how flashes look like?

Hi I'm just wondering how flashes look like. Can they be tiny dots of white flashes? Or must they be lightning streaks?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

If you mean associated with retinal tears or detachments or posterior vitreous detachment usually like a flashbulb going off or a bolt of lightening at midnight.

JHCH MD

[hazelynutz]

So are tiny flashes of lights considered as flashes?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I'm sorry but that's too vague and subjective to answer, "tiny" to one person might be quite bright to another. There are other causes of light sensation in the eye. Go to www.wikipedia.com and read the section on "entopic phenomena"

JCH MD

[hazelynutz]

Thanks a lot for your response. Anyway, what can cause vision to black out for a second as if I have blinked but I didn't? Could it be due to stress and anxiety? It happened to me quite a number of times when I was sitting for a paper.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

You should start with an eye exam by an Eye MD ophthalmologist. Stress and axniety can cause about any symptom in the body but you still need to see an Eye MD and discuss
JCH MD

[hazelynutz]

Thanks for your response again. One last question, I do see lights 'moving' as if a cloud floated past the light when I stare at it and move my eyes. What caused it? Is it my floaters though they don't look like floaters?