“Can you get floaters after vitrectomy?”

It is possible to have floaters after vitrectomy but very unlikely. During the procedure they remove all of the vitreous jelly from the back part of the eye and that is what results in floaters. If you don't have any jelly you shouldn't have any floaters. Although it's very difficult to remove 100% of the jelly at the time of surgery. so if you have floaters there's a possibility you have some residual jelly left over.

Although not typical, one can have or develop floaters after vitrectomy surgery. There are too many possible etiologies to list here; however, if one has any increase in floaters, it warrants evaluation by an eye care professional.

If the procedure was a total vitrectomy, it would be highly unlikely to have floaters after this surgical procedure. A partial or anterior vitrectomy can have floaters seen after the procedure.

Yes, but typically they are small and resolve quickly.

Alan J. Franklin, MD, PhD

You can but typically only after a vitrectomy with use of silicone oil. When your doctor removes the silicone oil which is most commonly used for retinal detachment repair as opposed to other conditions, 99.8% of the oil can be removed but usually a patient may see some residual oil droplets most noticeable when looking straight down toward the floor. If silicone oil is not used, floaters should be reduced following a vitrectomy. I prefer repairing retinal detachments by vitrectomy as opposed to scleral buckling procedure for the simple reason that following sclera buckle, my patients would always complain about large persistent floaters and this does not happen using vitrectomy which actually tends to diminish floaters. Occasionally, I perform a vitrectomy to remove floaters.

Absolutely. Although vitrectomy can be used for the treatment of floaters, some people may still experience floaters after vitrectomy. In cases that involve the use of silicone oil, floaters may be permanent.

Yes, it could be due to blood cells