Flashes and Floaters

A few weeks back I thought a fly had flown by me, but realized seconds later that this was an unusually large "floater" in my eye. As we age, small floaters are not unusual and don't necessarily interfere with vision, but this blot was large enough to interfere with reading and was annoying everywhere else.

A few minutes later I noticed something more disturbing: if I looked to the left and then quickly snapped to looking straight ahead, I saw a bright arc of light in the corner of my eye.

That's more serious: I have astigmatism and have been warned by my doctors that my eyes are under stress and that I am at high risk for retinal detachment - that can mean blindness if not treated quickly.

Fortunately, this was a lesser problem: a posterior vitreous detachment. No treatment necessary, though I need to go back for a followup visit. The bright arc went away after a few days, and the floater has diminished some, though it's still mildly annoying.

My doctor says these are fairly common in people over fifty, and most are not serious, but you should always see a professional to be sure. A small arc today can become something much more serious, so don't ignore such symptoms.

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