Management of Vitreous Floaters with Neodymium-YAG Laser

ABSTRACT

After Neodynium(Nd)-YAG laser photodisruption for vitreous floaters which were annoying the central visual field in 28 patients(28 eyes), we evaluated the efficacy of the procedure and the satisfaction degree of patients. Vitreous floaters were not recognized in 46 percents(13 eyes) of the patients, stayed away from the central visual field in 32 percents of the patients(9 eyes). Broken opacities were moved to retina in 22 percents(6 eyes) after treatment. In satisfaction degree of patients, 64 percents of the patients(18 eyes) were completely satisfied, 25 percents of them(7 eyes) were fairly satisfied, and 11 percents of them(3 eyes) were not satisfied at all. Complaints of unsatisfied patients were persisting floaters in 5 eyes, increased number of the floaters in 3 eyes and central visual field disturbance in 2 eyes. The responsible factors for failure in treatment were the size of the floaters larger than 2/3 disc diameter(DD), their locations closer than 2DD from retinal surface and their peripheral locations. Complications included the fragment shifting to posterior central zone in 2 eyes and the chorioretinal damage in 2 eyes. Our results suggest that Nd-YAG laser photodisruption seems to be useful on the discrete vitreous floaters less than 1/3DD in size and apart from retinal surface more than 2DD.