black floaters in eye

[dassas03]

I am caring for an 84 yr. old woman who had surgery for a cataract and Glaucoma in her right eye on Tues., 11/10/09. The doctor said it was the worse combination of the two she had ever operated on. The woman was given 3 different eye drops that I put in as schuduled. She has returned to the doctor's office every day this week. Yesterday we went to the doctor's office as she is seeing black floaters in the eye that had the surgery. The doctor that did the surgery, as left down for the weekend, and the doctor she saw, didn't address the black floaters --but put her on yet another eye drop for the pressure in her eye. I just returned from putting her lunch time drops in and she is still experiencing the black floaters in the eye off and on and is very concerned about them. What can I tell her about them, or is this something I should call the doctor's office and see what I can learn? She is experiencing what I would call normal side effects--itchy eye, etc. but is very concerned about the floaters. Thanks for your help.

[Sandra M Brown, MD]

A few black floaters are fairly common after cataract surgery.  If the patient had a bad cataract, then often the floaters were there all along but not enough light was getting into the eye to make the floaters cast shadows, which is how we seem them.  A more serious cause could be bleeding inside the eye.  However, the doctor who examined her yesterday would surely have seen this and told her about it.

[dassas03]

Thank you sooooo much!!! I am just getting ready to take dinner to my friend and I will print this off for her--I am sure she will feel a lot better when she reads it! Thanks again!!!!!!