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Eye Care Archive  (Expert Forum)
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macular hole recovery
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MedHelp Member's Question

macular hole recovery

by Nancylee, Apr 18, 2006 12:00AM
Can anyone tell me how their recovery went?  Was the surgery painful?  Did you get your eyesight back?  Are you able to drive after recovery?  How difficult is the face-down recovery process?  Will I need help in daily care during recovery?
Doctor's Answer

by Forum-OD-MP, Apr 18, 2006 12:00AM
not too many people here talking about macular hole.  good luck!  hope someone answers...



recovery is interesting b/c of the face-down thing.  whether or not you can drive will depend on your acuity and your state laws.  yes, you will likely need some help in recovery
Member Comments (36)

by Black Bob, May 02, 2006 12:00AM
My wife has had the required op

No problem. Walked out withing 1/2 hr.

A standard massage bed was provided with a hole

for the face to look through. I placed a stool under

with a video portable player or could use a lap top computer

and she watched videos through the hole. She found the time required (2 weeks) face down was not easy but made more acceptable by being able to watch films. Her Eye is a lot better now after three months. She was driving after four weeks.

We think her problem was caused by a knock in the eye. Can anybody pass coment on this.

by Belledonna, May 16, 2006 12:00AM
Hi!

I had Macular Hole surgery  in May 2003.No complications. Went home the next day and developed a mild headache which was easily controled with the pain prescription my doctor provided.

Keep your head down all the time for 2 weeks (my doctor did a test in his office and let me raise my head two days early).

It is a long process with the healing.The hole can reopen and living thorugh that is nerve wracking. Over a year later, I had the catarac surgery. (you dont have to wait that long-my first urgeon failed to tell me that).It was stressful because my second surgeon wanted me to do it with no sedatves-just local numbing eye drops. SO I was wide awake.But no pain and healing was much faster.However, the hospital charged $1,000 for anesthesia ,even though I didn't have it (they were there in case I needed it).(Rip off.)

   Also , my first sugery was in the hosptial proper  for the macular hole whereas my next surgery was in a center. Don't go the Center route. I wound up with a lot of inexperienced  technicians helping my surgeon and since I was wide awake ,I became nervous listening to them. Bummer!

   BUT NOW MY VISION is 20-25 in the eye operated on. This is wonderful-thanks to the operating skill of two surgeons.

   Be patient, hang in there and do the 2 weeks head down thng!Little pain involved. You can rent equipment for sleeping and to sit on during the day. You can rent a two way mirror for the chair you sit in during the day  and watch television--what saved me was getting  Centennial and other real good movies .Time passes a lot quickr than you think it will .    Yes , you will need someone to fix your meals .I developed RA shortly after my surgery and although the doctors say they are

relaed ,I have a theory that somehow they were and that the macular hole is the result of an inflamatory process---althought e doctors say it was bad luck.

Keep your head down and dont wait loger than 6 months to have the first surgery. You'll do fine and you WILL SAVE YOUR VISION!!

by Cealcats, May 25, 2006 12:00AM
I first had swelling behind the eye which could form a Macular Hole.  3 weeks later it was a Stage I Macular Hole.  1 week later it progressed to a Stage II Macular Hole, which is 20:100 vision.  My Retinal Specialist suggestested doing a Vitrectomy at this time or within 6 months.  I opted for surgery immediately.  It was done using a local anesthesia so I was awake, but could not feel him working on my eye.  The surgery usually takes 1 1/2 hours, mine only took 1 hour.  I went home with a patch on that eye.  Head down positioning for 1 week post op.  I rented equipment from Vitrectomy Solutions (you can find them online).  $140. for the package, the Daytimer a chair for watching TV, reading, laptop, etc.  The night timer for sleeping facedown.  It wasn't that bad and I ended up doing it for 2 weeks to make sure the Gas, C3F8 stayed behind the eye, pushing on the Macular Hole to seal it.  My husband stayed home for 5 days to help me out.  I was able to get up and walk around, head down of course.  I had my meals at the kitchen table.  I was lucky enough to have some wonderful neighbors who brought dinner over for the 1st week.  I saw my Dr. the day after surgery.  They removed the eye patch, but I could not see anything.  I then saw him 1 week post op and the gas bubble was still pushing on the Macular Hole, but still had no vision.  When the gas is in the eye it blocks the vision.  It has now been 3 weeks since surgery.  I saw the Dr. again and the Hole is sealed.  The perfluoropropane gas is now 1/2 reabsorbed.  I can now see out of the top of the eye, blurry from the glare of the gas still in the eye.  But I am doing GREAT.  I can still see where the hole is, light gray opaque.  But the vision is much better than before the repair.  Before surgery my vison was very distorted in that area.  I believe this is a sight saving surgery.  Do not wait, have it done.  It's not that bad.  I am still not driving.  I think that I might be able to next week tho.  I see the Dr. again in 3 weeks.  Good Luck.

by Belledonna, May 30, 2006 12:00AM
This is interesting. I had  to stay in the hospital overnight and my surgery was 11/2 hours and I was in a twilight sleep but the gas bubble in my eye was gone within the 2 weeks span.It got smaller and smaller day by day and when I looked out right after surgery , it was like looking through water except at the top which provided a small area  with good vision.Each day when I would briefly raise my head for a few seconds, the "water level" was coming down and I could see fine above that.

By two weeks I was driving again with restored vision and back to my job.

I was thrilled with my vision. My problem was a little more complicated. I was diagnosed in August with a stage 1 macular hole and  it went ot a stage 2 and stayed there for a while. My doctor recommended I have the surgery at 4 months but I developed a sinus infection (and later RA) and wound up waitng 10 months to have the surgery(putting it off more than twice because I felt so bad). My surgeon was just about to toss me out the window but after giving me another eye exam instead ,he scheduled me for surgery "one last time".It went well and so did the resulting cataract surgery. But my surgeon told me "never to do that again!!" I think  they get much better results usually when the macular hole is smaller as it tends to heal better.

by Belledonna, May 30, 2006 12:00AM
Hi again--

  forgot to tell you that my results-after ten months with the macular hole-were 20-25 in that eye.My surgeon was really pleased and left me with the thought that he often gets 20-20 when the surgery