# Treatment for Floaters in Eyes

Source page: https://www.kudretgozistanbul.com/en/blog/eye-diseases/treatment-for-floaters-in-eyes

**Author:** Kudret Eye İstanbul | **Medical Approval:** Op. Dr. Mehmet Ali Özdil | **Date:** 2026-09-08

> **Summary:** Eye floaters are shadows cast on the retina by clumped particles in the vitreous gel. Most are harmless, but some signal a retinal tear and need urgent care; for bothersome floaters, vitreolysis laser is a non-surgical option that breaks them up.

## Quick Facts
- **Procedure:** Vitreolysis laser, non-surgical, outpatient
- **Duration:** 15-20 minutes
- **Anesthesia:** Anesthetic eye drops
- **Hospital stay:** None; return to daily life right after
- **Side effect:** Small gas bubbles in vision that disappear within a few hours

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## What Are Eye Floaters?
The vitreous, the jelly-like fluid filling the eye, is dense and uniform in youth but becomes watery with age, and its fibres clump; their shadows fall on the retina. Ageing is the most common cause. Other causes:
- Eye trauma
- Diabetes
- Some eye infections
- High myopia

## When to Seek Urgent Care
- A sudden, intense increase in floaters
- Floaters with flashes of light
- A fixed shadow or curtain on one side of the visual field
- Sudden vision loss

These can indicate a retinal tear requiring urgent intervention.

## Vitreolysis Laser
Laser energy is focused on the floaters in split-second pulses, destroying them or breaking them into pieces too small to notice, so light reaches the retina uninterrupted.

**Who it suits:**
- Patients whose floaters reduce quality of life, for example distracting them while reading or sitting in the centre of vision.
- The doctor decides after a detailed examination of the floaters' nature, size and location.
- Not suitable for people with a retinal tear or at risk of retinal detachment.

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## The Treatment Journey

### 1. Before Treatment
- Detailed examination to confirm suitability.

### 2. During Treatment
- 15-20 minutes in a chair in an outpatient setting.
- The eye is numbed with anesthetic drops; the doctor uses a special lens and targets floaters with tiny laser pulses.

### 3. After Treatment
- Return to daily life immediately; no hospital stay or long recovery.
- A few small gas bubbles may be seen, disappearing on their own within a few hours.