Using laser treatment to target eye floaters

New research supports the use of laser treatment to target eye floaters.

The study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, reports on the treatment of 52 patients with eye floaters.

The patients were either given YAG laser vitreolysis or a placebo treatment.

Six months after treatment, the patients who received laser treatment reported a greater improvement in self-reported symptoms than those in the placebo group.

A total of 19 patients who had YAG laser vitreolysis reported significantly or completely improved symptoms of visual disturbance. No patients in the placebo group reported this level of recovery.

The authors report that no clinically relevant adverse effects occurred during the trial.

“These results suggest that YAG laser vitreolysis can improve visual symptoms associated with symptomatic vitreous floaters, but larger studies with longer durations are needed to validate these findings and expand the ability to identify adverse events,” they concluded.