What are your options for managing ubiquitous vitreous floaters?

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"When floaters begin to interfere with patients’ work, they are going to begin looking for any solution. Such was the recent case of a physician—a friend of a friend—who felt his floaters were beginning to interfere with his ability to practice within his specialty. He had consulted an ophthalmologist who promoted a laser treatment designed to rid patients of floaters altogether. The patient was hesitant and contacted me. Although floaters are a common nuisance, their causes and treatment options are poorly understood by patients—even some who are physicians themselves."

Read the full article from reviewofoptometry.com

Dr. Dexter's Take

Vitreous floaters are one of the most common complaints that you will hear from your patients. Patients experiencing symptoms associated with an aging vitreous are usually first anxious and nervous because they think that they may have a concurrent retinal detachment. Once you are able to rule-out a retinal break or detachment, it is important to be able to explain to them exactly what is happening inside of their eye and reassure them that the condition and symptoms are normal.

Once you have calmed their fears, they often next ask how you can get rid of the annoying floating opacities. Again, proper patient education is important here. Often times we don't do anything about floaters and advise the patients that they should notice them less frequently over time, but some patients have a difficult time accepting that.

This article does a great job at reviewing what floaters are so that you can confidently educate your patients about the natural aging process, and also dives into a couple of treatment options so that you can at least let your patients know the risks and benefits of any potential treatment. I've learned that even though you may not recommend a certain procedure, you should at least let the patient know that the treatment exists and why they shouldn't have it, or they may go elsewhere for another opinion!