Eye flashes are most commonly due to age-related changes in the vitreous humour. The vitreous humour is the jelly-like substance which fills the inside of the eye, between the lens and the retina. The vitreous humour is contained in a fine membrane and this is attached to the retina at the back and the lens at the front.

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Because haloes can be a sign of increased pressure in the eye (glaucoma) then it is important to see an optician if persistent haloes develop. It is also important not to drive in conditions where haloes may affect the vision - for example, when driving at night.

Many other conditions can lead to the experience of haloes. These include watering or tearful eyes, overuse of contact lenses, cataracts and opacities in the vitreous humour. Some prescribed medicines may also cause people to see haloes, including digoxin and chloroquine.

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Urgent medical advice should be sought if eye floaters and flashes are very marked or sudden in onset. Urgent advice should also be sought if they are associated with pain, changes in the vision, or if both floaters and flashes are occurring together. Optician advice should also be obtained if persistent haloes develop.

Eye floaters and flashes are common symptoms which often affect normal eyes. They usually occur because of changes that happen in the jelly-like substance inside the eye (which is called the vitreous humour). The most common causes need no treatment, do not prevent normal visual tasks and tend to settle by themselves. However, flashes and floaters can occasionally be warning signs of a serious condition, such as a retinal tear or retinal detachment.

You already have vision in only one eye because of a prior condition, and you experience any new symptoms in your vision.

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Floaters are usually not serious. However, you should see an optician, or visit the A&E department, if any of the following apply:

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Increasing, persistent or constant flashes all suggest strong pulling on the retina and may mean that there is a risk of retinal damage. Flashes accompanied by a shadow coming down over the vision is suggestive of retinal detachment.

Glaucoma is a condition where there is increased pressure in the eye. Acute glaucoma is a very painful condition which can threaten sight if not treated promptly. However, another cause - chronic glaucoma - comes on more gradually and is not painful.

Most opticians are able to check the pressures in the eyes in order to rule out glaucoma. They also have equipment to allow them to perform detailed eye exams to look for damage to the retina. This equipment (called a slit lamp) is also available in A&E departments. Most GPs do not have slit lamps and will redirect to A and E or the optician depending on the urgency required.

Floaters can also occur after posterior vitreous detachment. In this case there will be a sudden obvious increase in the number of floaters. Eye flashes may also occur. Again, there should be no loss of vision and most cases settle without causing any problems.

Eye flashes are unexplained brief flashing lights in the eyes; they can be seen in one or both eyes. They often occur on the edges of vision and they are fairly common. Each flash, which can vary from a sparkle to a bright light, lasts a varying length of time. Periods of flashing can go on for several months. The symptoms are often most noticeable when going from a light to a dark room.

Charles Bonnet syndrome is a condition experienced by people, usually elderly people, whose vision is deteriorating. The brain, deprived of real visual information, can "make things up" instead, particularly in conditions of low light. Patients may sometimes see flashes, although more frequently they see complex visual images like children or animals, which can look very real.

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Sometimes, as the vitreous pulls on the retina, it can tear it, causing a retinal tear or a retinal detachment. However, most vitreous detachment does not harm the retina.

Eye flashes can also relate to migraines. Some people with migraine experience flashing lights. Usually, in migraine, these occur in both eyes simultaneously. They can last up to an hour and tend to increase to a maximum before fading away and being replaced by a headache, which is typically one-sided and which may or may not be severe.

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Children and young adults may also experience eye flashes, floaters and haloes, particularly if there has been trauma or surgery to the eye or if they have other existing eye disease. These might include inflammatory conditions of the eye like uveitis, and conditions which can affect the retina like sickle cell disease and the form of retinopathy that can affect very premature babies.

Floaters can also result from any internal damage to the back of the eye. Retinal tears and retinal detachments also cause floaters, and these will vary with severity, depending on the severity of the damage.

The flashes of vitreous detachment may occur in one or both eyes. If they occur in both eyes this is because the same thing is happening in each eye separately (but since the eyes are usually very similar this can occur at the same time).

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Most people will notice occasional floaters, as there are often small opacities and crystals in the vitreous. Because more marked floaters, together with eye flashes and haloes, are mostly caused by conditions occurring naturally in older eyes, most people who experience frequent floaters are over 60 years of age.

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For further detail see the separate leaflet called Retinal detachment. Retinal detachment can lead to permanent vision loss.

Haloes are rainbow-like coloured rings around lights or bright objects. They usually occur because there is extra water in the layers of the eye. The most common and important cause of this is acute glaucoma.

Less common causes of floaters include inflammation of the eye (posterior uveitis) and, more rarely still, tumours affecting the eye.

You have previously experienced retinal detachment, have had recent eye injury or eye surgery, have other eye conditions affecting the retina, or you have very high short-sightedness (myopia).

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Bleeding into the vitreous humour (vitreous haemorrhage) will also lead to the formation of floaters. However, in this case the floaters represent blood in the jelly. If the bleeding is major then vision may be affected. For more information on this condition see the separate leaflet called Vitreous haemorrhage.

In this series:Visual problemsMacular degenerationRetinal vein occlusionVitreous haemorrhageTemporal arteritisSquint in children

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They also tend to 'settle' at the bottom of the eye, below the line of sight. After a while they become less noticeable. They are more common in those who are short-sighted, those who have had eye surgery and those who have diabetic eye disease.

Most floaters are also caused by changes in the vitreous humour. Most commonly this is due to normal ageing of the eye, when opacities form in the clear jelly and drift around. These kinds of floater are not associated with eye flashes or reduction in your vision and they tend to come on gradually.

People who are extremely short-sighted (correction more than -6.00 ) are at higher risk, as the globe of their eye tends to be longer so that the vitreous is more likely to pull away.

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Most eye flashes are caused by changes in the vitreous humour which are related to age and which are harmless. Occasionally flashes can be a sign that the retina is at risk of being torn or detached.

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They are associated with other eye symptoms such as pain, severe headaches, changes in vision, grey shadows in the vision or with new onset of eye flashes.

Conditions which affect the retina may also cause eye flashes. These include diabetic eye disease and sickle cell disease. Again, these can affect one or both eyes.

Eventually the vitreous membrane tends to pull right off the retina, a condition called posterior vitreous detachment. This condition is harmless in itself, and in fact it happens to almost everyone eventually. The vitreous is detached from the retina in 75% of people aged over 65 and this is usually harmless.

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As we age, the vitreous humour (or vitreous gel) shrinks and as it does so it can pull on the retina. This can cause eye flashes because the pulling triggers nerves in the retina and they send signals to the seeing nerve (optic nerve).

Haloes are bright circles which seem to surround a source of light. They are also referred to as glare. They are a common symptom, particularly in older people. They can be unpleasant and uncomfortable and lead to temporary dazzling; this may particularly affect driving at night. They can sometimes be a sign of underlying eye conditions such as glaucoma.

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