Can eye floaters be surgically removed?

Yes, floaters (and other vitreous debris) can be surgically removed. But the real issue is: How safe is it to remove floaters from the eye surgically.

A surgical vitrectomy is the most definitive treatment that can do this (along with the entire vitreous). But vitrectomy carries a significant risk of causing a cataract in the natural lens. If the lens has already been replaced by an artificial lens implant (IOL), however, vitrectomy for floaters is much easier and safer.

There are some who find improvement or relief from bothersome floaters with repeat treatments of a special YAG laser (vitreolysis). But this is still considered my most ophthalmologists to be at best a partial cure in that the floaters are not being removed but rather "blasted" into smaller pieces that can sometimes be pushed away from the eye's line of sight. Still, there are many happy people who have had this done.

Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic