DALLAS, March 2 (UPI) -- White spots in eyes that show up in a photograph mean it's time to see a physician, a Dallas ophthalmologist advises.
Dr. Nick Hogan, an ophthalmologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, says flash photography is similar to an ophthalmoscope -- a lighted instrument used to examine the interior of the eye.
"A red reflex that appears in people's eyes is caused by a reflection off the retina," Hogan says in a statement. "It appears red because of the blood and that is normal," Hogan says in a statement.
However, if a white or iridescent pupil is noticeable in a photograph, a visit to an ophthalmologist or a pediatrician for evaluation may be of value, Hogan says.
"Leukocoria, or white pupil, is caused by something blocking the red reflex," Hogan says. "Absence of blood in the retina would have to be extreme to reduce the red reflex and that would be enough to kill the retina, hence no reflection."
