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Comment by glimshe | Hacker News Reader

Eye floaters are like that. They don't go away but you get used to them being there.

Eye floaters can definitely go away. I believe they can break up and break apart and dissipate or be absorbed by the body a bit. Or maybe they just float way off to the side of your vision where you don't notice them anymore.

Some of us don’t, but for about $2k they will drain the fluid out and refill will floater free materials.

Changed my life, I thought I was living in a small crowd of fruit flies.

Really? I asked my last ophthalmologist if there was anything to be done about my severe floaters, and he said "no", and that I'd just have to live with them. What's the name of the procedure you had, and what are the downside risks?

I believe there is also "Laser vitreolysis", which seems somewhat disputed.

I have similar issues and 5 years in, problems are only getting worse (perhaps combined with pigment dispersion syndrom making it worse, but not on the path to glaucoma, at least not yet).

It's called vitrectomy. There are risks and that's why they generally only consider it for really severe cases. Look it up.

Thank you! Glad to know what to look up.

To be honest, I don't know where I'd rank on an objective severity scale. My floaters often make it difficult to read, and I've got one that can lodge in the wrong place for long enough to make driving feel a little scary. That's maybe not bad enough - given the risks, which I don't know right now - to argue against it. I'm not necessarily questioning the doctor's judgment - he's maybe right! - just mad that he didn't even tell me about this procedure.

Given it makes it hard to read and actually makes driving dangerous it sounds like it's bad enough to warrant treatment. Get a second opinion, mention trouble reading and unable to see properly while driving.

There are probably high risks of damaging the retina, and there is an increased risk of cataracts, if I remember correctly. Both my eyes had a vitrectomy during retinal surgery and it is really great to live without floaters. But I can imagine doctors will not want to do it just by itself.

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