In April 2008, I was driving my car to work when I noticed I was getting a crescent of light flashing on the periphery of my right eye. I also noticed a new
large floater directly in the center of my visual field. I knew that those are the telltale symptoms of a Peripheral Vitreous Detachment which is common in 60
year old men like myself with a myopic eye. A PVD can quickly lead to a tear in the retina in a small number of cases. My local opthamologist confirmed the PVD
and also determined that no retinal tear was evident. He did not recommend treating the huge floater (actually only about 1 mm across) which was making it
difficult to look through eyepieces or even give people I'm speaking to proper eye contact. Dr Scott Geller agreed to treat me after a 90 day waiting
period to assure things have settled down. My right eye is myopic and also suffers from diplopia, perhaps due to a palsy of the 6th cranial nerve. On July 1st
I drove to Dr. Geller's office in Ft. Myers. The flashes dimmed considerably, only noticeable in very dark rooms when I'm bounching around (caused by
traction on the retina).
Dr Geller and his staff are top notch and a pleasure to deal with. During the initial examination Dr Geller checked my left eye and noticed that I had a very unusual, almost unique, wrapping of a vein around a retinal artery. He commented on it immediately, dismissing any pathologic importance. This is in sharp contrast to the treatment I got from Matthew Kay MD. When he spotted the amazing formation, he refused to tell me what it was. He did sequester his entire staff around the monitor so they could see it for themselves. They were cautioned not to speak to me.
Dr Geller warned me before the laser treatment that he won't be able to vaporize every particle from the breakup up the large floater. He made me understand that some new floaters may result that are in my visual axis. Yet he expressed confidence that he could get rid of it. Dr Geller is a pro at the controls of his laser and in less than 3 minutes he was finished. All I could notice was some extremely short (1 nanosecond) bursts of light with a crackling sound. My eye was completely anesthetized and the iris was dilated with drops so I felt nothing. Immediately after the operation he prescribed some NSAID eye drops to be given every 2 hrs to reduce any inflammation, although my eye was not bloodshot but just very slightly sore. By the next morning the blurry vision was gone and I could see normally. I noticed about a dozen black and grey spots floating around. Some were very close to my visual axis. The black spots were of some concern. Floaters are perceived only by the shadows casted by the floater and the darker the shadow, the closer the floater was to the retina. 95% of Dr. Geller's patients return for another laser procedure. The next day I had a repeat procedure, a slightly longer session than on the previous day. This is essentially a mopping up operation where the doctor zaps what he can find still floating in the visual field, being careful not to come close to the retina. On the morning of day three my eye was back to normal again with no loss in acuity. I still noticed some small dark dot floaters around. Interestingly these remaining fragments must have succumbed to gravity as they dropped out of sight. Now my right eye is totally clear of floaters except for very faint wisps and some very minor spots far from the visual axis. My left eye was now the one I noticed the floaters in from ones that were there 15 years ago and hadn't moved.
The only thing I regret at the present moment (one week post-op) was that I told his assistant that I rated the success as "moderate". I should have said "excellent" because it would have been closer to the truth. I have been told to have the interocular pressure of the eye (18 mm pre-op)
checked in 3 weeks.
In the end a very successful and gratifying experience. Worth every cent of the $1850 charge. Dr Geller offered another treatment within 30 days at no charge if I felt that a problem developed with new floaters forming. This would be most unusual and I was warned beforehand that backsliding can occur with the use of too many treatments.
More detailed information on his procedure can be found on his page at http://www.vitreousfloaters.com/.
Dr Geller and his staff are top notch and a pleasure to deal with. During the initial examination Dr Geller checked my left eye and noticed that I had a very unusual, almost unique, wrapping of a vein around a retinal artery. He commented on it immediately, dismissing any pathologic importance. This is in sharp contrast to the treatment I got from Matthew Kay MD. When he spotted the amazing formation, he refused to tell me what it was. He did sequester his entire staff around the monitor so they could see it for themselves. They were cautioned not to speak to me.
Dr Geller warned me before the laser treatment that he won't be able to vaporize every particle from the breakup up the large floater. He made me understand that some new floaters may result that are in my visual axis. Yet he expressed confidence that he could get rid of it. Dr Geller is a pro at the controls of his laser and in less than 3 minutes he was finished. All I could notice was some extremely short (1 nanosecond) bursts of light with a crackling sound. My eye was completely anesthetized and the iris was dilated with drops so I felt nothing. Immediately after the operation he prescribed some NSAID eye drops to be given every 2 hrs to reduce any inflammation, although my eye was not bloodshot but just very slightly sore. By the next morning the blurry vision was gone and I could see normally. I noticed about a dozen black and grey spots floating around. Some were very close to my visual axis. The black spots were of some concern. Floaters are perceived only by the shadows casted by the floater and the darker the shadow, the closer the floater was to the retina. 95% of Dr. Geller's patients return for another laser procedure. The next day I had a repeat procedure, a slightly longer session than on the previous day. This is essentially a mopping up operation where the doctor zaps what he can find still floating in the visual field, being careful not to come close to the retina. On the morning of day three my eye was back to normal again with no loss in acuity. I still noticed some small dark dot floaters around. Interestingly these remaining fragments must have succumbed to gravity as they dropped out of sight. Now my right eye is totally clear of floaters except for very faint wisps and some very minor spots far from the visual axis. My left eye was now the one I noticed the floaters in from ones that were there 15 years ago and hadn't moved.
The only thing I regret at the present moment (one week post-op) was that I told his assistant that I rated the success as "moderate". I should have said "excellent" because it would have been closer to the truth. I have been told to have the interocular pressure of the eye (18 mm pre-op)
checked in 3 weeks.
In the end a very successful and gratifying experience. Worth every cent of the $1850 charge. Dr Geller offered another treatment within 30 days at no charge if I felt that a problem developed with new floaters forming. This would be most unusual and I was warned beforehand that backsliding can occur with the use of too many treatments.
More detailed information on his procedure can be found on his page at http://www.vitreousfloaters.com/.

