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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Cobwebs And Flashes Of Light In Eyes?

hi, was on computer all day without a break, which is unusual for me, and went outside for a few minutes and started seeing cobwebs in my eye, noticed that afternoon & nite flashes of light is this normal, i have very dry eyes? Any suggestions, I never had this before, female, 55yrs, fibromyalgia thanx in advance
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Wed, 23 Jul 2014 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 24 Jul 2014 Last reviewed on
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Ophthalmologist,  's  Response
Hello,

It is most likely to be due to posterior vitreous detachment ( PVD ).In this condition the thick gel at the back of the eye( called vitreous) gets detached from its surrounding retina . This results in retinal traction which results in the symptom of flashes of light and includes color distortion. Flashes of light may not be prominent in some individuals. Once the vitreous gets detached completely , it may form clumps or strands and cause symptom of floaters such as dark spots, cobweb or thread like strands in the visual field.

More often it is not a serious issue and does not require any specific treatment. A routine retina examination needs to be done by an ophthalmologist just to check for the intactness of the retina and to look for any peripheral retinal tears or holes, which if found, can be sealed by lasers.

Regards
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What Causes Cobwebs And Flashes Of Light In Eyes?

Hello, It is most likely to be due to posterior vitreous detachment ( PVD ).In this condition the thick gel at the back of the eye( called vitreous) gets detached from its surrounding retina . This results in retinal traction which results in the symptom of flashes of light and includes color distortion. Flashes of light may not be prominent in some individuals. Once the vitreous gets detached completely , it may form clumps or strands and cause symptom of floaters such as dark spots, cobweb or thread like strands in the visual field. More often it is not a serious issue and does not require any specific treatment. A routine retina examination needs to be done by an ophthalmologist just to check for the intactness of the retina and to look for any peripheral retinal tears or holes, which if found, can be sealed by lasers. Regards