This is a helpful overview of floaters and flashing lights. Floaters occur as we age because the jelly-like substance in our eye (the vitreous) becomes softer. Flashing lights happen when the vitreous starts to pull on the retina. In most cases, this pulling doesn’t cause any problems; however, sometimes it can lead to a retinal tear, which may progress to a retinal detachment. Both tears and detachments can be treated, but early detection is key to achieving the best possible outcome.