Karickhoff John R MD PC

Information may not be reliable

(Your questions are welcome, but we request that you check this web site
for answers before calling or e-mailing Dr. Karickhoff.)

Vitreous floaters (eye floaters, vitreous opacities) are tiny, cloudy, clumps of cells that appear in the otherwise clear fluid (vitreous) that fills the back three-fourths of the eye. People see eye floaters as small specks, cobwebs, or clouds moving in their field of vision. They range from being a nuisance that can be ignored, to interfering with essential daily activities such as reading or driving. Eye floaters that are not close to other ocular structures are ideal for laser treatment because they have no blood supply and can not bleed.
Dr. Karickhoff began doing laser treatment of eye floaters in 1990 and has performed the procedure over 2,500 times on patients from every U.S. state and 27 foreign countries. 65% of Dr. Karickhoff's medical practice is evaluating and treating eye floaters.

DR. KARICKHOFF'S UNIQUE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN LASER TREATMENT OF EYE FLOATERS

The only physician to write a book for eye surgeons on this subject.
Designed the two most widely used surgical contact lenses for doing this procedure.
Wrote and submitted the application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that gained their approval of Ophthalmic YAG lasers for this procedure.
Performed the first and only formal clinical research study of this procedure that was submitted to and monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Lists 17 original contributions to this procedure on Our Contributions page of this web site.
The only physician selected by the American Academy of Ophthalmology to present this procedure at their international meeting.
Has lectured on this procedure at Duke University and Georgetown University, and the Virginia Society of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Karickhoff explains and shows laser treatment of floaters.

Almost always the patient will be told that nothing can be done to help their vitreous floaters.
But in reality, laser treatment of the floaters in experienced hands is a simple, in-office procedure. (see Our Procedure page)
Vitreous floaters can be treated in a 20 minute laser procedure in which there is no discomfort and no limitation of activities.
The floaters to a very great extent are obliterated by the laser, not just broken into many smaller floaters (see Science Background page).
People unfamiliar with this treatment assume it to be risky, but the world medical literature reports a very low rate of complication (see World Literature page).
In my hands, the success rate has been 92% (see Our Floater Study page). My career rate of significant complications has been 0.10% (no complications in the last 1,500 cases).
The only alternative to laser treatment of floaters is the vitrectomy procedure. With it, the rate of significant complications approaches 50 percent (see Vitrectomy page).
Dr. Karickhoff had the procedure done on his eye.
Of the 21,000 eye surgeons in the United States, only three have the proper equipment and a large experience in this procedure (see Why Few Doctors page).
Although this procedure is almost unknown to both patients and eye doctors, for years almost all insurance companies including Medicare pay on laser treatment of eye floaters and it is listed in their code books.

An Associated Press article about Dr. Karickhoff and floaters that appeared in USA Today and 1,500 other newspapers on January 27, 2007.

An article written by Dr. Karickhoff that appeared in the March 15, 2007 issue of Ocular Surgery News, one of the most widely read publications for eye surgeons.