Sudden onset of flashing lights in peripheral vision in dark situations.

I am 67.5 years old and just this evening started have flashing lights in my left peripheral vision. I don't have a headache but my head feels "tight.: The only medication I am on is BetaBlocker 50mg to control arrhythmia. The post above is 8 months old with no response so ho9pe I have better luck.

I am 32 years old I had a flahsing light in the right peripheal vision while driving in my car. I am not on any medication. I pulled over and the flashing continued for about 5 minutes. I turned off my cell phone, as I wondered if that was the source of some sort of interferance. The flashing stopped about 4 mintues after that. When I closed my right eye, but kept the left one open, I could still see the flahsing lights in my right periphery. When closed my left eye, I could still see the flashing in the right eye. When I closed both eyes, I did not see the lights. I felt a tightness in the right side of my head, just forward of the left to right midline.

When this occurs you should have an exam by an eye doctor. It may be nothing more a common age-related phenomenon called Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). As we age, the vitreous jelly inside the eyeball changes consistency. The outer part starts to pull away from the retina. Anything that tugs on the retina is a stimulus which the brain interprets as light. It may occur with movement, it may be intermittent. There's no treatment. It may go away with time. However, to rule out something more serious, as well as to establish a baseline for your condition, you should get an exam by a eye doctor. This is also a symptom of a retinal tear, which is a serious problem - but fortunately, those are fairly rare. Early detection is key.

wanted to add: Photopsia also can be a symptom of digitalis toxicity, which can occur particularly in older people who take digitalis or related drugs for heart problems.

Do any of you stare at a computer screen alot and have a stressful job, work more hours than normal, not eat correctly?

I just tonight had exactly the same symptoms. It started as soon as I got in my car and started driving, and continued for the 30 minutes it took me to get home. Now, in the light, I don't see it. It's only out of my left eye. I'm 66 and on no medication other than Maxalt for the occasional migraine. Glad to know I'm not crazy, or the only one experiencing this!

[It just started for me
last evening when I got in my car...a flash of light..thought it was reflecting from something in the car. Had it again this morning when I got up. So strange...glad to hear I'm not the only one with weird things happening in old age. I,m 66 so guess it's age related.

This same thing just started happening to me last night. I carried the trash up some stairs in the dark. As I reached for the light switch, a flash of lights ran by my left side. I looked at my window thinking maybe something was shining through it...but nothing there. Then I looked down and it was like lights running across my chest. Always seem to be going from right to left. What I thought of was when you see movies of UFO's and they have those running lights, except these where white and very bright. I have many medical problems ranging from SLE, Fibromyalgia,R,A, and very painful Neuropathy over about 70% of my body and sometimes I have problems keeping my potasium. I'm also hypertensive and take about 10 or so different medications. (BTW, I took my BP and it was 182/100 so I took my medication for it) I've been having vision problems for about 2 years and that is sudden onset of double vision (almost caused me to run off the road thinking cars were coming from 2 different sides) I DID have my eyes checked and the dr. seemed to not know or not really care about it. I asked him several times..finally he said that my L. eye seemed to tick a bit outwards when I was looking straight ahead and just gave me some glasses. I have several diseases in the family such as Huntington, Parkinson and Demaculor Degeneration~~I've been sick for 24 years and I'm 61. Don't know if spelling is correct on these. I got up this morning and experienced the flashing lights in the dark when I looked to my left side and also downward. My BP this AM was 148/92 (hardly enough for that to be the cause) Guess it's an epidemic called "OVER 60 NOW, so get used to it!!? lol My Maternal grandmother had what they called lazy eye and now 2 of my cousins that are a little bit older than I said they were getting it and they said that the double vision and reaching down to pick something up and missing it by about 6 inches is the same symptoms they had. ??

I recently had flashing in my peripheral vision while trying to write a text message on my cellphone.

I'm 28, haven't been driving recently in pretty good shape and have no known medical condition (although a month ago I came down with adult chicken pox which can be really serious in men and now have to deal with a bed bug infestation on recovery) and BP is always good.


Yesterday I played football with some friends for the first time in 2 months didn't take any hits (i.e. no trauma) but was really drained so I hydrated properly and and had a good meal.


When the flashing occurred I didn't feel light headed (the only other time I saw that flashing, I was out of breath and felt faint) but sat down just in case. I took an Ibuprofen the night before but I've never had a problem with it (not allergic).


The only other thing I can think of is lack of sleep, the last few days my sleeping pattern has been erratic to say the least and I regularly get less than 6 hrs a night. The thing is I've done it before when I've had finals sitting in front of my computer for days or just after nights out and all I ever used to get is a twitch on one eye but never lights.


Immediate family has history of Diabetes and cataracts extended family have a history of heart disease.

HI.....My name is Sherrie......Do me a favor and look up Hyperadrenergic P.O.T.S.....very rare condition (I have it) but see if anythng looks familiar! Good luck and God bless!!!!!! Sherrie :D :D :D

Most of it is mind in your peripheals when you meditate the pattersn move out if you see flashing dark or white lights its mostly from im not sure what but probably spirit you can energize off those and sometimes in the middle of my vision i see vivid very absract but bright colors light up mebe looking into the spirit world. If you see dark flashes of black have him do meditation breathing it will energize and heal him

I have just started to have the same problem...is it serious?

EXACTLY what happened to me!! Mine started in the store though as I was walking to my car. The only way I could explain it, was that someone was dangling a prism somewhere off to my right....but if I looked to the right it disappeared..I also covered both eyes to see if it was just one, but had the same results, it didn't matter which eye was covered, the lights were still there. Mine also lasted approx. 5-10 min. Did you ever get it checked out? I am 45, so closer to your age than the others....seem like they're all in their mid 60's, the light is on the left, and affected them in the dark. You didn't mention on yours...but mine was in daylight. Not sure if you'll even get this since you posted over a year ago, but thought I'd try!!

as we age, the cusioning gel behind the retina shrinks, in some cases it can tear away from the retina, creating a tear in the retina. Floaters never go away, you get used to them. As for the flashing it should diminish but normally only happens in poor light at night. If the vision becomes cloudy, get straight to a hospital as it could be a detached retina, and an opthamologist can use a laser to reattach it and clean up any floating junk behind the eye. I am 65 and have been diagnosed in the past two weeks.