When I go into a dark room at night and blink, I see flashes of light in my left eye. I am a 65 year old woman. Do I need to have this looked at?
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
Yes, I would. The flashes of light are caused by shrinking of the so-called vitreous humor. This is in a pouch at the back of the eye against the retina. The flashes of light are a sign that the retina is being pulled due to the shrinking of the pouch. This can lead to bleeding under the retina. The retina then detaches from the substrate. That’s called a retinal detachment. You notice it because a piece disappears from the image, as if a curtain is being drawn.
In such a case, you need to go to the emergency room quickly. A retinal detachment must be operated on, because it can cause (partial) blindness. In the case of tears in the retina, an attempt will be made to reattach the retina with laser treatment.
When seeing flashes of light, an examination should show whether you have an increased risk of retinal detachment.
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