NHS warns animal-related symptom in eyes that need urgent medical attention

The NHS is warning that if you experience eye-related symptoms linked to animals, it may be necessary to see your GP. They highlight certain shapes could indicate a medical issue, including “cobwebs.”

According to the NHS website, while floaters – such as dots and lines – or flashes of light in your vision are typically “common” and “not usually serious,” you should call yoru GP or 111 if they occur alongside other symptoms.

Floaters in your vision can look like:

small dark dots
squiggly lines
rings
cobwebs

Flashes look like sudden flashes of light and are “usually harmless and not a sign of anything serious, especially if:

you’ve had them for a long time
they’re not getting worse
your vision is not affected

What causes flashes and floaters in my eye?

Floaters and flashes can occur for various reasons and are especially common in older adults. They are often the result of a harmless condition called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), where the gel inside the eye undergoes natural changes. However, in some cases, they may be caused by retinal detachment, a serious condition that can lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated.

Do I need an urgent GP appointment?

The health service warns that you need to ask for an urgent opticians appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

you also have pain in your eys
you also have blurred vision
you have floaters or flashes in your vision for the first time
you suddenly get floaters or flashes in your vision
the number of floaters or flashes suddenly increases
you have a dark “curtain” or shadow moving across your vision
floaters start after eye surgery or an eye injury

Their warning comes as if you have this, it could be a sign of a “serious problem with the back of your eye, which could permanently affect your vision if it’s not treated quickly.”