“Can I reduce the amount of eye floaters I have?”

There is a laser called a YAG laser for some types of floaters and also a surgery called a vitrectomy to remove the vitreous where floaters come from. You would need to be evaluated by a retina surgeon that specializes in these procedures.

All new floaters need evaluation and context. For example, if you are a diabetic, floaters could herald retinopathy. Floaters can be associated with a retinal tear so having a comprehensive eye examination is recommended. Patients who are nearsighted also need to be checked for a retinal thinning called lattice degeneration.

An aging of the vitreous gel, the filling of the back of the eye, will occur in every human being if they live long enough. This is called a PVD or posterior vitreous detachment. PVD's cause a floater and can be associated with flashed of lights.

A newer treatment called Laser Floater Treatment using the Ellex Reflex Q showed that patients with PVD do well with laser and have a 95% success rate. The laser is FDA approved.

It is possible to remove them surgically, but there is significant risk for that. Most of the time they get better or become less noticeable over time if you don’t obsess over them. If you get any new ones that are different or shadows coming into your vision, it is important to be checked by an ophthalmologist to make sure you haven’t developed a retinal tear or detachment, but 95% of them do not cause any problem except for seeing them in some light conditions.

There are surgical options but they have risks so are generally not recommended unless the floaters are disabling to your vision. You would need to see a retina specialist for an evaluation to see if you are a candidate.

Not without surgically removing them, which can be dangerous.

Dr. LMJ

Make sure you have a good eye exam with a dilated pupil to make sure the floaters are not caused by a retinal tear or bleeding, which may require treatment to prevent future problems like retinal detachment. The most common cause of floaters is vitreous liquification caused by aging, resulting in a posterior vitreous detachment in almost everyone between ages 30-70. This is normal. The opacities in the vitreous will eventually move out of your field of vision and become less bothersome. If they do not, then in some cases either laser treatment or surgical vitrectomy can help. As long as the retina is healthy, it is best to wait 3-6 months for the floaters to diminish naturally before considering intervention. They will almost always improve without treatment. If you have not had cataract surgery yet, laser or vitrectomy for floaters may cause progression of cataract to the point where cataract surgery is required.

Mark F. Pyfer, MD, MS, FACS

Floaters are caused by the vitreous gel, which is solid in the young person, but with aging in all of us it pulls away from the retina in the back of the eye (posterior vitreous gel detachment). In some eyes it may pull small bits and pieces out of the inner retina that are then stuck on the back of the gel that floats inside the eye with eye movements. Floaters, most often with time, as the gel pulls further from the retina,, are less focused and pull more toward the side. However in some eyes they remain annoying in the central vision, but can be removed. This has been tried with an office based laser procedure in but in general is not that successful, especially with diffuse cloudy floaters. The floaters can be removed by vitreous surgery, in which a microscopic roto-rooter is inserted into the eye and sucks out the gel, replacing it with a clear fluid. Within 24 hours it is replaced by your own fluid that is constantly pumped in to keep the pressure constant in the eye. The vitrectomy surgery is done under local mac anesthesia in the operating room and is much like cataract surgery with drops afterward. There are potentially fairly rare complications, as with any surgery that you should discuss with your ophthalmologist.

There is no easy solution for floaters. If they are increasing, I recommend that you see an eye MD ophthalmologist and undergo a dilated ophthalmologic examination to make sure the is
no conditions (treatable) that are leading to the development of the floaters.

No treatment. Try laser surgery, but not sure if you will have any benefit.