detached retina repair and recovery ?

[shbop]

Just curious if anyone has been down this road, and what the recovery was like. I had a Pneumatic retinopexy done on my rt. eye a week and one half ago. Not sure what to expect on recovery time, or post-op vision. My detachment was 2 mm from center, which I understand is very fortunate. Right now I have a large gas bubble blocking half my field of view. Doctor says it will subside over the next few weeks. Anyone else been down this road? Did you re-gain full vision? Thanks in advance.

[billybek]

Both my mom and my dad have had a detached retina an made full recoveries from them.
Sorry can't comment on the timeline for healing. My dad later developed a cataract in that eye that he thought might have been caused by the surgery,
I hope your eye heals well.

[rusnak]

My brother in law did. Full recovery. My best to you and yours on your full recovery.

[shbop]

Thank you for the replies. The entire event happened so quickly. From diagnosis to surgery was quite fast. One minute I'm having an eye exam, due to some extra large floaters, and the next I'm asked when was the last time I ate anything.... that's never a calming question. I am amazed at the developments in eye surgery, and I'm very grateful to have gotten help as soon as I did. Thanks again for the replies.

[aigel]

Sounds like you have a mild case. One of my family members had a bad case that repeated itself and is practically blind on that eye now. Make sure you have your eye pressure checked on a regular basis and take meds accordingly. Good Luck!

G

[RRico]

Just for the record,
how does the retina become detached?
Trauma?

[5String43]

Yep, my wife had this happen about a year ago. Same treatment. Full recovery. She has been warned to be watchful, however, as it seems likely that it could happen again.

[shbop]

Originally Posted by RRico

Just for the record,
how does the retina become detached?
Trauma?

In my case, I was told "just bad luck". Of course injury could certainly cause it to happen.

[Stutzdriver]

I am currently recovering from an detachment in my left eye. Right was repaired in 2005 with a small bubble and a cryo procedure and some laser. The left was much worse tore thru some blood vessels. They had to remove all the fluid from my eye and fill the eye with gas, 3.5 weeks in and its about 2/3 refilled...annoying as hell though. Right eye fully recovered and left eye seem fine. Good news is no more floaters in the lsft eye!

New glasses after the 2005 fix and I expect the same again this time.

[John Rogers]

My racing buddy Ted had one get detached and it was probably caused by the roll of his 914-6 at Willow Springs when it bounced very had on the cage. It happened shortly after that and he had the gas bubble for quite a while as every thing was torn loose it seems. He does not race any more.

[shbop]

Originally Posted by Stutzdriver

I am currently recovering from an detachment in my left eye. Right was repaired in 2005 with a small bubble and a cryo procedure and some laser. The left was much worse tore thru some blood vessels. They had to remove all the fluid from my eye and fill the eye with gas, 3.5 weeks in and its about 2/3 refilled...annoying as hell though. Right eye fully recovered and left eye seem fine. Good news is no more floaters in the lsft eye!

New glasses after the 2005 fix and I expect the same again this time.

That's encouraging news Jay. That was the procedure behind door number three when my Dr. explained several options. I decided to try the least intrusive. My Dr. assured me that he wouldn't have suggested it, if it were not a viable option. Glad the surgery worked-out for you.

[ddbach]

If your macula, the area with the best resolution, remained attached then your odds for retaining good vision are excellent. How long the bubble lasts depends upon which gas your surgeon chose which was likely influenced by the size of your detachment. Straight air will be absorbed the fastest. Whatever you do,
DO NOT FLY until your retina doc says it is okay. The gas bubble would expand causing a marked increase in eye pressure which would be extremely painful and sight damaging. Bubbles or vitrectomies can often accelerate the rate of formation for existing cataracts which may change your eyeglasses. A scleral buckle would have changed the shape of your eye changing your glasses.

Wishing you a prompt, full recovery

[gsxrken]

Wow, I am also recovering from a detachment too. Mine sounds a little worse. My retinoplexy bubble did not push the retina back up sufficiently for the laser to be employed, so I had to have the larger vitrectomy a few days after the retinoplexy. Emergency surgery called a vitrectomy, where the vitreous gel is removed and a medical gas bubble is injected into the space, reinflating the eyeball and pushing the retina back into place for a laser to spot weld the retina back on. I had over 600 individual zaps, obviously around the tear but then circled my retina with the laser to proactively address some other thinning spots he had noticed. Then an agonizing 14 days of face down positioning (sleeping, eating, resting, 24/7 on massage or chiropractic equipment rented for this purpose) to ensure that the bubble floated upwards and pressed on the retina while the laser spots healed or scarred over and could support the retina on their own.

