Have you ever stood up too fast or rubbed your eyes, only to notice that your vision was covered in flashes of light? You may have described it or heard it described as “seeing stars.” The medical term for seeing stars is photopsia. Jay M. Lustbader, MD, Physician Executive Director of the Department of Ophthalmology for MedStar Health in Maryland, often sees patients who complain of seeing these stars or flashing lights. He tells them that it’s usually nothing to worry about. “But if they should change or start to persist, then they should let us know because that could be a sign of a more serious problem,” he says.
What Is Photopsia?
This condition can be one of many symptoms that indicate various health problems, including a concussion or an eye structure concern. Photopsia is also described as:
- Eye flashes
- Seeing sparks
- Bands of light
- Bright dots
- Zigzags of light
- Flickers
- Sparklers
- An array of colors in flashes of light
Seeing stars in any of these forms is often harmless, but sometimes it can be a symptom of a more serious health issue that needs emergency care.
What Causes Seeing Stars?
The most common cause of seeing stars is direct pressure on your eye, like when your eyes are closed and you rub them. Photopsia happens when the gel between the eye lens and the retina (the vitreous humor) pulls on the retina. Rubbing your eyes causes a temporary pressure that causes this pull, making you see stars. It’s quite common. That said, there are some medical problems or trauma to the eye or head that can also cause this tension on the retina.
Because photopsia is so common, if your doctor believes it’s a sign of something more serious, your medical history will be important. It can offer clues for the diagnosis. Lustbader explains that he looks for things such as whether the stars are persisting and if they have other symptoms. “If someone has a history of migraines, that’s important,” he says.
When Is Seeing Stars Harmless?
Photopsia by itself is not harmful. Some actions that may cause you to see stars include:
- Sneezing or coughing. The pressure of squeezing your eyes shut while sneezing or coughing can cause the visual of seeing stars.
- Rubbing your eyes. When you rub your eyes, you apply pressure to them, making you temporarily see stars. In this case, the stars you see are created with electrical activity as you stimulate your eye cells.
- Going from sitting to standing quickly can cause a drop in blood pressure that can cause stars or a brief dimming of vision.
- MRI scan. Getting an MRI scan can stimulate your visual cortex because it changes your body’s magnetic field. As a result, you may see flashes of light.
- EEG testing. EEGs stimulate the retina and may create the “seeing stars” visual effect. This may happen because of the amount of stimulation your brain receives during the test.
When Is Seeing Stars Serious?
Photopsia may happen as a symptom of a more serious medical condition. Some of these medical conditions or injuries may require immediate or emergency care.
Migraines with aura
Visual migraines can cause flashes of light in both your eyes due to sensory disturbances. If you see stars during a migraine attack, immediately see your physician for a medical checkup. This symptom may be related to a serious medical condition such as a stroke or retinal tear.
Concussion
A sudden impact to your head can cause trauma not only to your brain but also to the vitreous gel inside your eye. This may cause you to see stars or flashes of light. An injury like this needs medical attention right away.
Retinal detachment
The thin membrane responsible for housing light receptors can become detached and create blackness in part of your vision with flashes of light. To prevent eyesight loss, emergency treatment is needed.
Preeclampsia in pregnancy
Preeclampsia is diagnosed in pregnant women who experience high blood pressure. It may include seeing stars. This condition develops after the 20th week of pregnancy. It has serious effects on both the expectant mother and the unborn child. The mother may have problems such as headaches and liver failure. The fetus may be deprived of nourishment and oxygen due to reduced blood flow to the placenta.
Wet macular degeneration
Seeing swirling lights, sparkles, or flashes of color may be a sign of this condition.
Medications
Some medications meant to treat illnesses like malaria contain chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which may cause the symptom of seeing stars.
Diabetes
Vision changes can occur when your retina’s blood vessels are damaged due to high blood sugar levels. Eye floaters often accompany seeing stars or sparks when this occurs.
What to Do if You’re Seeing Stars
If you have photopsia, it doesn’t always mean you need treatment. If the stars appear because you’ve rubbed your eyes or you’ve gotten up too fast, they’ll likely go away on their own. But if stars or flashing lights begin after a head trauma or an injury to your eye, this is a medical emergency — you should see a doctor right away. The same is true if you believe you might have a retinal detachment — when the retina separates from the tissue beneath it.
Even if photopsia is caused by a medical problem, it doesn’t always need treatment — what’s needed depends on the cause. Here are a few examples:
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)
When the vitreous gel separates from the retina, this can cause flashes of light. It’s a condition that affects people as they age. There’s usually no treatment, and the flashes of light generally become less noticeable over time.
Retinal detachment
If your retina has detached, an ophthalmologist has a few options for treatment, including injecting gas or air into your eye to push the retina back into place. Once the retina has healed back in place, the flashing should fade or stop completely.
Migraine
Some people get flashing lights as an aura — a sign that a migraine episode is coming. If you take preventive medications to stop a migraine from happening, this will typically get rid of the stars as well. If you can’t treat your migraines, when the migraine pain goes away, the stars usually do as well.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
As you recover from a TBI, the stars in your vision typically get fewer.
You can take measures to help your eyes stay in good health, overall, but you still might see some stars. You can help protect your eyes by:
- Having regular eye exams
- Consuming a healthy diet
- Using eye protection during any activity that could cause trauma to your eyes (physical activity, using power tools, etc.)
- Managing chronic illnesses, such as diabetes
- Getting medical treatment if you have a head or eye injury.
If you have sudden changes in your vision, see your doctor right away.
What Are Common Triggers for Seeing Stars?
The most common trigger for seeing stars is rubbing your eyes when they’re closed. Other common triggers include:
- Posterior vitreous detachment
- Retinal tear
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Migraine
Can Problems With Sleep or Stress Cause You to See Stars?
There’s no evidence that sleep or stress can cause someone to see stars. “Stress and fatigue can contribute to a lot of things,” Lustbader says. “But I wouldn’t say specifically this.” A very small study looking at people who had the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa showed that some had more episodes of photopsia when they were stressed. So while stress didn’t cause the stars, they might increase them if you already are experiencing photopsia.
Takeaways
Most often, seeing stars or flashes of light is nothing to worry about. It happens when the gel between the eye lens and the retina shifts and pulls on the retina. However, if you start seeing stars after a head or eye injury, or if you think you might have a detached retina — these are emergencies and you should go to an emergency department as soon as possible. If you regularly see stars and they start to change — you start to see more or they look different than they used to — see your ophthalmologist so your eyes can be checked more closely.
Seeing Stars (Photopsia) FAQs
Do flashes in your vision always mean a retinal problem?
No, flashes in your vision are quite common. They can happen if you rub your eyes or stand up too quickly, for example.
Is there a link between photopsia and anxiety?
Anxiety doesn’t cause photopsia, but a small study showed that people who already have photopsia due to an eye disease may see more flashing lights or stars when they’re stressed.
Can eye floaters and flashes appear together, and is that dangerous?
Eye floaters and flashes of light are essentially the same, so it’s entirely possible to have them both together. If they’re not caused by an injury or eye disease, they are usually harmless.
Can migraines cause you to see flashes or zigzag lights?
Yes. Many people who have migraines have auras — sensations that occur just before the migraine pain appears. For some, that aura is flashing lights or zigzag lights.
