Abstract
Floaters and flashes are common visual symptoms that can signal sight- or life-threatening disease but most often represent no significant morbidity. Determining the etiology, therefore, is of critical importance. Retinal tears and retinal detachments (RD), for example, which sometimes require emergency intervention, must be differentiated from benign etiologies such as uncomplicated vitreous detachment and migraine.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Suggested Reading
American Academy of Ophthalmology. Basic and Clinical Science Course. Section 12. Retina and Vitreous, 2015–2016.
Milston R, Madigan MC, Sebag J. Vitreous floaters: etiology, diagnostics, and management. Surv Ophthalmol. 2016;61(2):211–27.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Horowitz, J. (2019). Floaters and Flashes. In: Casper, D., Cioffi, G. (eds) The Columbia Guide to Basic Elements of Eye Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10886-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10886-1_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-10885-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10886-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)