Flashes and Floaters

Primary Care
Priya SharmaSonia Mehta

Abstract

Flashes and floaters are common ocular complaints. Flashes refer to aberrations of light that are seen in a patient's field of gaze. The flashes can be of varying sizes, colors, frequency, and durations, depending on the cause. Floaters are another common visual phenomenon caused by particles or debris in the vitreous gel of the eye that cause shadows and thus visual changes, especially against bright backgrounds and in brightly lit environments. Flashes and floaters can occur individually or together. This article discusses common causes of flashes and floaters to help with the triaging and management of these patients.

References

May 1, 1968·Archives of Ophthalmology·N S Jaffe
Feb 1, 1982·Archives of Ophthalmology·M H HaimannC K Brown
Nov 1, 1982·American Journal of Ophthalmology·S R WilkesW M O'Fallon
Apr 1, 1995·Ophthalmology·T HikichiC L Schepens
Jul 1, 1997·Survey of Ophthalmology·C W Spraul, H E Grossniklaus

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Citations

Sep 1, 2015·Primary Care·Nika Bagheri, Sonia Mehta
Jan 13, 2018·Frontiers in Neurology·Francisco J AscasoAndrzej Grzybowski
May 1, 2021·The Medical Clinics of North America·Dilraj S Grewal, Hesham Gabr

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