Floaters cause weird refraction patterns?

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Hey first of all I want to say that this isn't to be taken as a thread asking for medical advice. I've already gone and gotten medical advice concerning this. Purely self interest since I figured some of the optometrists on here might have some insight.

I started noticing a decent amount of floaters in each eye a couple months ago. Went to an optho appointment for a dilated eye exam and he said everything looked good (no retinal detachment, didn't even mention seeing any vitreous detachment). I know there really isn't anything you can do about them besides making sure it isn't something more serious so I'm just dealing with it. He wanted me to come for a follow up appt to make sure it doesn't change into something serious but besides that nothing.

Anyway my real question relates to the fact that every time now that I look over at something bright against a dark background (ex. a window in my room), it looks like something flashes in front of my eye but just for a second. Kind of like how a hair would look if it was in front of your eye and you moved your eyes across something bright. Do you guys think this could be because of the floaters scattering light as they move across the visual field?

Describe the flash in more detail. What does it look like what color is it, does it happen immediately after you look at the bright object or a few milliseconds later? One eye or both eyes? When did it happen.... FOLDARS lol full case history. If there was no physical reason why this should happen then It sounds neurological but I am not so knowledgeable on this.

Originally Posted by calvnandhobbs68

. Do you guys think this could be because of the floaters scattering light as they move across the visual field?

typically a flash phenomenon is related to retinal traction (or stimulation), during the usually benign PVD "process" the vitreous may still have points of adherence to the retina, which when moved (like when you move your head or eyes) can stimulate light. That being said, during the acute PVD phase the same light stimulating traction can also produce a retinal tear and subsequent detachment. The symptoms are the same and often impossible to discern symptomatically. You would be well advised to f/u with your doctor as he/she prescribes.

Originally Posted by PBEA

typically a flash phenomenon is related to retinal traction (or stimulation), during the usually benign PVD "process" the vitreous may still have points of adherence to the retina, which when moved (like when you move your head or eyes) can stimulate light. That being said, during the acute PVD phase the same light stimulating traction can also produce a retinal tear and subsequent detachment. The symptoms are the same and often impossible to discern symptomatically. You would be well advised to f/u with your doctor as he/she prescribes.

She's a little young to be having a PVD if she's the typical medstudent age and is not a very high myope. There are lot of things that can cause floaters.

But like you said you already have a ophthalmologist that you're going to for medical advice. Doctors (and lay people) love to make up theories but to answer your question honestly, the answer would be, who knows? People have all sorts of visual (and other sensory) phenomenon that we don't have an answer to and no good way as of yet to test. Any theories given to you would be at best a guess. Definitely follow up with your ophthalmologist and make sure it does not evolve into a vision threatening disease.