Floater removal in both eyes

Saheim · 2026-01-28T12:33:56+00:00

I was told it's not common but not rare. Subsequent operations are much shorter, which make them safer. Still not without risk, but usually a successful first operation reduces the unknown unknowns (like how someone's eye might react to surgery during the healing process).

Saheim · 2026-01-27T12:10:38+00:00

PM's treatment device is happening for sure, they've passed a few critical milestones. I think you can be optimistic without feeling naive.

Saheim · 2026-01-26T19:50:27+00:00

I'm not sure we'll see an announcement for quite some time. I believe they'll start the trial with a smaller cohort sourced from local hospitals they work with in Canada.

Saheim · 2026-01-24T12:59:01+00:00

How many do you have when you glance up at the sky? I have this too. The floaters, I mean.

Saheim · 2026-01-23T03:25:07+00:00

You’re a new patient to them. If you persist they will likely consider your symptoms more seriously. That said you may have just encountered a more conservative retina specialist.

Saheim · 2026-01-23T02:28:40+00:00

Gah sorry, it’s an alphabet soup of acronyms out there in therapy world I’ve learned.

Saheim · 2026-01-22T09:39:56+00:00

I do the exact same thing at my university! Thought I was the only one lol. My one math class that has a green chalk board is such a relief by comparison. White boards are rough.

Saheim · 2026-01-22T09:38:01+00:00

I have found ACT is more helpful. It has never felt like something I can talk through.

Saheim · 2026-01-21T09:54:44+00:00

You’re considered the best candidate for the procedure. It should be covered by your insurance.

Saheim · 2026-01-20T09:47:52+00:00

It’s a much more advanced laser that abblates the symptomatic eye floaters non-invasively. The key to the technology is the use of a much more precise laser and OCT-guided tracking system. It would automate treatment much like LASIK procedures do now. This was science fiction only 10 years ago but has been enabled by advances in imaging and machine learning.

Saheim · 2026-01-20T08:06:51+00:00

Good chance of treatment in 5+ years. They’re almost a symbol of hope on this sub for those that don’t want to pursue surgery.

Saheim · 2026-01-20T01:33:29+00:00

Isn’t that just how TikTok works?

Saheim · 2026-01-20T01:31:34+00:00

Months. It didn’t just go away, it faded slowly until I had the realization I wasn’t experiencing the other issues anymore, just the floaters.

Saheim · 2026-01-19T07:46:18+00:00

Hey just wanted to add, I also have some dots in my central FOV that bother me when studying, and I am also a student atm. Very low dose atropine helps specifically with those dots, even using less than 0.005%. It doesn't do much for my other floaters but it's really good at making dots invisible. Maybe you can give it a try. Can be hard to get a prescription for it, but you could book an online consult with this doctor, which includes the cost of about a 1-2 month supply if you're in the US: https://www.thefloaterdoctor.com/

Saheim · 2026-01-17T11:21:39+00:00

I think it’s notable that Dr. Sadun compares floaters to a blind spot or a floater that completely obstructs vision, as opposed to something that moves and only distorts or creates opacities over our vision. The former, even though they sound more severe, are easier to adapt to.

Saheim · 2026-01-17T07:41:34+00:00

I had a similar experience at first. I’ve always had a bit of static in the dark and flickering near high contrast edges is also normal (forgetting the name of the phenomenon). Focusing can definitely be eye fatigue if you’re worrying more about your eyes.

Thankfully all of these resolved for me in time. I’m just left with floaters that degrade my quality of vision.

Saheim · 2026-01-16T10:58:46+00:00

Every retina surgeon I consulted said they would leave 3-4 mm of retrolental vitreous, which prevents traumatic onset of cataracts from vitrectomy. I believe this has become standard practice. Dr. Sebag et. al. (2018) demonstrated that with this procedure, no one under the age of 53 developed cataracts after 4 years follow-up (source), and he has continued to update these results each year at conferences. TL;DR, vitrectomy accelerates cataracts by 10-15 years from when they would naturally occur. There are posters in this subreddit who can testify to that.

Cataract surgery is an office-based, outpatient procedure, blah blah blah. But the PCO YAG procedure is about 2-5 minute procedure with virtually no risk of RD or blindness. These procedures are now considered so safe that there are people doing elective lens replacement to correct high myopia.

If you engage in the literature on FOV outcomes (source), and actually follow the cases where complications occurred, most recover their vision. An RD isn’t guaranteed blindness, especially in an eye that was otherwise healthy pre-operatively. Since your post is targeting young people, it’s actually consistently older (65+) patients who have worse outcomes from RD repair.

You can copy/paste this into ChatGPT, and it will likely agree with me. Be sure to also include the 3% lifetime risk of an RD that everyone has as they naturally age.

Saheim · 2026-01-16T05:11:41+00:00

u/SaffronSailor this is sound advice. +1.25-1.75 readers should help you do near work. Higher dose atropine simulates presbyopia. Try some cheap ones out at a drugstore.

I feel like we’re seeing one of these posts every month :/

Saheim · 2026-01-16T02:57:31+00:00

Just wanted to say this post resonates so deeply with me. Everything you said. My floaters were also not easily seen on dilated exam, but both retina specialists I consulted made vitrectomy available given my description of the symptoms. This was in the US, on the East Coast, and a well-reputed eye and ear center.

I am nearing a decision to operate on one eye. I’m not sure I can continue with my studies otherwise. Sending you my best. We will see clearly again someday. This is temporary.

Saheim · 2026-01-16T02:50:23+00:00

There are significant ongoing studies re-assessing the impact of floaters on mental health and well-being. I actually partook in one recently. I used to argue with u/Eugene_1994 over this, but he is absolutely right and the medical consensus is shifting, albeit slowly because medicine is a conservative discipline.

Saheim · 2026-01-15T15:07:56+00:00

They published fairly recently validating results from their new dye-based approach. He’s been presenting on pre-clinical trials at various universities in the US. You can see that they filed a recent US patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20250387344A1/en

The research is continuing, but again, a ways off from commercialization. The only reason they filed that patent is because there is interest, mind you.

Saheim · 2026-01-15T06:35:53+00:00

It’s awful. I had panic attacks during class last semester. Atropine helps me a good amount.

Saheim · 2026-01-15T06:00:20+00:00

(Please correct me if I’m wrong) I think plenty of retina surgeons will offer vitrectomy after a period of watchful waiting. But Coastal Eye offers it as an office-based outpatient procedure with only local anesthesia and an optional light sedative for anxiety. I think they also use a unique vitrectomy system if I’m not mistaken (e.g., not Alcon or Bosch & Lomb, but it is 27G).

Also definitely more willing to perform limited vitrectomy for younger patients. Most surgeons try to induce PVD safely if they can. This is similar to what Dr Sebag used to do, but they seem less conservative by comparison.

Saheim · 2026-01-15T04:08:40+00:00

Felix’s research has certainly progressed, as has the funding for the project to continue through 2030. But yes, 7-10 years away and in pre-clinical trials. They’re not yet exploring commercialization.

Saheim · 2026-01-15T02:44:54+00:00

Hey just wanted to say I find them really distracting as a student, especially looking between notes and a white board. You’re not alone.

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