LASER FLOATER TREATMENT
About Laser Floater Treatment
Also known as laser vitreolysis, Laser Floater Treatment is a minimally invasive procedure that can eliminate or reduce the visual disturbance caused by floaters. It is performed in your ophthalmologist’s office and typically takes 20-60 minutes per treatment session. On average, two treatment sessions are required to achieve a satisfactory result.
The goal of LFT is to achieve a “functional improvement”. That is, to allow you to return to “normal” day-to-day activities without the hindrance of floaters.
Laser Floater Treatment involves the application of nanosecond pulses of low-energy laser light to evaporate the vitreous opacities and to sever the vitreous strands. During this process, the laser energy evaporates the collagen and hyaluronin molecules to form a gas. The end result is that the floater is removed and/or reduced to a size that no longer impedes vision.
Laser Floater Treatment is performed as an outpatient procedure; you do not have to stay overnight in a hospital. Immediately prior to treatment, your ophthalmologist will administer eye drops to prepare the eye and to provide mild anesthesia. A contact lens will then be placed on your eye, with the laser light delivered through a specially designed microscope.
During treatment, you will likely observe small, dark specks/shadows – signaling that the floaters are being evaporated into small gas bubbles. These gas bubbles quickly dissolve and reabsorb into the vitreous humor.
Once the treatment is complete, your ophthalmologist may treat your eyes with anti-inflammatory drops. It is important to note that most patients will need to undergo two treatment sessions, sometimes three, in order to achieve a satisfactory result. As there is no inflammation post-treatment, these sessions can be performed on consecutive days.
You may observe small, dark specks in your lower field of vision immediately following treatment, but these small gas bubbles will quickly dissolve and will not impede vision.
It is also important to note that some patients may experience mild discomfort, redness or temporarily blurred vision directly following treatment.
Reported side effects and complications associated with LFT are rare. Side effects may include cataract and intraocular pressure (IOP) spike.
While some floaters can be effectively treated, several floater types are difficult to treat and/or less likely to regress than others. To that end, it is necessary to first undergo an ophthalmic examination in order to determine your eligibility for laser floater treatment.
Generally-speaking, if you suffer from persistent moving shadows in your vision due to vitreal condensations, fibers, strands, and/or clouds, you are a good candidate for laser floater treatment. A number of factors, such as age, onset of symptoms and floater characteristics, will also determine whether laser floater treatment is your best treatment option.
Age:
In most cases, younger patients (<45) suffer from microscopic floaters located close to the retina (1-2 mm) and are not considered to be good candidates for laser floater removal treatment.
Onset of Symptoms:
If your floater symptoms came on very quickly then they may be associated with a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), the characteristics of which can be effectively treated with laser floater removal.
Floater Characteristics:
Large floaters with a soft border, situated away from the retina, are ideally suited to treatment with laser floater removal.