70 days later, the bubble is gone and my vision is now again excellent, and in fact, due to the vitrectomy, that eye no longer has the floaters I had for a lifetime. But I remain at risk of another tear and scarring complications from the laser.*

[aigel]

Near-sightedness due to an oblong shaped eyeball (instead of a sphere) often is cause or partial cause of this problem. This is also genetic (the near-sightedness and the retina detachment). If you have retina detachment and near-sightedness in your family and you are near sighted, definitely get annual checkups of your retina and do not ignore the slightest floater.

G

[daepp]

Best friend's wife had it twice. Full recovery - one worse than the other but all ok in the end. He was a linebacker - she a 90 lb former cheerleader. She was confined to the bed/sofa for weeks. He would carry her downstairs every morning and back up at night. Thankfully all ok in the end.

[DeanneWhitely]

One of my family members had a bad case that repeated itself and is practically blind on that eye now.

[shbop]

Originally Posted by ddbach

If your macula, the area with the best resolution, remained attached then your odds for retaining good vision are excellent. How long the bubble lasts depends upon which gas your surgeon chose which was likely influenced by the size of your detachment. Straight air will be absorbed the fastest. Whatever you do,
DO NOT FLY until your retina doc says it is okay. The gas bubble would expand causing a marked increase in eye pressure which would be extremely painful and sight damaging. Bubbles or vitrectomies can often accelerate the rate of formation for existing cataracts which may change your eyeglasses. A scleral buckle would have changed the shape of your eye changing your glasses.

Wishing you a prompt, full recovery

Thank you for that. You sound professionally familiar with the procedure(s).
The scleral buckle was one of the options presented, however my Dr. thought the first procedure had a very high chance of being successful, and in the event that it wasn't, the scleral buckle was available later. I have to say that I opted for the least invasive, with the concurrence from my Dr. It's truly amazing at what is available today. It wasn't that long ago that this wasn't an option. I have since discovered that a mutual friend lost his vision in one eye because he didn't respond to the symptoms quickly enough. My heart goes out to him, having just undergone the surgery. For you guys and gals out there, whose warranty's are on the verge of expiration, pay attention to visual abnormalities. In my case it was large floaters. I thought I wanted to swat at a mosquito or a knat, along with a sense that my nose was interfering with my vision.

[notmytarga]

Interesting note about the gas. Usually a fluoridated carbon or sulfur like cardon hexafloride. It is a heavy gas that because of its size takes a while to absorb to allow for the healing. Floats in the vitrous gel inside the posterior chamber of the eye. Thus the head must be positioned to float it to the area of detachment. Mirrors or prism glasses help looking elsewhere - nowadays screens are small enough to be put where needed. Not so much a projection TV.

As in Helium the heavy inert gases change your voice when breathed (don't forget they displace the oxygen you need!) but the heavy gases make your voice LOWER! But your eye doctor won't give you enough to breath - just the tiny amount for the eye bubble.

[Langers]

Never, EVER ignore flashes, floaters or curtains

[56 nomad]

Originally Posted by Langers

Never, EVER ignore flashes, floaters or curtains

plus one on this as it is critical...
from my understanding the retina can become detached starting with a small tear in it that alows for fluid build up behind the retina. this fluid build up causes the flashes as the build up seperates the retina from the in the eye (flashing) flashes as well as sudden floaters are a good indication that something is awry. see you opthamoligst asap ,the longer you wait the more fluid behind and you may find that small black curtain across 1/2 your eye ( if you are lucky) or worse yet no sight. can also be a result of sudden impact.
quote:The interior portion of the human eye is filled with a gelatinous substance called vitreous. With time, the vitreous gel liquefies and eventually pulls away or separates from the back of the eye where it is attached to the retina. This process is called Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) and is a normal event occurring in most people somewhere between the ages of 40-70 years.

During this separation of PVD, the pull on the retina is perceived by some people as a Flash of light. These may occur anywhere in the field of vision. If the gel is abnormally adherent to the retina, or the retina is weak in a certain area, a retinal tear can occur. Once a retinal tear develops there is a significant risk of the liquid vitreous going through the break and causing retinal detachment.

Any opacity in the vitreous, which comes in the line of vision is perceived as Floaters. Even normal vitreous may contain some opacities which are perceived as floaters. During PVD, the debris generated in the vitreous may lead to sudden increase in floaters. Also sometimes, during the separation a blood vessel of the retina may rupture with or without retinal tear and can cause vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding in the vitreous) which is perceived as shower of floaters. Large hemorrhages can cause large dark blobs in the visual field or an overall decrease in vision.

I got the buckle as i did not want bed rest. Regards and do what the docs say, ben