Flashes
Flashes: Introduction
Flashes are visual effects where a person sees sudden flashes of light.
(For "flashes" of warm feelings see "hot flashes".)
Some of the effects are like flashing lights, an arc of light,
or the feeling like a light-bulb
has just flashed on and off in the periphery of vision.
Flashes need immediate medical diagnosis by an eye specialist
because of the risk of the severe retinal detachment, which can cause vision loss.
However, other causes of flashes (and floaters) are more common than retinal detachment,
such as vitreous detachment due to aging.
Flashes are caused by improper stimulation of the eye's retina, or the optic nerve,
which the brain interprets as light.
Flashes may occur on movement of the eye, such as in vitreous detachment where
the vitreous is pulling on the retina and eye movement exacerbates the effect.
Floaters are often associated with visual floaters,
where the person sees spots, dots, lines, clouds or cobwebs in front of the eyes.
Floaters are also a symptom of serious disease such as retinal detachment,
but there are less serious possibilities also.
Any floaters or flashes need immediate medical diagnosis by an eye specialist.
» Review Causes of Flashes:
full list
Causes of Flashes:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Flashes.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 23
causes of Flashes
» Review Causes of Flashes:
full list
Causes of Types of Flashes:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Flashes:
See full list of 3
types for Flashes
Flashes: Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Flashes, as listed in our database.
Visit the Symptom Checker,
to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Symptom Checker
Symptom Checker
See full list of 580
Symptom Checker combinations related to Flashes
Flashes Treatments
Review information on Flashes Treatments.
Flashes: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Flashes:
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Flashes
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Flashes:
Diagnostic Guides for Flashes
Medical Books Excerpts
Read excertps from published book sections related to Flashes
from the following published medical books
for more detailed information about Flashes.
Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Flashes
Medical Books Excerpts
- SCOTOMA
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- Scotoma
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Scotoma
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Vision loss
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Scotoma
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Vision loss
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Scotoma
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Vision loss
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Scotoma
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Flashes: Undiagnosed Conditions
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Flashes: Research Related Doctors & Specialists
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Diagnostic tests for Flashes:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Flashes. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Visual acuity - in both eyes and with and without glasses (if worn) to determine any refractive error.
- Visual field testing - to detect either a contraction (a local or general reduction in the area of field) or a scotoma (an island of loss within the field).
- Examination of pupils and the pupil reflexes
- Ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp examination
- Full neurological examination - if abnormalities other than eye pathology are found on examination may suggest multiple sclerosis.
- more tests...»
See full list of 11
diagnostic tests for Flashes
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Flashes.
Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing
your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information
you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you noticed flashes in your field of vision? - to determine if acute or chronic.
- Which eye is affected by the flashes?
- Was there anything that precipitated the onset of the flashes?
- Is there a simple reason for the flashes? - e.g. standing up suddenly may cause brief flashing lights due to blood flow changes.
- Risk factors for retinal detachment? - e.g. eye trauma, myopia (short-sightedness), previous cataract operation, eye tumor, diabetes.
- more questions...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Flashes (16
listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition.
The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Flashes) may include:
- Floaters in field of vision? - suggests posterior vitreous detachment.
- Headache and nausea? - may suggest migraine as cause of flashes.
- Symptoms of vitreous hemorrhage? - e.g. sudden onset of floaters in vision, may be sudden loss of vision, visual acuity depends on extent of hemorrhage.
- Symptoms of retinal detachment? - e.g. sudden onset of floaters or flashes or black spots, blurred vision in one eye becoming worse, " a curtain coming down over the eye", painless total or partial loss of visual field.
- Symptoms of posterior vitreous detachment? - e.g. sudden onset of floaters, visual acuity usually normal, flashing lights usually indicate traction on the retina ( and thus at risk of retinal detachment).
- more symptoms...»
See Diagnosis Checklist for Flashes (16
listings)
Home Diagnostic Testing and Flashes
Home medical tests possibly related to Flashes:
Stories from Users for Flashes
Real-life user stories relating to Flashes:
Symptom specific forums:
The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards
relate to Flashes or relevant symptoms:
Videos for Flashes
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See full list of 9 related videos
Patient Surveys for Flashes
Organs affected by Flashes:
The list of organs typically affected by Flashes may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Flashes
The list below shows some of the causes of Flashes mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 23
causes of Flashes
How Common are these Causes of Flashes?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases,
not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Flashes.
Of the 23
causes of Flashes that
we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 1
causes are "very common" diseases
- 1
causes are "common" diseases
- 1
causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 0
causes are "rare" diseases
- 1
causes are "very rare" diseases
- 21
causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 23
causes of Flashes
Conditions listing symptoms: Flashes:
The following list of conditions
have 'Flashes' or similar
listed as a symptom in our database.
This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause
of any symptom.
A
Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment
... flashing lightsAcute zonal occult outer retinopathy
... flashing lightsC
Classic migraine
... flashing lightsD
Diabetic Retinopathy
... flashesI
Intraocular melanoma
... flashing lightsM
Melanoma of the choroid
... flashing lightsMigraine
... flashing lightsMultiple Sclerosis
... flashing lightsO
Ocular melanoma
... flashing lightsP
Posterior vitreous detachment
... flashesR
Retinal detachment
... flashesRetinopathy
... flashesV
Vitreous detachment
... flashes
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Causes of Flashes Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Flashes based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Flashes?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Flashes, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
Classifications of Flashes:
Subtypes of Flashes:
Scotoma (2 causes)
Medical Conditions associated with Flashes:
Eye symptoms (4112 causes), Seeing lights (13 causes)
Symptoms related to Flashes:
Cloudy vision (189 causes), Eye floaters, Vision loss (515 causes), Vision changes (1965 causes), Migraine (34 causes), Vitreous detachment, Posterior vitreous detachment, Retinal conditions, Retinal injury, Retinal tear, Detached retina, Retinal artery occlusion, Blow to the eye
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
These general medical articles may be of interest:
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Flashes
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Flashes and many other medical conditions:
News Archives for Flashes
Medical news articles related to Flashes include:
Source: HealthDay News
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
» Next page: Causes of Flashes
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