The Floater Doctor

This 'overview' statement should answer (or direct you to) many or most of the questions you might have regarding your options for your eye floaters.

THE MARKETPLACE IN GENERAL: Generally, most eye care providers are not particularly interested in your eye floaters, and so I would not be surprised if you were told nothing could/should be done for your floaters, or even that the seemed concerned about what you are experiencing. For the smaller fraction who might be interested in treating your floaters, there is no training, course of instruction, certification, or resource for doctors to learn the very specific skills at the laser. You CAN find someone closer to you who has a laser and may offer the treatment but be very careful. Most will under-treat from lack of confidence and experience, but I am hearing of instances of injury and harm. Great cataract and refractive surgery skills do not translate to laser vitreolysis.

AGE CONSIDERATIONS: Age of onset of floaters is the best predictor of the type, amount, and distribution of degenerated and disorganized vitreous collagen (the floaters).

YOUNGER ONSET FLOATERS (<30-35 years age), these are typically microscopic small fibers and strands seen with great detail. They are almost always located  very close to the retina where they are very difficult to see on examination. Because of the proximity to the retina, they are not good candidates for safe and effective treatment with the laser. There are options (see below).

OLDER ONSET FLOATERS (>45-50 years age), often associated with widespread and diffuse disorganizational changes to thevitreous fluid like a Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). The changes are more widespread, but they are further from the retina making them more amenable to treatment with the laser.

IN-BETWEEN AGE (30'S-40'S) these are harder to predict and may be characterized by more widespread cob-webs and strands, some treatable, some not, but much more encouraging for the option to treat than those younger.

OVERLAP & PROGRESSION Younger people's floaters do not progress to older type floaters, and there is no way to predict if your floaters will get worse or stay he same as to what you experiencing now. The age ranges above are rough approximations and there is overlap, but this generalization gets us in the ballpark.

OPTIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF EYE FLOATERS:

DO NOTHING: The most common and default recommendation in eye care. The obligation/expectation by the doctor is to 'rule out' any retina pathology and then send you on your way.

LOW DOSE ATROPINE: I started offering very dilute, long-lasting pupil dilating agents of various strengths and it has transformed my practice. A mild dilation of the pupil (diameter of about 4mm compared to a full dilation of 9-10mm) minimizes the shadows that we see as floaters without the light sensitivity and blurred vision (especially up close) that you get with a full strength dilation. Read about it and SIGN UP HERE. I offer tele-med video consultations and you can mail the custom compounded eye drops to any US location. Outside the US? You can ask your doctor to prescribe it for you Download this PDF.

LASER VITREOLYSIS: This is the procedure with which I have established my professional reputation. I have about 20,000 procedures experience and with the right patient it can offer a very significant improvement to the quality of vision and quality of life without the risks and invasive nature of a surgical procedure. It is not a 100% cure, but 60-90% + improvement is common and often good-enough better to relegate the remaining floaters to a more tolerable background noise. It is not a one-and-done procedure like cataract / refractive surgery and so I will recommend scheduling 2-3 consecutive day appointments if coming from out of town.

SURGICAL VITRECTOMY: Often referred to as a floater-only vitrectomy (FOV). This is a surgical procedure that removes all of the vitreous to be replaced with a saline solution. It will get rid of all or most of the floaters, but has a nearly 100% expectation for development of cataracts requiring another surgery within several months to a year. I will sometimes recommend it for the most extensive vitreous degenerative conditions, but it will rarely ever be offered or performed on younger patients.

LASER VITREOLYSIS TREATMENT WITH 'THE FLOATER DOCTOR': Exclusively treating eye floaters since 2007. The only practice in the world dedicated to floaters. We are in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas area. You may have found old references to my practice in Irvine, CA. I am no longer there. Sorry for any confusion.

FEES: I am commonly asked how much to expect for a treatment 'series'. Ballpark? About $2000-2500 total for 2-3 treatments in an eye. I have broken it down very transparently HERE.

MEDICAL INSURANCE: We are not an contracted insurance provider with any provider including Medicare, Tricare, or any of the major providers. Consider it an out of pocket expense, although we do provide a detailed receipt that you could provide as part of a claim after the fact. You can see pertinent diagnosis and treatment codes and more details HERE.

SCHEDULING: We switched over to an online scheduling app integrated intothe web site. You can schedule multiple appointments for your visit. You will receive immediate email confirmation and from that email message you can also reschedule or cancel. Link to schedule HERE.

WHAT TO EXPECT OF THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT PROCESS & EXPERIENCE: I have an extensive description of this process which describes the entire process. Read about it HERE.

MORE INFORMATION ON VARIOUS TOPICS: THE BIG ALGORITHM: An overview of what is and isn't a floater and the important age demographics that influences the options available to you: HERE

POSTERIOR VITREOUS DETACHMENTS and FLASHES: A good explanation on video HERE.

WHY AREN'T MORE DOCTORS TREATING EYE FLOATERS?: Explanation video HERE.

TEMPTED TO GO TO YOUR LOCAL DOCTOR FOR TREATMENT?: Choose carefully, HERE.

There's lots more in the website, so I also have organized a SITE MAP HERE to guide you.

You can look through the YouTube Channel or poke around further on the web site.

WHO IS DR. JOHNSON?: Dr. Johnson has been exclusively treating eye floaters since 2007. Anyone on the internet can say anything and when people are desperate, they can be taken advantage of by pseudoscientific claims of cures. I like to let my patients tell their stories on review sites that I have no control or influence on. This should answer most of the questions about the options to manage and treat your eye floaters. If it did not and you still have questions, please do not hesitate to reply back.