Flashing spots when blinking/moving eye

Seven days ago I noticed that I had two small black spots in my vision, one in each eye and both very close to each eye's focal point. Taking a moment to describe these spots, they're both very small (appearing approximately 1-2 mm in diameter), perfectly circular, and neither has moved the slightest bit in the past week.

Both spots were generally invisible, only appearing either when the edge of a shadow is cast over them (looking through a pinhole and wiggling will consistently cause them to become visible), or otherwise occasionally either when blinking or changing the direction of my gaze, in which case they would appear by quickly flashing in and out of visibility again with a sort of shimmering effect, almost similar to the flashing that can occur when you blink after having looked at a bright object, although this flashing phenomenon isn't consistent at all. I can sometimes go hours and not have them flash up at all, other times (seemingly more often later at night) they'll flash up in this way almost every time I blink or change the direction of my gaze.

Since this all began a week ago, one of the black spots has actually disappeared, but in the eye the spot disappeared from I now have a slightly larger (but still quite small) rectangular shadow in another location, but it behaves in exactly the same way.

I've had two eye tests performed by two different opthamologists (as well as a general health check up performed by a GP), both have assured me that my eyes are in good health and there's no indication that anything is wrong with them. My concern now is that the cause of this problem might be neurological in origin, although I've been told that without any other symptoms there's not likely to be any cause for concern.

I intend to consult my GP again as soon as possible, but in the meantime, I was hoping I could get some useful advice here. Apologies for the lengthy description, thanks for your time if you made it this far.

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear VaughnM,

If you have noticed a change in the spots, location, flashing lights when you close your eyes or a curtain coming down, it might indicate a tear in the retina.  Seek the care of a retinal specialist. You might have a posterior vitreous detachment and it can sometimes be associated with retinal tears, floaters and retinal detachments.

Dr. Feldman

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