Flashes and floaters

Floaters are a relatively common occurrence, whereby you see what appears to be small object (sometimes like a "fly") in your vision. They tend to move away when you try to look directly at them. They are easier to visualise when you look at a white background such as a wall, ceiling or a page of book.

Floaters occur naturally in the eye, sometimes more with age. Sometimes you may experience a large number of floaters all at once, sometimes this sudden onset of floaters can be accompanied by a period of flashing lights or sparks in your vision. If this occurs you should be checked by us as soon as possible as these can be signs of a retinal tear or detachment.