid sudden shocks to the head, especially as you get older, since vitreous humor shrinkage occurs naturally with age.
References
- Retinal Detachment. (March 2019). Mayo Clinic.
- What is traumatic retinal detachment, and how does it happen? (Feb. 2024). Medical News Today.
- What You Can Do About Floaters and Flashes in the Eye. (October 2018). Harvard Medical School.
- Flashes and Floaters in Your Eyes: When to See the Doctor. (March 2019). Cleveland Clinic.
- Floaters and Flashers. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Health.
- Floaters and Flashing Lights. Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
- Flashes and Floaters: A Practical Approach to Assessment and Management. (April 2014). Australian Family Physician.
- Flashes and Floaters. Fighting Blindness.
Dr. Raoof is a fellowship-trained and board-certified cataract, cornea and LASIK surgeon. She is a highly acclaimed ophthalmologist and influential surgeon in the eye care industry.
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