Floaters Surgery – Is It Necessary?

1. Floaters Surgery – Is It Necessary? Every ophthalmologist practice will have someone complaining about eye floaters. With the sophisticated patient selection and enhancements in technology, ophthalmologists can provide vitreous floater surgery without major risk. Vitreous floaters happen when a patient experiences a retinal tear, retinopexy or scleral buckling, along with vitreous hemorrhage. The majority of patients with floaters have either myopic vitreopathy or posterior vitreous detachment or PVD. PVD and myopic vitreopathy occur in people over the age of fifty. Those with PVD will experience more floaters. The majority of patients can manage their floaters, then there are those that the floaters bother, impacting their quality of life. Younger patients in their twenties and thirties can also develop floaters due to myopia. The impact of floaters in bright light is harder and this is why younger people find it harder to work on their computers for extended hours. Looking at a bright sky, snow or the ocean can be difficult as the floaters make their way across the field of vision. The impact on some patients can be very unsettling, some having to give up their favorite activities as a result. The reason why some patients are more affected by eye floaters than others is not fully understood. Some believe it is due to biochemistry and the natural aging process, along with hormones and genetics. Patients that have a thicker posterior vitreous cortex will find it much harder to live with eye floaters than others, making them ideal candidates for floaters surgery. Not all eye floaters are the same, which is why less than five percent of eye patients will complain about their floaters. What the ophthalmologist sees is not necessarily what the patient experiences, this is why a successful surgery requires careful patient evaluation and selection. Many eye doctors don't take the symptoms of vitreous floaters seriously. This is because the patient's visual fields and acuity are checked, but their contrast sensitivity isn't taken into account. Floaters move around the central vision, which can make it very difficult to drive a vehicle or even read the newspaper or computer screen.

2. Many ophthalmologists will conduct a CSF (Contrast Sensitivity Function) assessment which is an evaluation of the impact of the vitreous on the patient's vision. It measures the patient's ability to distinguish gray shades. Patients that are experiencing troublesome floaters will have sixty-seven percent less CSF than other patients of the same age. With normal CSF floaters, surgery shouldn't be necessary, it should still be manageable. An abnormal CSF can result in floaters surgery, called a vitrectomy. This involves a small incision in the eye to remove the vitreous gel, replacing it with a solution to enable the eye to retain its shape. Vitrectomy is a common surgery that can be used for troublesome floaters and is suitable for those with debilitating floaters that are negatively impacting their daily lives. Floaters tend to develop slowly and therefore surgery isn't needed immediately and in most cases, patients can live with their eye floaters without the need for surgery. Having a vitrectomy comes with some small risk, mainly infection as three small incisions are made in the eye. Floaters surgery also increases the risk of developing cataracts and in some rare cases, retinal detachment. Careful patient selection is key to ensuring the success of the floater's surgery and reducing the risks. There are some advancements in technology, which has some ophthalmologists working with the laser to remove the eye floaters, though vitrectomy remains the safest and most common treatment option for this eye condition. About Us: Mahi Muqit is a leading consultant ophthalmologist, cataract, and vitreoretinal surgeon at two private clinics in London, United Kingdom. He provides patients with superior service and support with a range of surgical procedures to meet their eyesight requirements. He has built up a solid reputation for his eye services in the London area as an expert eye doctor and surgeon offering surgical retina, medical retina, and complex cataract surgery. He also offers surgery to patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. Mahi Muqit is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, a member of the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons, and the UK and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. To find out more, visit https://www.retinasurgeon.uk.com.