Retinal Detachment Surgery

[ORD_Buckeye]

Yikes. One thing that they may or may not have told you is that you are guaranteed to have a cataract in that eye within one year. The hits keep on coming, but it’s way better that losing sight in the eye.

Doc has warned me about that, but he's saying from my age and the look of the eye, I probably have 3-5 years. He said that the other eye looks good with only one tiny spot that's thinning out a bit. So, I'll have to go in for a bit of laser surgery this Winter. Should be done in his office with no face-down recovery from hell.

On a bright (literally) note, the bubble has shrunk considerably. I have vision (though blurry) in about the top 2/3 of my sight in the repaired eye with the bubble still blocking the bottom third.

 

[Steve19]

Hope it comes right for you. My Dad had a lens replacement and never looked back.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Bubble is down to less than 20% and dissolving rapidly. No more position restrictions, and I'm cleared to drive. Non bubble area is still blurry but getting clearer. All the sutures and the buckle all held together well, and I don't need to go back in until January. But it does look like I'll have to have the cataract removed next year, but with recovery within a week and no face-down nightmare, and that should be almost pleasurable after what I've gone through the last 6 weeks.

 

[AKAK]

Bubble is down to less than 20% and dissolving rapidly. No more position restrictions, and I'm cleared to drive. Non bubble area is still blurry but getting clearer. All the sutures and the buckle all held together well, and I don't need to go back in until January. But it does look like I'll have to have the cataract removed next year, but with recovery within a week and no face-down nightmare, and that should be almost pleasurable after what I've gone through the last 6 weeks.

Yay!

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

IT'S GONE! Nine weeks and three days later, the last little bit of that godforsaken gas bubble dissolved this afternoon. Vision is still pretty shitty in that eye, but Doc said that it should continue to improve through the rest of the year.

At my last follow up, and after he was sure that the surgery was successful, he finally told me how bad my eye was: detached, two tears and a macular hole. He said he's usually 95+% sure that he'll do things in one surgery, but was thinking that with me, it was 50-50 that he'd have to do a second surgery.

 

[Thump]

IT'S GONE! Nine weeks and three days later, the last little bit of that godforsaken gas bubble dissolved this afternoon. Vision is still pretty shitty in that eye, but Doc said that it should continue to improve through the rest of the year.

At my last follow up, and after he was sure that the surgery was successful, he finally told me how bad my eye was: detached, two tears and a macular hole. He said he's usually 95+% sure that he'll do things in one surgery, but was thinking that with me, it was 50-50 that he'd have to do a second surgery.

Purines for everyone!!!

 

[Jaxbuck]

These procedures are so routine it’s basically become out-patient surgery that can be performed in a clinic like a vasectomy.

I'd make double goddamn sure they knew which one I was in there for but that's just me. Mr caution.

Glad your not face down all day long any more ORD

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Finally had the cataract removed from the right eye (first detachment). I had the doc correct for distance, so now I can see perfectly and won't have to pay to have sunglasses changed to prescription lenses. I thought I'd freak a little bit knowing that I'd be half awake while this was going on, but it was smooth.

I had to push it back a couple of months after the left eye detached in February. That was a scary week. Left eye was blind because of the gas bubble, and the right eye was maybe 15% because of the blurriness and cloudiness of the cataract. I was ready to hire a 24 hour aid for a week (not cheap), but after the first day, I found that I could navigate the apartment, feed myself and take the dog for short walks. Since I got in so quick this time (detachment was Friday afternoon and surgery was Monday morning), damage was minimal and was given the lighter bubble that was half gone by the end of the week with clear vision over the top of what was left. Scheduled to get this cataract out in November. After which, this should all be over.