Floaters can be more than a minor inconvenience
Vitreous floaters are shadows cast onto the retina by tiny opacities within the vitreous gel inside the eye. For some people, they are mild and gradually become less noticeable. For others, floaters can significantly interfere with reading, driving, screen use and quality of life.
At The Retina Clinic London, we take floaters seriously. We assess not only whether floaters are present, but also how they affect visual function and whether treatment may be appropriate.
What do floaters look like?
Floaters may appear as:
- Dark dots
- Cobwebs
- Threads
- Rings
- Wispy shadows
- Moving shapes that drift across vision
They are often more noticeable against bright backgrounds, such as a white wall, computer screen or clear sky.
Sudden new floaters or a sudden increase in floaters, especially with flashes of light, rapid vision loss, or a curtain-like shadow, should be assessed urgently to exclude a retinal tear or detachment.
Why do floaters happen?
Floaters often occur as part of natural ageing changes in the vitreous gel. As the vitreous changes, it can form clumps or detach from the retina. This is called posterior vitreous detachment.
Other causes may include inflammation, bleeding, trauma or previous eye surgery. Because the causes vary, a detailed retinal assessment is important before any treatment is considered.
Option 1: Monitoring
Not all floaters need treatment. If the floaters are mild, stable and not significantly affecting daily life, monitoring may be the safest approach.
During monitoring, the retina is checked carefully to ensure there are no associated tears, holes or other concerning changes.
Option 2: YAG laser vitreolysis
YAG laser vitreolysis is a non-surgical laser treatment that can be suitable for selected floaters, particularly well-defined opacities such as a Weiss ring.
The laser is focused on the floater to break it into smaller fragments or reduce its visual impact. It is not suitable for every type of floater, and careful assessment is essential to determine whether the floater’s position, size and density make laser treatment appropriate.
Option 3: Therapeutic refractive vitrectomy
For severe, diffuse or highly symptomatic floaters, therapeutic refractive vitrectomy may be considered. This is a specialist surgical procedure that removes the central vitreous responsible for the visual disturbance.
At The Retina Clinic London, this is performed in our dedicated onsite surgical theatre, using advanced vitreoretinal surgical techniques. As with all surgery, the potential benefits must be balanced against risks, and suitability is assessed carefully.
How The Retina Clinic London approaches floater treatment
Our approach begins with a detailed consultation and advanced imaging. The aim is to understand the nature of the floaters, assess the retina fully, and explain all suitable options clearly.
Where treatment is appropriate, the recommendation is personalised. Some patients are best suited to monitoring. Others may benefit from YAG laser vitreolysis or therapeutic refractive vitrectomy.
The next step
If floaters are affecting your vision or quality of life, a specialist assessment can help clarify the cause and whether treatment may be suitable.
To book your consultation, please call us on +44 (0)20 4548 5310 or visit https://www.theretinacliniclondon.com/book-a-consultation/.
Let’s explore whether this could help your vision.