Which symptom is most characteristic of vitreous hemorrhage?

• A. Eye redness with tearing
• B. Photopsia only
• C. Floaters and cobweb-like apparitions
• D. Night blindness

Answer: (C)

Vitreous hemorrhage causes blood to fill the gel-filled vitreous body, scattering light and creating visual debris. The most characteristic symptom is floaters—dark spots, lines, or cobweb-like shapes that drift across the field of view as the blood disrupts the normal transmission of light. While flashes of light (photopsia) can occur with some posterior segment issues, the persistent floaters and cobweb-like apparitions are the hallmark finding for a vitreous bleed. Redness with tearing points to surface or anterior segment problems, and night blindness suggests retinal dysfunction rather than bleeding into the vitreous. So, floaters and cobweb-like apparitions best fit a vitreous hemorrhage.