Who is trying to solve the floater problem
For a long time floaters were considered a harmless complaint, and little money went into the topic. Now there are startups with lasers guided by 3D imaging, university labs working with nanoparticles, and patient communities funding research themselves.
This is not an ad or a ranking
The information was gathered from public sources as of September 2026 — check the current status via the link before making any decision. A project at the “lab” stage doesn’t mean a treatment will ever appear.
Road to patients
Lab and animals2
hasn’t reached patients yet
Human studies2
clinical trials or small case series
Already in clinics2
used in patients
Off this road
Projects
Who is doing what
From what’s already available in clinics to lab ideas and closed attempts worth learning from.
Tap a name to open the details.
ClinicLimited vitrectomy and measuring floaters
VMR Institute, Huntington Beach, USA (Dr. Jerry Sebag)Already in clinics · used in patients
Status
Used in clinical practice; series of hundreds of patients have been published showing improved contrast sensitivity and a low complication rate.
- Approach
- Introduced the concept of “vision degrading myodesopsia” (VDM): rather than counting opacities, they assess loss of contrast sensitivity and quantitative ultrasound data. Surgery is a limited vitrectomy without removing all of the gel.
What to watch
Provides objective criteria for who really needs surgery. The data come mostly from a single center.
ManufacturerUltra Q Reflex YAG laser
Lumibird Medical (formerly Ellex), FranceAlready in clinics · used in patients
Status
Used in clinics for YAG vitreolysis; the first randomized trial of the method was done with it.
- Approach
- A YAG laser with coaxial illumination that makes the opacity in the vitreous visible so the pulses can be focused on it.
What to watch
The manufacturer promotes the laser for treating floaters — judge its effectiveness by independent studies, not advertising.
Startup2020–2026PulseMedica
Edmonton, CanadaHuman studies · clinical trials or small case series
Status
A human study of opacity imaging was completed in March 2025 (NCT06097897). By 2024 the company had raised more than CA$16 million and is preparing its first human treatment trial.
- Approach
- Automated real-time 3D imaging of opacities (SVO-Dx) and a femtosecond laser guided by that image (SVO-Tx). The goal is to be more precise and safer than YAG vitreolysis.
What to watch
The closest-to-clinic project built specifically for floaters. There are no human treatment results yet.
Study2015–2020Randomized trial of YAG vs. sham
Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston, USA (Shah and Heier)Human studies · clinical trials or small case series
Status
Published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2017. Improvement in 53% of laser-treated patients at 6 months, and in 50% at 2.3 years.
- Approach
- 52 patients with a Weiss ring: real laser or a sham procedure, with masked assessment.
What to watch
The first rigorous evidence that YAG helps some patients. It covers only Weiss rings and a single center.
University2019–2025Nanobubbles
Ghent University, Belgium (Kevin Braeckmans’s group, Félix Sauvage)Lab and animals · hasn’t reached patients yet
Status
Experiments on patients’ opacities (ACS Nano, 2019) and in rabbits (Nature Nanotechnology, 2022); in 2021–2025, versions using carbon quantum dots and trypan blue.
- Approach
- Nanoparticles are injected into the eye and attach to the opacity’s collagen; a short, weak laser pulse creates vapor bubbles that mechanically tear the fibers.
What to watch
The laser energy is many times lower than with YAG — less risk to the retina and lens. But it requires an injection into the eye, and it hasn’t reached humans yet.
Study2026Browser extension for people with floaters
arXiv preprintLab and animals · hasn’t reached patients yet
Status
Prototype and usability study; not a medical device.
- Approach
- A physical model of how opacities move and a browser extension that reduces eye movements while reading — and with them, the “stirring up” of floaters.
What to watch
Doesn’t remove opacities, but targets everyday screen-time discomfort with no risk at all.
NonprofitVDM Project
Patient organization (VMR Research Foundation)Community · brings patients together and raises money for research
Status
Active; partners include Huntington Medical Research Institute (USA) and Ghent University.
- Approach
- Brings people with floaters together, collects donations and funds research: the molecular origin of opacities, the link with myopia, a quality-of-life impact questionnaire.
What to watch
Shows that the field is moving thanks to patients. Check which specific projects the money goes to.
Pharma company2012–2023Ocriplasmin (Jetrea)
ThromboGenics / Oxurion, Belgium; later InceptuaClosed · didn’t work out or was withdrawn from the market
Status
Approved in 2012; withdrawn from the US market in 2020 and from Europe in late 2023.
- Approach
- An enzyme injected into the eye to separate the gel from the retina in vitreomacular traction.
What to watch
A lesson for the whole field: even an approved enzyme for the vitreous didn’t catch on, and new floaters were a common side effect.
Timeline
Years of work
From open sources: each bar spans a project’s years of work, its color shows the stage.
How to read the news
Check before you believe a “floaters can now be removed” headline
- What it was tested on: opacities in a test tube, rabbits or people
- Whether there was a control group with a sham procedure
- How long follow-up lasted and what complications were reported
- Who measured the results — independent researchers or the company itself
- Whether the data were published in a peer-reviewed journal or only in a press release
- Whether you’re asked to pay to “take part in a study”
What you can already discuss with your doctor
While new methods are in development, the options are observation, YAG vitreolysis for narrow indications, and vitrectomy.