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| Is Eye Floater Laser an Option? |
Recent Help from Dr. Geller
I have never posted a note to a public forum bulletin board before, but I feel compelled to somehow spread the word about the great treatment I received from Dr. Geller and since I "discovered" him on the Internet, I thought it would only be fitting to post my experiences here as well.
Let me first explain that I have been having sight problems in my left eye since July 2002 that came on abruptly as double vision (or shadow image) in that eye. I was living in upstate NY at the time and contacted my local eye doctor, who thought it might be caused by a cataract, but he was unsure and sent me for second opinion, then third opinion when second doctor could find nothing wrong. Third doctor diagnosed condition as ocular neuritis and said cause/cure may never be known. He referred me to fourth doctor in Burlington, VT who said problem was the result of shalazion (which I guess is like a sty) in the eyelid causing deformation of the eyeball because of the external pressure. He proceeded to cut it out, and the eyedrops he prescribed caused an allergic reaction resulting in an emergency room visit to counteract the swelling of my face and the hives I contracted. Visits back to the first and third doctors both left me wondering if I was ever going to be rid of the problem as they both had differing views as to the cause(s)....and neither offered any corrective measures.
By this time, my wife and I had decided to move to Florida and we purchased a home in Cape Coral, Fl. I immediately contacted an eye doctor in Fort Myers (not Dr. Geller) and explained my problem. He took me on as a patient and immediately determined the problem I was having to be the result of a cataract. I underwent cataract lens surgery or replacement (whatever it is called -- I have no medical knowledge and don't really understand what is going on anyway) which was VERY SUCCESSFUL. I could see again..better than I think I ever had in my life. But there was one little annoying problem -- a diagonal ray of light only in my left eye when observing bright lights at night. Back to the eye doctor again, who determined the cause to be a flap of membrane which he zapped with a laser. It worked and I could see fantastic once more. Then, a few weeks later, I had a scary incident where for about 20 minutes my left eye vision was partially blocked out. Back to the doctor again, to be told that this time I had had an ocular migraine. Nothing to worry about. Then in May 2003, I had a sudden blockage of sight in my left eye. Back to eye doctor again, who informed me I had a large floater in my line of vision...nothing could be done, but it will eventually go away. By September, it hadn't changed and I could no longer tolerate the constant strain on my eyes trying to adjust and the difficulty seeing at night. The aggravation was unbearable. I returned to doctor for scheduled followup appointment and once again, I was told nothing could be done, but he referred me to retina specialist in his office to make sure. That doctor told me the problem was not caused by detached retina and was not bad enough to correct surgically...but to come back for another checkup in three months. I cancelled that appointment.
Frustrated, and suffering like only those of you with floaters know, I decided to search the internet to see if there was even a chance for help. I searched under the term "floaters" not knowing if I would find anything describing my condition and how to help it, or if I would just find information on driftwood. I got good hits and found that my problem was not uncommon, but that most everyone that had it got the same answers from their doctors -- that you have to live with it. Further reading led me to discover Dr. Geller's history with floater correction which sounded very encouraging. I found it hard to believe that only two doctors in the whole US were able to correct floater problems and had a track record of over 17 years experience. The best part was that Dr. Gelller's office was in Fort Myers, Florida, right across the river from my home. Lucky me.
I immediately emailed Dr. Geller for information, expecting a reply to come from his office staff, but to my surprise, Dr. Geller responded himself with the information and followed up later with a personal phone call. I was impressed already... I have never had a doctor that was as personable as Dr. Geller, and polite enough to respond directly to my questions. I scheduled an appointment for an examination...and then almost cancelled it because I felt scared to attempt something that was only being offered by two physicians in the US. BOY, AM I GLAD I KEPT THAT APPOINTMENT!
I met Dr. Geller on December 9, 2003 at 3:00 and by 4:00 that day, my floater was broken up and even through the haze caused by the dilation drops, I could tell that the "glob" I had been trying to see through for the last 4 months was busted up. No longer does looking thorough my left eye feel like looking through saran wrap. I do have residual smaller floaters that are out of my line of vision and I can occassionally see them in my peripherial vision, but they do not annoy me, nor interfere with my vision like the "glob" did that was there (They still float across my line of sight, but they do not stay affixed there). I CAN SEE AGAIN!!
I do not know if any followup treatments will be necessary, as Dr. Geller initially thought it might take two or three sessions to treat my floater problem, but upon examination the day after his laser treatment, he told me I didn't need to come back for 4-5 months, and then just for a checkup.
There are not enough kind words, or words of thanks, in the dictionary that I could use here to express how thankful I am to have been able to receive Dr. Geller's laser treatment. The only thing I can do is to spread the word on how effective the treatment is and I will gladly answer any questions you have. Please email me or ask Dr. Geller to refer you to me. I wish all those eye doctors out there who say we have to live with the annoying floaters knew how good this procedure really is and if not interested in offering it to their patients, at least be professional enough to refer suffering patients to Dr. Geller. Unfortunately, my previous eye doctors didn't even mention to me that this option was available. Luckily, I found Dr. Geller on my own.
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| Post Lasik floater trip to Dr. Geller
I'm a mid aged DDS. Had elective Lasik approximately 3 years ago. From the first day, trying to evaluate my hoped for contact free vision, blurs and blobs would pass through my line of sight. I just naively believed it was the healing process, and patiently waited for normal vision to reappear. Even with my scientific background, it wasn't until 6 months later I figured out what was wrong with my vision. I highly suspect the suction and correspondingly high pressure, although transient, caused this. This began the learning process, which as sufferers of floaters know, comes down to Yag laser or vitrectomy. I first visited Dr. Geller a year ago last August. I had so much garbage, mainly blobs in both eyes. I had a few hundred zaps over the course of 3 days. Dr. Geller was able to clear out my central vision in both eyes, so that I could see straight on again, although floaters would swing through my vision, and would spin around in the periphery and still be anoying. I decided to visit South Florida again a month ago, and attempt furthur improvement, specifically the individual floaters that would float through. I must say I am much inproved. What floaters remain, appear to be much less opaque, or more transparent, than before. I believe it is a numbers game. The more that are "shot" the less that remain. I do not believe the strings , snakes, or posterior attachments are very treatable, but certainly the blobs, birds nests, or dots in the central axis are. I do not know whether floaters are vaporized, or just broken down and displaced. Probably yes to both. Now, although there are small strings, and small floaters remaining, the periphery doesn't swing around and annoy me as before. Plus I can type this against the white background without getting a headache and depressed. I am glad that Dr.Geller and Dr. Kariochoff offer this alternative to vitrectomy and know that it does help people like myself |
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