He is a recipient of the Honor Award for contributions to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Author of more then twenty journal articles, and has given more then one hundred scientific presentations at professional meetings. Most floaters are benign and need no treatment. If floaters remain a problem and interfere with lifestyle, vitrectomy can be considered. Risks include cataract, infection and retinal detachment.
Some ophthalmologists still remember vitrectomy as a high risk, long, and involved procedure.
It is now performed as an outpatient, and takes only about forty minutes. They think that no procedure, no matter how low the risk, is justified for patients without a truly serious retinal disorder. While these points are true for most patients, there are some people for whom floaters make normal activities almost impossible. Dr. Hanscom tried YAG laser treatment of floaters many years ago. Although the YAG laser can break up floaters, the debris remains and most patients are not improved.