Eye Floaters Treatment – Optical Breakdown Laser Procedure

Eye floaters also known as vitreous floaters or opacities are small, cell tufts appearing in the normally occurring vitreous (clear fluid) which fill up the back 3/4ths of a person’s eye thus casting small shadows on the retina that one could notice as eye floaters.

To individuals eye floaters appear alike tiny flecks, cobweb or cloud-like formations that appear to move in their scope of eyesight, ranging from being an irritant which cannot be overlooked to meddling with able performing of routine tasks, for instance, problems faced when one tries to drive or read.

Eye floaters whose locations are not near other visual structures are ideally removed by laser treatments as they are not connected to blood supply and hence bleeding not likely.

Eye Floaters Treatment

Eye floaters treatment comprises of two key forms namely Vitrectomy and Laser Treatment.

Eye floaters treatment via laser is a simple, outpatient method lasting for a brief thirty minutes or shorter. Laser treatment for eye floaters has a standard insurance code, 67031 that has been around for quite some years. Almost all insurance providers inclusive of Medicare have been providing cover for this method since long. From the nearly twenty-one thousand eye surgeons in the U.S., solely 2 own the appropriate gear and vast experience in ably conducting this method.

Laser disruption is achieved in the following way:

• Following pupil dilatation, a de-sensitizing eye drop is administered and placement of a special-type of contact lens on the eye is done for eye floaters treatment.
• The laser is cautiously directed and either a single floaters or a number of floaters are annihilated via process of vaporization with assistance of the laser. Optionally, the floater’s connections are obliterated through vaporization to facilitate repositioning of the floater to a different section of the eye. This form of disruption additionally allows the eye in absorbing any remnant particles. Following vaporization of the big-sized floater/floaters, a number of quite small particles are actually too miniscule to be able to be aimed at and are left.
• The laser disruption is carried out with the assistance of an indiscernible light via the pupil. There is no discomforting sensations or slit made during the entire procedure. The focus is done with such precision that often time taken would vary from a mere five minutes to thirty minutes and conducted solely by hands of a skilled surgeon. Post-operation, the person does not have to restrict any form of activities and follow-up of the patient is done on the subsequent day. At times, a single session is not enough for disrupting the floaters and extra session could be needed. Only on very rare occasions is floater disruption not possible.
• The laser procedure truly eliminates floaters, not merely causing breakage into tiny particles. The method is known as optical breakdown and is analogous to that employed during cataract surgery for making a clear aperture using a YAG laser in post-surgery cataract casings.
• Laser treatment outweighs vitrectomy procedure due to its greater accuracy translating to floater disruption with no need to change remaining of the vitreous or other ocular structures. The other key benefit is eye not being opened thus averting any major chances of infections, wounds leakages, retina detaching and cataract forming.