Are eye floaters and flashes a symptom of anything serious?

Eye floaters are common and not a symptom of anything serious, explains WebMD. However, a shower of floaters and spots, sometimes accompanied by light flashes, are definite reason to seek immediate medical attention.

Eye floaters are tiny spots, specks, flecks and "cobwebs" that drift randomly in your field of vision, explains Mayo Clinic. These appear when the eye's gel-like vitreous breaks loose within the inner back portion of the eye and appear more pronounced when looking at a bright, clear sky or a bright computer screen. A shower of floaters, spots and sudden flashes may be the symptoms of retinal tear or detachment, which occurs in one in seven cases.