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Going doctor to doctor costs a lot of money that I didn't have. If you call up any retinal specialist and tell them you need your floaters sucked out, you get treated like you should head to the nearest mental hospital. Believe me, I know. I called every retinal specialist around and the answer I got was "make an appointment to make sure your retina is healthy" I would then say "I've been checked multiple times and I know it's healthy I just have floaters." Then I would hear "floaters are benign you will learn to ignore them." Or "you need to make an appointment for any medical advice, we can look but probably won't do any surgeries unless something is majorly wrong"

I then thought how can I get any sympathy from anyone?! I need to reach out to these doctors all at once and see if ANYONE cares. I decided to send out 20-25 letters through the mail to all the retinal specialists around. I also sent email after email. I actually got sympathetic responses from 3 doctors. One telling me he wouldn't do the surgery, but he really feels for me and knows I'm going through hell. He called me on the phone and talked to me for about ten minutes. He was super nice and it felt good that at least someone cared (Ryan deazy of the Cleveland clinic). One said he would do the surgery but my insurance wouldn't pay and he wasn't a retinal specialist which kind of put me off. He more specialized in lasik. And then my doctor who emailed me and told me to come see him, which I did. He was very sympathetic and explained all the risks before surgery. Here is an example of the letter I sent

Please do not copy this letter. If you feel like doing this idea, please make your own. We don't want doctors receiving the exact same letters from different people.

I am writing as a plea for help. My medical condition is not taken seriously and I am being brushed off by every doctor I see. I just ask that you hear me out and reply with your thoughts if you can.
I am a 26 year old new mother. I've had eye floaters around the past five years. I was able to cope with them and ignore them (filter them out) like most people can do. I only had a few. I would see I them in nursing school on the white board, on the walls, and on the paper in front of me while taking tests, but they were nowhere as severe as they are now. I was told by my doctor there is no cure and I have to live with them, and I was able to do so at that time.
I had my baby boy on November 9th, 2015. Toward the end of my pregnancy I noticed the floaters started getting more numerous and larger in size. I was no longer able to filter them out. When I drive I have a large snake looking floater in my central field of vision floating up and down ( right eye). There are also lots of smaller string like floaters around it. I also have them in my left eye but my right is more severe. As I type on this computer they are bouncing all over the screen, very distracting. When I walk outside and turn my head in either direction TONS of small floaters go all over my field of vision. I would go as far as to say I have hundreds. For this reason I have avoided going outside. I go to work, I go to the store, and do what I have to do. But I limit myself to indoor activities with the lights dim and curtains closed. It's a miserable way to live.
These floaters do not affect my ability to do anything such as read or drive as long as I continuously move my eyes to get them out of my way. But they immediatly float back in the center. Constantly flicking them out of my way is beyond tiring on my eyes physically and on my mind mentally. If I didn't constantly move them, I would not be able to perform daily tasks.
I know many people have eye floaters and its a natural part of the aging process. I feel like I could live with a few. But I feel like I'm living a complete nightmare. When I wake up in the morning and look at the wall or ceiling they are the first thing I see
I have done TONS of research and I know exactly what they are. I know they are harmless. But I feel they are just as mentally debilitating as cataracts and many other eye diseases, I feel like they are brushed off because they are "harmless".
I have had three different doctors look at my eyes and two of them didn't see any floaters at all. The third, a retina specialist, said he saw one small floater in my right eye and said I have mild vitreous degeneration. I asked about a vitrectomy and he became very unprofessional, got mad that I would even consider such a risky surgery, left the room and refused to speak to me anymore. He also told me he does not believe my floaters are there because he can't see them. I believe these floaters are so small and dense they cant be seen by a doctor. But the shadows they are casting on my retina are much larger than the floater itself. Which would mean only I can see it. I came to this conclusion after months of studying this topic on my own.
I'm flabergasted that any doctor would think I would want to have needles stuck in my eye and chance a retinal detachment and blinding infection for a mild nuisance. I am not crazy although I have definitly been treated that way.
I found a doctor in Virginia willing to do the surgery. The problem is I only have medicaid which will not cover procedures out of the state of Ohio. I make $20,000 a year. I sold my truck and used my income tax this year to come up with the money to pay for this surgery out of pocket. Yes, Im a single mother at near poverty level and I was willing to spend $11,000 out of pocket to fix this problem. That should tell you the severety. The doctor was going to charge me $5,500 per eye.
I began to think. What kind of doctor would be willing to perform this surgery without at least examining the patient first? What was I getting myself into? He claims he has done thousands of vitrectomies and has only had one complication. This to me seems unrealistic. Is this doctor just out for my money? What if something goes wrong after the surgery? I would have spent every last dime on the surgery and not be able to afford to have the issue fixed. After much thought and temptation I have decided not to go for the surgery. I need to find someone willing to accept my insurance, and most importantly accept my condition as legit. I need someone who does not think i'm psychosomatic. I've tried antidepressants. They do not help. It's even been suggested that I comitt myself to an institution for help. I feel no mental help is going to solve my problem. The problem is physical and it is real. No I'm not in any danger or pain but my quality of life is drastically reduced.
I have resorted to writing letters because I can no longer afford to go to different doctors, have my eyes dilated, go through a long exam and tests, and be told there is no help.
I know all the risks to vitrectomy. I've spoke to people whom have had vitrectomy disasters. I've also spoke to people who have been helped with vitrectomy and their lives improved drastically.
Laser surgery is not an option either, as my floaters are too small and dense. I wish it was.
I'm trying to find someone willing to listen and undestand what torment I go through every day. Who would be willing to perform a vitrectomy after I verbalized understanding of the risks. I know the risks well.
I just ask that you please listen and consider. I would also like to add that I do not have any health problems and it has been confirmed there is no retinal detachment.
Thank you for reading,
Allison Queen