I did a lot of research about cataract surgery this past week, and I had decided to wait for a while because of the previous retinal problems I had. The left eye is a bit of a nuisance, but manageable. The doctor thought that a retinal detachment wasn’t that likely so I shouldn’t worry about it.
Unfortunately there was a surprise. it turns out the cataract in my left eye is no worse than the one in my right eye, which I scarcely notice. The problem is with the retina, and the solution would be a virectomy, which sounds like a big deal, especially the recovery.
The doctor today showed me a picture of the problem — from an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan — and referred me to their retina specialist. I have an appointment with him on October 19 at 8:10 a.m. — a nuisance since it takes almost an hour to get there. I asked if they had anything later in the day, but the fellow said it wouldn’t be until November. I said 8:10 on the 19th sounded just fine.
The cataract doctor said we have four options: (1) do nothing now, just observe, (2) do just the virectomy, (3) do just the cataract, or (4) do them both at the same time. In the meantime I’m back to doing a lot of homework. As usual, bless the internet.
I hope your day wasn’t as eventful!
September 26, 2015
it’s true.
we now have access to really great information right at our fingertips.
it always takes a bit of fear away to be more informed.
i started taking 40 mg of lutein every day when i found out i had macular degeneration. it won’t cure it of course. but so far it seems to be keeping it at bay. i’m told that it hasn’t gotten any worse! and that’s something!
do you take any supplements for your eyes?
My multivitamin has some lutein in it. I’m so glad your macular degeneration isn’t getting any worse. That’s great. A friend of mine isn’t so lucky, and it’s scary business.
My problem is slightly different, and there’s a good chance it’s stable, won’t get worse. I’ll probably decide to live with it rather than have to be so immobile during the weeks-long recuperation. That’s not good for the rest of my body — not to mention my mental health. 🙂 Kaitlin knows someone who had a vitrectomy. Apparently it went well but he said he got really crabby towards the end.
I prefer not to consult the internet for medical problems as my GP and friend has his clinic just across the road from my residence and I can always go to him or I can call my cousin in Chennai who is a very senior medical professional and is more or less the authority for the entire family on all medical problems. Anyway, I hope that whatever option you choose, you come out of it with good vision and spirits. All the best.
Thanks for the good wishes. I agree, if you have experts at your disposal you can save a lot of time and effort. I’m happy for you.
Goodness, that’s scary. These days, so much can be done with laser that I hadn’t even thought much about their still being lots of surgeries that couldn’t be done that way. Tough decision, but in the long run I assume having better vision is a good thing.
If it doesn’t get worse I’ll probably just live with the retinal problem and get the cataract surgery on each eye in the future. I do think it’s amazing what they can do nowadays.
Thank you for coming by!
nothing with my actual eyes – other than this morning fiasco!
daylight saving kicked in last night, clocks spring forward. I called a friend about what I should do about getting up at 6am to go to event a fair few miles away. he suggested put clock forward now. I did…and I did get up on time.
BUT as I went to leave – I could NOT find my regular spectacles. they were not in their usual place. I only wear them when I go out in case I can’t read something or I should fall over [later someone comments, “this wouldn’t have happened, if you had your specs on”]
with clocks forward the house was semi-dark, I walked into rooms, put on lights and still couldn’t see them anywhere…
I ended up putting on my computer glasses which are okay in a pinch – went out late, missed the bus I really wanted to get… I managed but they slip down if I hurry and they were just wrong – no sunshade tint etc…
When I came home 8 hours later I was determined to “find regular ones” – went around in circles trying to remember anything. I knew it was 2 days ago I went out of the house…soooooooo. I went downstairs, I even looked in the fridge. I thought about what I was doing on Saturday – retracing where I went/did.
FINALLY I FOUND THEM – over near the bin that I keep tools in! On a window ledge.Why over there? and Why was I wearing them? UNKNOWN!
I can identify with that! I actually bought my glasses at EyeBuyDirect so I could afford extra pairs. It has saved a lot of wear and tear on my nerves. 🙂
I feel for you!
Anything to do with eyes terrifies me.
I once rubbed the skin off my eye ( long story that I won’t share here) but I was so scared. I wish you the best, whatever you decide to do.
I usually ignore anything health related and I know that’s not good to do.
Xoxo
Thank you. I would love to hear your story — I’ve never heard of something like that before.
One of my other blogmates, Grannymar, has just had a vitrectomy, and said it was very straightforward. In a matter of days after the op, her sight was completely back to normal. But she did have to take a few precautions immediately after surgery, like sleeping in a certain position.
Best of luck with the consultation.
Apparently you have to keep your face down for a week or two. That’s why Grannymar was looking for audio books, as I recall. Some companies rent equipment to help:
Here’s a gal talking about how she dealt with two experiences.