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Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Electrophysiological Methods for Measuring Photopigment Levels in Drosophila Photoreceptors
Published on: June 2, 2022
Photopsia
Jasvir Virdee1, Susan P Mollan2,3
1Ophthalmology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK jasvir.virdee@doctors.org.uk.
Abstract:
'Photopsia' describes the symptom of visual disturbances that are typically flash-like, sudden in onset and brief, and occurring without light entering the eye. Patients reporting photopsia often pose a diagnostic challenge, given the wide range of possible neurological and ophthalmological causes. We review the common causes of photopsia, discuss the assessment and workup of this symptom, and stress the importance of close interdisciplinary liaison to help with its diagnosis and management. We discuss a patient with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy to illustrate these points.
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