Overview
- The Annals of Family Medicine reports a review of 1,181 adult visits for floaters or flashes in seven Dutch family practices from 2012 to 2021.
- Retinal detachment occurred in 77 episodes, with absolute risks of 6.1% for floaters alone, 4.7% for flashes alone, and 8.4% for both symptoms together.
- New or changing floaters, more than 10 spots, or descriptions like a cloud, haze, or curtain signaled higher risk than flashes alone.
- Most visits ended with benign diagnoses such as simple vitreous floaters, posterior vitreous detachment, or migraine, yet a notable minority had detachment.
- The results support faster referral from primary care for high‑risk symptoms, though the retrospective, single‑country design limits broad generalization.