Weiss' Ring - retina Dr. referral in Manhattan?

I was diagnosed with Weiss' Ring (PVD) on Christmas night. In addition to needing to find a retina specialist who can deal with a retina tear if that should happen in the ensuing days/weeks, I need some information, please...
Is it really true, as I was told in the emergency room, that the brain compensates for this huge floater (it's in the form of a J with a ball at the end of it) and that after about a month I won't see it anymore? Is that reliable information that applies to most (if not all) people?  Also, I've been told two different scenarios about how long it takes before the PVD either tears the retina or not. I've been told 2 to 4 weeks and 4 to 6 weeks? Which is correct? Finally, if the retina does not tear within that time frame (whichever time frame it is), is it true that one need not worry any longer about the possibility of that PVD tearing the retina any longer? Or does the PVD come loose and the doctor can see that it did not tear? Any information you can provide about this process would be very much appreciated.
-- Barbara

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

PVDs are a normal part of aging. BY age 50 about half of the people have it and by age 70 about 3 out of 4 have it. Retinal detachment occurs in one in 7500 people. So you can see the number of PVD that leads to RD is extremely small.

Go to Google Images and type in Weiss Ring in vitreous to see what it looks like. Yes it is huge. In 4-8 weeks in most instances the brain no longer sees it (neuroadaptation) or it drops to the bottom of the eye and is not visible.

You can also use the search feature and archives to read more about WR or PVD

JCHMD

[BUTTERCUP109]

I'll let the doctors comment on the questions regarding retinal detachment after a PVD. My impression is that initially the detached vitreous membrane is unstable. If the forces of fluid movement inside your eye are going to cause further detachment of the vitreous or tearing of the retina, this will likely happen relatively soon after the initial PVD. The good news is that while PVDs are fairly common, retinal detachments are not.
Now, about the question of whether or not the floater will stop being noticeable to you. I think this is highly variable. It depends on where it is relative to the retina, how dense it is, how it might break down over time. Sometimes it goes away or is less bothersome, sometimes not. I had this in both eyes, first the left two years ago, then the right eight months ago. The left did not get better for over a year and was extremely frustrating because it obstructed what I was reading. At the end of a year, I had it removed via a vitrectomy. The right is still bothersome. I hope to have laser treatment soon to remove this one. There is a great deal of information on this site and others about floaters after aposterior vitreous detachment.

[Lenore118]

My large PVD came from cataract surgery...I did not have this pre-op even though my surgeon did not see this in my eye....4 other eyeMD's did.  He did not refer me to a retina doctor but others did.  I was checked often to make sure the PVD did not cause further problems.  It has been almost 20 months now and finally it is settling on the bottom.  I was offered surgery but I waited and gave myself 2 years.  Yes, it has been &%^$^ for these 2 years...I have to disagree with the above doctor. Yes, age can cause some tiny little black benign specks but NOT Always (out of the blue) a Huge Monster PVD that can come with surgery (such as my case) and or an eye injury!   There is not one elderly family member that has expereinced what I have.  The retina docs I saw, stated, mine was surgically induced.  I am in my sixties.  Good Luck to You.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[BUTTERCUP109]

Yes Lenore, I had a PVD in each eye, the first came about 2 months after lens replacement surgery and the other two years later, both with huge Weiss ring type floaters. Manipulation of the inside of the eye most certainly can induce a PVD that can be more abrupt than the more gradual PVD that occurs with aging. And there are plenty of people to testify that the floaters continue to be annoying and vision-obstructing for a very long time, so this neuro-adaptation thing does not consistently happen for all. Sometimes the floater is just too large, too dense, or too close to the retina to ignore!

[catwoman21]

A related discussion, Weiss Ring was started.