Aa
Detached retina
Hi,
In October 2007 I was playing soccer and the ball hit me in the eye. I had blurred vision immediately after I was hit by the ball. I went to my family doctor and he said nothing was wrong and that the blured vision would go away with time. 10 months passed, and I was referred to a eye specialist about 45 min away from me. He told me I had a detached retina.. which was a shock as my family doctor said it was fine.
I went in for a scleral buckle in August 2008, and two weeks later for a vitrectomy in which the surgeon put oil in my eye. I can my mom move her fingers infront of me using the damaged eye, and I'm also able to watch TV with some difficulty, but I cannot read at all with it. My mom has hope I'll be able to see again properly due to the fact I'm only 15 years old.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect? Will the oil be removed from my eye? Will I have to get glasses, contacts or something along those lines to aid me?
Thanks !
In October 2007 I was playing soccer and the ball hit me in the eye. I had blurred vision immediately after I was hit by the ball. I went to my family doctor and he said nothing was wrong and that the blured vision would go away with time. 10 months passed, and I was referred to a eye specialist about 45 min away from me. He told me I had a detached retina.. which was a shock as my family doctor said it was fine.
I went in for a scleral buckle in August 2008, and two weeks later for a vitrectomy in which the surgeon put oil in my eye. I can my mom move her fingers infront of me using the damaged eye, and I'm also able to watch TV with some difficulty, but I cannot read at all with it. My mom has hope I'll be able to see again properly due to the fact I'm only 15 years old.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect? Will the oil be removed from my eye? Will I have to get glasses, contacts or something along those lines to aid me?
Thanks !
hi sir ,
I am suffering from cone dystrophy . the vision is getting worse. the floaters have increased & blurred central vision . is there any way to improve the vision . i am facing problem in identifying people and reading. what can i do to stop the progress? please help.
thanx
I am suffering from cone dystrophy . the vision is getting worse. the floaters have increased & blurred central vision . is there any way to improve the vision . i am facing problem in identifying people and reading. what can i do to stop the progress? please help.
thanx
oh, one last thing...you mentioned that you were fifteen. So, you'd probably be starting to learn how to drive. You can still get a license with only one eye, even an unrestricted one! Just check with your DMV to make sure you know the restrictions. As before ALWAYS protect the other eye by wearing proper eyewear.
The droopy lid (technical term: ptosis) is most likely the result of the surgeries, in particular the scleral buckling. If it is really affecting your vision you may want to consider surgery to fix it, but only AFTER the retina has completely healed.
As for the flashing lights, you should consult your doctor about this. Sometimes, after surgery, flashing lights can still be seen, but it should eventually go away. Since, you still see the flashing lights it's best to check with your doctor as this could be a sign of traction on the retina which puts you at risk for another retinal detachment.
Talk with your doctor and find out if you have any signs of scar tissue/membrane formation/PVR (proliferative vitreoretinopathy). Also, make sure you know the signs/symptoms of a retinal detachment.
Communication w/your doctor is very important. If you feel uncomfortable with your current doctor you can find another retinal specialist at www.aao.org.
P.S.: age does NOT matter when it comes to vision recovery from retinal detachments, in fact some doctors feel that the younger you are the greater your risks are for a worse outcome, but this has yet to be proven with experiments. The only good thing about being young is that you have more time to adapt to vision loss and your brain is more plastic.
As for the flashing lights, you should consult your doctor about this. Sometimes, after surgery, flashing lights can still be seen, but it should eventually go away. Since, you still see the flashing lights it's best to check with your doctor as this could be a sign of traction on the retina which puts you at risk for another retinal detachment.
Talk with your doctor and find out if you have any signs of scar tissue/membrane formation/PVR (proliferative vitreoretinopathy). Also, make sure you know the signs/symptoms of a retinal detachment.
Communication w/your doctor is very important. If you feel uncomfortable with your current doctor you can find another retinal specialist at www.aao.org.
P.S.: age does NOT matter when it comes to vision recovery from retinal detachments, in fact some doctors feel that the younger you are the greater your risks are for a worse outcome, but this has yet to be proven with experiments. The only good thing about being young is that you have more time to adapt to vision loss and your brain is more plastic.
Thank you for your help :)
Another thing I was concerned about is these flashing lights I have in my eye, and my eye lid seems a little bit swollen, and it's been like that since my last operation this past December. Are the flashing lights normal? They appear in the bottom right corner of my left eye from time to time, especially after using the computer for a long period of time, or when I come in from outside.
The eyelid always seems really droopy and I have to force it open otherwise it's usually only half open and it's obvious something has happened to my eye. It also feels heavy in the morning and I have a tough time getting it to open when I first wake up.
Are these normal symptoms? My surgeon never seemed too concerned about the flashing lights but I forgot to mention the eye lid.
Any help would be great !
Another thing I was concerned about is these flashing lights I have in my eye, and my eye lid seems a little bit swollen, and it's been like that since my last operation this past December. Are the flashing lights normal? They appear in the bottom right corner of my left eye from time to time, especially after using the computer for a long period of time, or when I come in from outside.
The eyelid always seems really droopy and I have to force it open otherwise it's usually only half open and it's obvious something has happened to my eye. It also feels heavy in the morning and I have a tough time getting it to open when I first wake up.
Are these normal symptoms? My surgeon never seemed too concerned about the flashing lights but I forgot to mention the eye lid.
Any help would be great !
wow...your family doctor did you great disservice. You should have been referred to an eye MD on that very first visit.
The oil maybe removed if the retina stays attached and it looks like it will stay attached. The vision will not be that great with the oil as you're already experiencing.
However, your poor vision could also be due to other factors as well. If your macula, the center of the retina responsible for detailed vision like reading, was detached, then your chances for getting "normal" vision back is not that good.
As far as glasses or contacts goes it may not help you out much with the silicone oil that is in your eye and if your macula was detached. Most retinal specialists will have you wait until after the oil is removed before lettiing you get new glasses or contacts. However, if the oil is to be left in permanently you can go ahead and ask about getting corrective lenses.
Please, remember to wear protective eyewear at all times to protect the other eye!
Good Luck.
The oil maybe removed if the retina stays attached and it looks like it will stay attached. The vision will not be that great with the oil as you're already experiencing.
However, your poor vision could also be due to other factors as well. If your macula, the center of the retina responsible for detailed vision like reading, was detached, then your chances for getting "normal" vision back is not that good.
As far as glasses or contacts goes it may not help you out much with the silicone oil that is in your eye and if your macula was detached. Most retinal specialists will have you wait until after the oil is removed before lettiing you get new glasses or contacts. However, if the oil is to be left in permanently you can go ahead and ask about getting corrective lenses.
Please, remember to wear protective eyewear at all times to protect the other eye!
Good Luck.
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