Laser surgery for eye floaters? Need help!
 

Has anyone had laser surgery for eye floaters? If so, where did you have it done, and who was the surgeon? Was the surgery successful, and how long did it take before the floaters went away. After cataract surgery about 4 months ago I started to notice these floaters, and they seem to be getting worse. Any advice or suggestions would be appreaciated.

Have You discussed with the doctor who did the cataract surgery?

Joyce is right. I just like her to pieces.

"Vitrectomy may have complications, such as:
Retinal detachment
Retinal tears
Cataracts
The risks of such complications is small but if they occur vision can be permanently damaged. For this reason most surgeons will not perform vitrectomy unless eye floaters are causing an extraordinary visual handicap."

Eye Floaters: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

K
Please see your eye doctor right away. Floaters can be a sign of a vitreous detachment which often can be attributed to aging. And we can just learn to put up with them.

BUT, some floaters, especially those that are increasing, can be due to a detaching retina. A retinal detachment can begin with a shower of sparks and can progress to a curtain appearing across the vision. But floaters can be an early sign of this serious problem.

Retinal detachment can follow cataract surgery. Highly nearsighted people have a slightly bigger risk of this complication.

When you call your doctor's office, please tell them you need to be seen right away. Tell them why. When your eyes are dilated, the doctor gets a good look at the retina, including the periphery.

I hope your floaters are just a sign of aging. But please do not mess around with this symptom. A detaching retina often can be fixed by a skilled retinal surgeon but time is of the essence.

I am not trying to scare you. I am just trying to make sure I have your attention. Remember long ago when we learned about the eye and how it is like a camera, with the cornea being the lens and the retina, the film.

I wish the symptoms of a detaching retina were as widely known as the symptoms of a stroke. We need posters on walls.

I wish you the best outcome for this. May it just be aging. But please, make that call and find out fast.

Laurie

Please call your Opthamologist first thing Monday morning!!

Yes Bikeman needs to discuss this with his eye MD. But no this is not a you must be seen right away emergency. He clearly said the symptom has been there for 4 months and seem to be getting worse. Not have suddenly appeared or have suddenly dramatically increased. While panic is always an option it shouldn't be the first option.

If you can't get the floaters fixed, try having your eyeglasses tinted medium brown along the top so you don't have to look at them.

I have had floaters most of the last 10 years. Cataract removal 3 years ago increased the number. Mine always seem to come and go as it does for most seniors.

I had a major circular one break off a couple of weeks ago. Floating directly in front of the pupil making it difficult to read at times.

Had Dr. Ireland at St. Lukes (our cataract surgeon) and she said it was a clean break with no damage to the retinal wall. Two weeks later and it is about 50% of what it was.

Check your doctor for your specific issue as we are all different but sometimes "stuff" sounds alike when it may not be.

In the case of using laser surgery. be sure to ask about the risks of doing the surgery (if they would at all for the condition) VS the risk of doing nothing.

If it turns out to be the "usual" floater condition, you will get used to it. The eyes and ears have amazing adaptive capabilities.

Good luck.

I went to Dr Geller in Ft Myers for my floaters. He shoots them with a YAG laser. He has been doing this for years. I also got them after cataract surgery. He uses the laser, to break them apart and absorb back into the body. My floaters were so bad (and yes I checked my eye health first and they were due to aging) I couldn't even read. My surgeon would not do a vitrectomy because I had macular and retinal tear in my other eye.
The laser was a success. Unfortunately, they do come back. I do have another large one, that I am going to treat again. You can contact me if you have questions. I know it's scary to do but also, to live with them when they completely distort your vision is very frustrating.

In 1992 I asked what could be done about floaters. I asked the same question last year, and the answer was the same... live with them. With all the advancements regarding eye procedures I was a little surprised.

I was playing golf Aug 23, 2012 when I noticed floaters for the first time. I know the date because I just looked at my scorecard. When I break 80 from the blue tees I keep the card, that day I shot 79 at Cane Garden. Sometime during the round I kept thinking there was a dragonfly in the seat next to me. Eventually I figured out it wasn't a bug but was something I was seeing.

I had never heard of floaters, so when I got home I called the ohpthlamology dept at the VA clinic immediately and I went in the next morning. They told me the next 24 to 48 hours was the most crucial. If I were see what they call 'the black curtain' to come back in immediately because that means my retina had detached. I made it through without a problem.

They explained that when the jell in the back of our eyes dry out we will get a small separation in the retina and it creates these black slivers that we see. They said that this will happen to most of us between age 55 to 65 and about half will see floaters.

Since I've had the floaters for about three years I can say I really haven't paid any attention to them for at least a year or more. They gradually go away a little at a time. They sometimes will pop up now and then, generally when looking at something that is white.

I also had cataract surgery on both eyes last August, that however didn't cause the floaters to get better or worse. I would say, just live with them for now and gradually they will go away. It might even be that the brain is ignoring the floaters and has adapted to the situation which is why I'm not seeing them.

Thanks, I will call today.