Floaters look like small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. While they seem to be in front of your eye, they are floating inside. Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous that fill your eye. What you see are the shadows these clumps cast on your retina.
As we age, the vitreous liquifies. This results in the vitreous pulling away and separating from the back of the eye, a process called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Floaters more often happen with the development of PVD, but you can also get them without one. A common round floater that occurs after the occurrence of a PVD is called a Weiss ring.
Fundus photo of a Weiss ring that develops after the development of a PVD.Flashes can look like flashing lights or lightning streaks in your field of vision. Some people compare them to seeing “stars” after being hit on the head. Flashes occur when the vitreous pulls on your retina which increases the risk of retinal tears or retinal detachment.
You should be evaluated if you notice a change in floaters, experience flashes of light, notice a shadow in your peripheral vision or a gray curtain covering part of your vision. Such symptoms could represent a retinal tear or retinal detachment which is a serious condition that requires urgent treatment.