Some posters here are throwing out 'facts' that they attribute to me......let me set the record straight.

"Dr.Geller takes on all patients".................nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone making a statement like that doesn't know what he is talking about, since he could not possibly have accurate information. Here's the last few I rejected.....a 46 year old Cardiologist from the UK with a small floater in the pre-macular bursa. A 44 year old female with minimal opacities near the retina and a type A personality. A 20 something male post lasik with a micro opacity in the pre retinal bursa.
No ophthalmic surgeon wants a patient running around town ( or on the internet ) claiming he was mislead or abused.

I take on patients based on my knowledge and experience, which, I believe, is more than any ophthalmologist doing laser. Not everyone can be helped And this is made clear in the initial consultation. What I do is surgery, not mathematics. There are posters here who have had 2 or 3 vitrectomies after laser......that says something about them..........not me.

I expect to be paid for my education and expertise................20 years of doing this consistantly. If you think it's not worth the fee I charge, go elsewhere. I've already done my missionary stint in a leper colony in India and have operated and taught in China 5 times. If you think my fee, which is about what you'd pay to fix the transmission on your car, is too much, find a discount or National Health Service doctor...............I assure you you'll get what you pay for.

I will not take on a patient unless I think there is a reasonable chance of success. Or unless the patient fully understands the odds are against him, the risks, and begs me to try. I have often done this at no charge to the patient, just for my own interest.

Here are some of the types of patients I do not feel are good candidates for laser:

1 Patients with small opacities in the pre-macular bursa.................almost impossible to get with laser. Usually post - lasik patients.
2 Patients with unrealistic expectations...........those who cannot accept any floater whatsoever in their field of vision.
3 Patients who display obsessive/compulsive disorder tendencies............yes, they do exist
4 Patients who are hallucinating.............they do exist too.
5 Patients who cannot accept the fact that what surgeons do is not what they see on TV...............there can be complications up to loss of vision.
6 Patients who express suicidal tendencies or are on antidepressants because of eye floaters............depending on the situation.

And, of course, you have to define 'success'. My best patients are the ones who say 'just get me back to normal floaters'. Some patients, like Weiss ring patients with otherwise clear vitreous, can have their floaters pulverized to a level of non perception. Others just want a large mass out of the visual axis and don't care if something floats around occasionally. And there's everything in between.

I reviewed the posts of a vitrectomy patient who had a complication. He obviously is extremely intelligent, and has researched his situation at the level of a top notch ophthalmic resident doctor. I was truly impressed. I think he was Israeli. His analysis was excellent, but his conclusions were wrong. But he'll never be convinced of that.

And, think about this...........Physicians do their best..............don't denigrate their efforts because you don't get what you want. You are mortal, after all. Enjoy today.........it's all you have, really

Scott Geller MD Ophthalmology Eye Floaters Specialized Interest Fort Myers, Florida, USA www.vitreousfloaters.com tel 239-275-8222 SKYPE: scottgellermd