The typical treatment for floaters is to first address any underlying condition that may be causing them. Often, floaters are due to an eye disease that has resulted in inflammation and may disappear after the disease is treated. When they remain, however, most people learn to tolerate them over time, as there is no particular medicine or surgical treatment for floaters.
Vision experts recommend that individuals see an ophthalmologist for advice on treatment for floaters upon first experiencing symptoms. In some people, an eye floater will appear as one or more spots in vision, and in others, floaters appear to look like tiny threads. These do not cause pain, but are more of a nuisance and may occasionally obstruct vision. Typically, a vitreous floater is caused by the normal aging process, by an inflammatory disease or by a hole that has occurred in the eye’s retina due to a detachment of the vitreous, which is the watery gel that surrounds the eye. When this occurs, fluid seeps into the hole and causes the retina to detach. Bleeding can also enter the vitreous cavity and cause floaters.
While aging individuals most commonly report annoyances due to floaters, younger people who engage in heavy computer use or reading also often seek treatment for floaters. Vitreous floaters can be removed by surgery, but there is an increased risk of complete retinal detachment with surgery, as well as an increased risk in the development of cataracts. Often, even after surgery, floaters remain in diminished proportion or return over time. Due to the risks involved, as well as the possibility that surgery will not completely remove floaters, many choose to bypass surgical treatment for floaters and learn to tolerate them instead. Surgery as a treatment for floaters is usually reserved for instances when floaters are causing a serious disruption in vision.
While the treatment for floaters is limited and uncertain, ophthalmologists recommend that anyone experiencing floaters for the first time or anyone who has had floaters for a while, but has noticed an increase in the amount of floaters, immediately seek the advice of an ophthalmologist on what to do about them. It is important to understand the cause of floaters to determine if retinal tearing has occurred, if hemorrhaging is causing these visual disturbances or if it is due to disease. Seeking treatment for floaters as soon as they begin can lessen their severity and can prevent further eye damage, including blindness, if the underlying cause is detected and treated early enough.
