Another occurrence may be small flashes of light which may occur with or without floaters appearing. These flashes are caused when the vitreous body shrinks naturally as part of the ageing process and tugs against your retina. These flashes can occur in night or in poor lighting and may last for several minutes at a time.
While both floaters and flashes may be a rather annoying part of the natural ageing process, it is possible for you to be treated so that you can live a good quality of life. As soon as you see these black floaters appearing even without flashes, you should immediately contact your Ophthalmologist so that you can have a thorough eye examination. These examinations should be annual if you see floaters and flashes occasionally.
In order to treat persistent and large floaters that obstruct your vision, a vitrectomy surgery may be conducted by your Ophthalmologist. If the cause of the floaters and flashes is a detached or torn retina, you will need to under to have retinal laser to repair the torn retina, otherwise the retina may become detached. If the retina detaches from the inside of the eye, surgical correction is usually required which will be done urgently.