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a review of the few options available for your eye floaters. An introduction to the use of the yag laser.
Around the world, the most commonly recommended treatment option for floaters is to do nothing

There are some floaters that are caused by pathological conditions such as autoimmune disorders, infections, diabetes, and hemorrhage. The treatment for these floaters is directed at the underlying disease or disorder.

If we then consider benign vitreous floaters, there are essentially three options available: DO NOTHING, VAPORIZATION BY LASER, and SURGICAL REMOVAL OF ALL OF THE VITREOUS.

OPTION A: "DO NOTHING": The ophthalmology and optometry training programs spend very little time on the subject of benign eye floaters. The emphasis in these programs is on actual pathology and disease. Doctors are also taught to be pessimists and to ask "what is the worst thing these symptoms could be"? So when a patients enters with a new visual complaint of moving shadows, the doctor will mentally create a list of possible disease conditions that they must rule out. New floaters could be caused by a retinal tear or detachment, various inflammatory conditions, hemorrhage, etc. The exam is directed toward making sure these conditions do not exist ("ruling them out") and once the doctor is satisfied they are not the cause of the floaters, they are done.

There are many common phrases offered as reassurance: "You'll get used to it", It will drop out of the way", "It will eventually reabsorb",and "Just ignore it".

We do like to wait 6-8 weeks prior to any treatment as some new onset floaters can shift or move to a more favorable position.

Floaters are created by material that has always been in the eye. There is no reason why the eye or immune system would recognize any of it as out of place or foreign in origin. There is no mechanism to clear floaters from the eye. You can only hope that they will move to a less bothersome location.

The advice to do nothing is to suggest that you should try to tolerate these floaters for the next 10-20 years or more.

OPTION B: LASER PHOTODISRUPTIVE VITREOLYSIS: YAG Laser Vitreolysis has been around for about 2 decades. It has remained a quiet secret within the ophthalmology community with just a few specialists with any significant experience. Not all floaters can be treated and the indication and ability to treat depends primarily on the location of the floaters as well as other optical characteristics of the eye. This topic will be covered extensively throughout this web site on other pages.

OPTION C: FLOATER-ONLY VITRECTOMY (FOV):
vitrectomyA surgical vitrectomy involves general anesthesia or deep monitored sedation in a surgical center or hospital. A retinal surgeon will place three incisions into the whites of the eye and insert three instruments: 1) a fluid infusion to keep the eye from collapsing, 2) a fiber optic light probe, and 3) a guillotine cutting/sucking instrument (a vitrector) to cut the vitreous and remove all the vitreous material. The removed vitreous is replace with a balanced, electrolyte salt water solution with is similar in chemical composition to the fluid in the front chamber of the eye.




Video: VITRECTOMY FOR VITREOUS OPACITIES  There are significant and well known risks associated with the procedure to include infection (very rare), retinal detachment (about 1%) and cataract formation (50-60%) within the first year. Because of this, retina specialists are generally very reluctant to do this surgery for floaters only. They perform this procedure usually to treat diseases of the retina such as detachment, hemorrhage, scar tissue, membranes, etc. Some people have so much and such dense floaters that they are good candidates for the FOV procedure and the potential benefits will outweigh the risks. For some people with extensive floaters, it may indeed be an appropriate procedure.

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Most of the patients that we treat won't even consider the FOV surgical procedure as an option. They view the laser vitreolysis procedure and a relatively low risk procedure (Risks explained HERE) that fills the gap between doing A) absolutely nothing, and B) the more aggressive and riskier surgical vitrectomy.

 

2102 Business Center Dr., Suite 154, Irvine, CA 92612   |   Phone: 949-253-5770   |   Email: info@VitreousFloaterSolutions.com
All content is copyright 2009 Vitreous Floater Solutions Consulting & Research Group Inc. We are a licensed medical practice specializing in the use of the YAG laser to treat benign vitreous degenerations known as eye floaters. The content on this web site is for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for and evaluation by a qualified health care provider.