I sometimes see flashes of light floating in front of me,are my eyes going?

Question

sometimes in the corner of my eyes

Answer 1

There are basiclly two reasons we see light flashes or photopsia in front of our eyes.

This isn't from glare or reflections off of glasses or contacts.

Inside the eye, in the back part, in the middle of the eye is a fluid called vitreous. It's fairly thick or firm in young people and becomes watery as one gets older. Inside this gel are remnants of an old vascular system that extended from the optic nerve forwards all the way to and around the lens. This breaks down as the eye grows longer and leaves an empty channel. Sometimes the channel isn't so empty and remnants of the vessel remain. Also, the gel will hit or bang against itself and sort of adhere to itself making it denser. This can be seen as floating stuff. There are cells, hyalocytes that are in the gel and these are seen as floaters as well.

As the gel breaks down, becomes more and more watery, it can detach itself off the back of the eye. This is called a Posterior Vitreous Detachment, and it happens to most everyone. In doing so, it'll flop around the eye a lot when the eyeball is looking around or moving around. As the gel is attached at the front of the eye, to the front of the retina, the gel will on occasion yank on the retina. The retina can't 'feel' this, but it can pick up the pulling or tugging as a light flash. One can pull on the vitreous when it's attached posteriorly as well and cause more central light flashes.

If the gel pulls hard enough on the retina, it can tear it. These tears allow the now more fluid gel to get beneath the retina and the retina will float into the center of the eye. This is called a retinal detachment. As the retina must be against the wall of the eye to 'see', one notices a curtain like loss of vision with a retinal detachment.

The light flashes associated with the tugging are fast, bright and temporary.

If one has a spasm of a blood vessel in the back part of the brain, the occipital cortex, this can cause a wave of depolarization (think biology) that'll slowly move over the surface of the occipital cortex. One then sees a series of black and white, or colored zig zag lines, sort of like saw tooth or shark teeth. This will flicker and slowly move across one's field of vision one way or another but never across the midline from 12 to 6. That's because the other side of the brain see's that part, and the depolarization is on this side.

This usually lasts for about 20-30 minutes or so and then goes away. Some people get headaches, some get nausea, some actually vomit. Some get bad migraines afterwards, but most just see the zigzag lines, the move across and are gone and that's that.

Ocular or ophthalmic migraines are not associated with cancers or tumors or strokes...none of that stuff.

Yes there are olfactory migraines where people smell stuff, usually burnt rubber like smell when no one else does.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Have it checked by an ophthalmologist ASAP. I had the same symptoms several years ago and the diagnosis was a detached retina. Surgery was done the next day, and everything turned out fine. Had I waited, I could easily have lost sight in the eye.

There are other causes, and hopefully yours isn't as serious. But don't put it off.

Answer 4

It might be an optical migraine. It's a migraine without the pain. Most likely this is what it is, but it could also be as serious as a detached retina. You should make an appointment with an opthomologist as soon as possible. She/he is a medical doctor of the eyes.

Answer 5

i had the same thing but usually when im out somewhere for a long time. after i rest they feel fine. if ur not sure the go see a doctor

Answer 6

Could be blood pressure..if it gets worse call the eye doc because there are several things it could be too.

Answer 7

Something similar happens to me after I look away from a bright light source, but it never randomly happens.

Answer 8

that could indicate retinal detachment, suggest you see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.