Sudden flashes of light or floaters may signify grave eye problem and if it is left untreated then it might lead to blindness. Study authors from Queen's University and Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston have found that one out of seven patients could have a retinal tear or detachment.

Due to the fact that retinal tears are very difficult to be seen, superior equipment and a methodical tangential retinal assessment are required to detect them.

Senior author of the study Dr. Sanjay Sharma, a professor of Ophthalmology and Epidemiology at Queen’s and head of the Unit for Cost-Effective Ocular Health Policy at HDH said, “If we detect a tear and laser it, we can save people from potentially going blind. But if fluid gets in under the retina and causes it to detach, it may be too late.”

The team examined, under their study, almost 200 articles published in the peer-reviewed literature. Then they conducted meta-analysis of around 17 items and noticed that a retinal tear apparently happened in about 14 percent of the total cases of new beginning floaters with an age-related change in the jelly of the eye.

(via TopNews United States)