Dark & 'camera' type flashes

I started seeing a dark jagged spot in my eye back in 2004 and saw it when I blinked.  It went from a mid size dark spot to a small spot, then to a small flash of light, then disappeared and lasting anywhere from several minutes to a few seconds.  It seems like the more often it happens, then less time it lasts.  It usually only happened once a month, but has been as frequent as happening within days.
I've been to my opthamologist numerous times, and he says everything looks fine after checking my eyes thoroughly.  My feeling is if everything is fine, why is this happening?  I am 49 years old and understand that eyes change with age.

I know this has been with me over 5 years now, but every time it happens, I freak out and I shut down!

Please help!

Thank you so much!

Mrs. Gene Moses

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear Hoosie,

I would recommend that you ask your eyeMD what your diagnosis is.  Seek the care of an eyeMD specializing in retina or neuro-ophthalmology to find out the cause.  This could represent a condition associated with vascular issue, such as ischemia, migraines.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California