This condition requires urgent medical attention. Symptoms include: sudden changes in vision e.g. blurring, a hole appearing in the field of view, flashing lights or a cloud of small dots in the field of view (floaters). Note that a few floaters are perfectly normal and these symptoms can have less serious causes, but a prompt expert diagnosis by a qualified optician or medical practitioner is needed to ensure urgent treatment can be given if retinal detachment is the cause of the symptoms.

More information about floaters and retinal detachment can be found in our dedicated guides.