can make it difficult to identify the targeted floaters and membranes. they also carry a high risk of damage to surrounding ocular tissue. accordingly, vitreolysis is not widely practised, being performed by very few specialists. one of them, john karickhoff, has performed the procedure more than 1,400 times and claims a 90 percent success rate. however, the medicinenet web site states that "there is no evidence that this is effective. the use of a laser also poses significant risks to the vision in what is otherwise a healthy eye." medication enzymatic vitreolysis has been trialed to treat vitreomacular adhesion (vma) and anomalous posterior vitreous detachment. although the mechanism of action may have an effect on clinically significant floaters, as of march 2015 there are no clinical trials being undertaken to determine whether this may be a therapeutic alternative to either conservative management, or vitrectomy. atropine dropping low doses of atropine onto the eye dilates the pupil, thus reducing shadow formation on the retina by floaters. research the vdm project aims to find an effective, low-risk treatment for floaters. so far, there have been studies using gold nanoparticles or indocyanine green (icg) injected into the eye followed by a low-energy laser to target problematic floaters, and this has shown to be successful on vitreous opacities obtained during vitrectomy and in rabbits. epidemiology a vitreous detachment typically affects patients older than the age of 50 and increases in prevalence by age 80. individuals who are myopic or nearsighted have an increased risk of vitreous floaters. additionally, eyes with an inflammatory disease after direct trauma to the globe or have recently undergone eye surgery have an increased chance of developing a vitreous floater. men and women appear to be affected equally.