Notice: Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare.org. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
New to MyHealth?
Manage Your Care From Anywhere.
Access your health information from any device with MyHealth. You can message your clinic, view lab results, schedule an appointment, and pay your bill.
ALREADY HAVE AN ACCESS CODE?
DON'T HAVE AN ACCESS CODE?
NEED MORE DETAILS?
MyHealth for Mobile
Causes
Causes of Floaters and Flashes
Floaters and flashes become more common as we age, since the vitreous gel shrinks and pulls away from the retina, the cells at the back of the eye that receive focused light and pass it on to the optic nerve. The particles that are set free then cast shadows on the retina.
Sometimes, the vitreous does not pull off cleanly and tears the retina. That can cause bleeding inside the eye that may look like new floaters. Tears need urgent treatment, so fluid does not leak under the retina and pry it off from the back of the eye. Learn more about retinal detachment.