What are Floaters and How Can Laser Floater Removal Help?
If you’ve ever experienced floaters in the past, you may have sought out treatment options only to find that it’s something you just have to live with – or undergo risky surgery to treat it. Although this was true in the past, we’ve now found ways to treat and get rid of floaters without the risks and with significant results. Laser floater removal can help you see more clearly with an unmatched safety profile, no downtime, and no pain. Here’s what to know about floaters and how you can achieve relief.
What are Floaters?
Everyone experiences floaters at some point. Floaters are small spots or strings that can appear in your vision even though they aren’t really there. They can happen occasionally but may become more and more frequent as you age, leading to more significant disruption of your vision. They can even become disabling, drastically impacting your vision. However, floaters are not inherently harmful to your health. Because they were very difficult to treat in the past, it was previously recommended that they not be treated based on the ratio of risk to benefit.
What Causes Floaters?
The main chamber of the eye is filled with a gel called the vitreous humor. Located between the lens and the retina, this gel is crystal clear throughout early and middle life. However, as you age, this gel can destabilize and become more liquid. Without this stable gel, the collagen fibers in the eye can begin to form knots and clumps which float around in this liquid. When these fibers pass in front of the retina, they can cast shadows and cause what we perceive as floaters. People who have had previous eye surgery may also be more likely to experience floaters.
Can Floaters Be Treated?
Floaters can and do subside on their own, which is why it’s often recommended that you only seek out treatment if they’ve persisted for 3-6 months. Previously, a procedure called a vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the gel inside the eyes, was the main treatment for floaters. It came with many risks and was not often recommended, however. More recently, a procedure called laser floater removal has become the primary treatment for floaters.
How Does Laser Floater Removal Work?
Laser floater removal uses laser energy to break up and vaporize clumps of collagen inside the vitreous humor. This process only takes about 20 minutes. Because the laser technology is so precise, it has an excellent safety profile and comes with no pain. In fact, you can even return to your normal schedule afterward. This makes laser floater removal a significant development in helping you see clearly.
Schedule an Appointment
If you’re tired of living with floaters, our team of laser experts can help. Schedule an appointment online or give us a call at our Boston-area offices to learn more.
