Flashes, floaters and a curtain: urgent retinal detachment referral
The short answer
New flashes of light, a sudden shower of floaters, or a shadow or curtain moving across the vision can mean a retinal tear or detachment. Send the patient to an eye emergency service the same day; do not book a routine appointment or wait for a callback. Treating a tear before the retina detaches, or a detachment before it reaches the centre, gives the best chance of keeping sight.
Refer a patientMedically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Who to refer
- Anyone with new flashes of light, especially at the edge of vision.
- Anyone with a sudden increase in floaters, dots or cobwebs, or a single large new floater.
- Anyone with a shadow, curtain or veil spreading across part of the vision, or a sudden blurring of vision.
- People with high short-sightedness, previous eye surgery or injury, or a detachment in the other eye, who report any of the above.
How urgently
Same day
Any of the symptoms above, especially a curtain or shadow, or symptoms with reduced vision. Send the patient to an eye emergency service now.
Soon
Long-standing floaters unchanged for months, with no flashes and no field loss, examined and found to need review.
Routine
Not used for new flashes, floaters or a curtain.
What to send with the referral
- When the symptoms started, which eye, and whether they are getting worse.
- Visual acuity for each eye, if measured.
- Your fundus findings if you dilated: any tear, pigment in the vitreous (tobacco dust), haemorrhage or detachment.
- Short-sightedness, previous eye surgery, injury, and any detachment in the other eye.
Same day means today
A referral form is a record, not a treatment. For these symptoms, tell the patient to go to an eye emergency service now, and submit the referral so the receiving team and the care coordinators know they are coming. The form shows this instruction when you choose same day.
Advise the patient not to drive themselves if their vision is affected.
What you get back
- An acknowledgement email with the referral reference as soon as you submit.
- A loop-back letter from the receiving clinician once the patient has been seen: what was found, what was done and the plan.
- The patient returned to you for ongoing care, with the plan in the letter, so you keep the person you looked after.
- A named specialist and a care coordinator who calls the patient, so the referral does not sit unanswered.
Mezo pays nothing for referrals: no fee, credit, points or discount per patient, to anyone. You refer because it is the right place for the patient, and you hear back how it went.
Refer a patient
For retinal detachment surgery or an assessment. No Mezo account needed. The receiving specialist and a care coordinator take it from here.
Common questions
Can I send this as a routine referral if the patient feels fine?
No. New flashes, floaters or a curtain need same-day examination whatever the patient feels. A tear can progress to a detachment within hours to days.
What will I hear back?
A letter saying what was found and what was done, and when the patient should be seen again. Follow-up after retinal surgery stays with the specialist until it is safe to return the patient to you.
Does Mezo pay referrers?
Mezo pays nothing for referrals: no fee, credit, points or discount per patient, to anyone. You refer because it is the right place for the patient, and you hear back how it went.
Guides to send your patient
Patient health guides
The treatment
More referral guidance
Sources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Posterior Vitreous Detachment, Retinal Breaks, and Lattice Degeneration Preferred Practice Pattern. American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2024. Clinical guideline.
- Understanding retinal detachment. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists. Patient information.
- Detached retina (retinal detachment). NHS. Patient information.
- Floaters and flashes in the eyes. NHS. Patient information.
Links last checked 23 October 2026.