Laser Floater Removal

Eye floaters—small dots, lines, or shadows in your vision that move (or float) away when you try to focus on them—are very common. These tiny flecks are often more noticeable when looking at light, plain colored backgrounds and can appear as squiggles, rings, knobbly lines, or little cobwebs.

West Boca Eye center | Laser Floater Removal

In most cases, they’re not serious, and are caused by changes in the vitreous (the jelly-like substance within the eye).

Cells clump together and are perceived as the shadows we call floaters. In some cases, they might appear as tiny flashes of light. Floaters that have been there for a long time and don’t change in size or appearance are generally nothing to worry about. There are instances where the sudden appearance or changes of floaters might be a symptom of something more serious, such as retinal detachment. In such an event, you should contact your ophthalmologist urgently for an assessment.

How Do I Know If I Need an Eye Floaters Doctor Near Me?

Should eye floaters suddenly increase in number or severity, or over a short period, then you should immediately seek attention from an eye floater doctor nearby. This is because it can be a sign of an underlying serious condition, such as a torn retina. Other red flags would be floaters appearing after any eye trauma, post-medical treatment to the eye, or for those who are diabetic.

For many people, floaters don’t cause a problem. After time, we mostly become accustomed to them and don’t even notice they’re there. But for others, they can become more than just an irritation—some people even give up activities because floaters become so intrusive. Working on computer screens is an oft-mentioned reason for wanting floaters to be removed, even in younger people.

Floaters are often age-related. As we get older the vitreous shrinks, pulling tiny amounts of collagen fibers from the retina with it. These cast shadows in the eye and we see them as floaters. While benign, if floaters detract from your quality of life you might consider having them removed. This is a treatment that’s performed by an ophthalmologist experienced in the treatment of floaters. They will examine your eyes and determine whether or not you’re suitable for treatment. If you are, there are two ways that floaters are treated:

A vitrectomy: This involves removing the natural vitreous from the eye and replacing it with an artificial salt solution.

This is an invasive surgical procedure that’s performed under a general anesthetic. It’s highly successful but comes with some associated risks, such as cataract formation and retinal tears/detachment. Your laser floater specialist will determine whether such a procedure is appropriate.

In most situations, laser floater removal is likely to be the chosen option. This is also referred to as YAG vitreolysis.

YAG vitreolysis: This utilizes a non-invasive laser to target the clumps within the vitreous that are responsible for floaters. It’s performed during an out-patient procedure, takes up to 3 sessions at 4-6 week intervals, and has a typical success rate of over 90%. The procedure should only be carried out by an expert practitioner.

What Happens During Eye Floater Surgery or Laser Floater Removal?

YAG vitreolysis, or laser floater surgery, involves aiming pulses of laser light at the clumps within the vitreous. This breaks them down, converting them into a gas that dissipates, removing the floater entirely, or reducing it to such a tiny level that it’s no longer noticeable.

The procedure is carried out in the following manner:

The eye surgeon will use anesthetic drops to numb your eyes
A special type of contact lens is placed on the eye/s
The surgeon will then target the laser treatment into the eye through the contact lens using a microscope that allows for high accuracy
Treatment typically takes no longer than 20-30 minutes, although it requires 2, or even 3, sessions that are carried out a few weeks apart
Afterward, you’ll be given anti-inflammatory eyedrops

While the treatment is being carried out you’ll probably see the appearance of tiny specks and dots. This is the floaters being broken down into gas bubbles. These soon dissolve and are absorbed into the vitreous.Post-treatment, you may experience some minor discomfort and redness, have blurred vision, and see tiny dark specks in the lower part of the vision. This is all quite normal and is short-lived.

How Does WBEC Provide Eye Floaters Treatment?

The West Boca Eye Center offers patients the very latest in eye floater removal treatment. Technological advances continue to bring increasingly improved solutions to this laser treatment, and no ophthalmologist is more proactive in this field than the lead clinician at WBEC, Brent Bellotte MD.

Highly regarded throughout the world of ophthalmology, Bellotte is globally recognized as playing a pivotal role in bringing cutting-edge vision improvement solutions to the mainstream. His work as an academic and practicing eye surgeon means that patients of the WBEC can benefit from the very latest laser solutions. Having performed thousands of such laser procedures, Dr. Bellotte and his team are in the enviable position of being able to offer the very latest laser treatments that have been proven to bring the highest results.

For every single patient, the clinical team at WBEC carries out highly advanced diagnostic tests to determine the reason for the floaters, the type, and the suitability for laser floater removal surgery.

Laser Floater Removal | Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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Specializing in modern cataract surgery.

Located 1/2 miles North of West Boca Medical Center on Glades Road, directly behind Macy's Furniture Gallery.

West Boca Eye Center
9325 Glades Road, Suite 201.
Boca Raton, FL 33434

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