Eye Floater Surgery Malpractice 

“Eye floaters" have many different causes which may range from natural aging or when the wear and tear in the retina causes vitreous syneresis, being a symptom of eye abnormality such as near sightedness, injuries from eye surgery after a cataract surgery, laser surgery, and other conditions. 

Eye floaters are not dangerous.  Floaters along with flashes may be signs of a retinal detachment, and in such cases seeking immediate care from an eye doctor is appropriate. 

Some eye floaters reduce in size and visibility over time and they may also move around the eye and can be a relief if it happens to get out of your field of vision. The shapes and colors of eye floaters may vary from being dark spots, thin lines, foggy and irregular, to being transparent streaks. Furthermore, the highly adaptive human brain often becomes used to the eye floaters and there are times you will forget that you have them. 

Many doctors and nutritionists recommend certain vitamins, herbs, and iodine-based products which have been believed to reduce the size of floaters.

To date, there is no formally recognized treatment for floaters: no surgery, eye drops, or other medications or techniques are recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. 

Nevertheless, there are only a handful of ophthalmologists throughout the U.S. who perform laser surgery specifically to address "floaters" in the vitreous, or gel-like fluid inside the eye.  The reason only a handful of these physicians exist is because there is no AAO or specialty board which recognizes surgical treatment for eye floaters.  Eye floater surgery is not necessary.  Accordingly, no formal training exists for such a procedure, and it is not recognized by the field of ophthalmology or retinal specialists as a valid procedure. 

Additionally, the lasers being used by those few ophthalmologists who practice eye floater surgery have not been specifically approved by the FDA for eye floater surgery.  The lasers have been approved for eye surgery in traditional ophthalmological use.  Use of a laser to treat eye floaters is an off label, or unapproved, use of the laser in the eyes of the FDA. 

The presence of floaters in the eye are relatively common in healthy and unhealthy people alike. Eye floater surgery has been marketed as the answer to annoying eye floaters, although the presence of such floaters is natural and does not require any correction. 

Unfortunately, there can be severe complications to this eye floater surgery. The eye surgeon is literally attempting to zap moving objects -- floaters -- inside the eye. If an ophthalmologist who attempts eye floater surgery misses the floater, then that laser burns something else, including the macula or retina.  Such eye floater surgical error can lead to permanent blindness.  This may be grounds for a medical malpractice claim against the ophthalmologist who performed the eye floater surgery.

Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you have been the victim of eye floater surgery error or eye floater surgery malpractice, and suffered serious eye injury, blindness, or permanent vision loss, then contact our office for an immediate, confidential, consultation.