Laser Floater Treatment
It is estimated that 70% of all people will experience eye floaters in their lifetime. These cobweb and cloud-like shadows in the eye can compromise vision and disrupt a patient’s ability to read, drive and otherwise function normally. Davidson Eye Associates offers a pain-free, minimally invasive, in-office procedure called Laser Floater Treatment (LFT). Also known as vitreolysis, LFT can often provide much-needed relief from these bothersome eye floaters.
What Are Eye Floaters?
Floaters (Vitreous Opacities) are small pieces of debris that float in the eye’s vitreous humor (the jelly-like substance in the main chamber of the eye). This debris casts cloud-like shadows onto the retina (the light-sensitive tissue layer at the back of the eye). If you have floaters, it is these shadows that you see floating across your field of vision.
In many cases as the eye ages further, the vitreous humor can peel away from the retina entirely. This is known as Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). PVD is often associated with a sudden increase in the number of floaters.
A Pain-Free Treatment To Eliminate Eye Floaters
LFT is a minimally invasive, in-office procedure that can provide much-needed relief from eye floaters. It can also delay the need for additional surgery. The goal of laser vitreolysis is to allow patients to resume eye normal day-to-day activities without the nuisance of eye floaters.
Features of Laser Floater Treatment
- Outpatient procedure performed in our office
- Typically takes from 20-60 minutes to perform
- Most patients experience an almost immediate improvement
- Patients return to normal day-to-day activities directly following treatment
- There is no need for eye patches
More than one treatment session may be needed in order to achieve a satisfactory result
The Ophthalmologists at Davidson Eye Associates treat eye floaters using a YAG laser that is specifically designed to vaporize the vitreous strands. During the in-office procedure, the laser emits short (3 nanosecond) bursts of energy. This laser energy does not simply break the vitreous strands into smaller pieces, but rather converts the collagen and hyaluronin molecules within the floater into a gas, which is then resorbed into the eye. The end result is that the floater is removed and/or reduced in size.
Who Can Benefit From Laser Floater Treatment?
It is necessary to undergo an ophthalmic examination to determine your eligibility for treatment with LFT. Large floaters with a soft border, situated away from the retina, are ideally suited to treatment with LFT. If your floater symptoms develop very quickly then they may be caused by PVD, which may also be treated with LFT.
For more information, or to schedule a consultation to learn how Laser Floater Treatment (LFT) may help you relief from these bothersome eye floaters, call 336-243-2436