Gas bubble after scleral buckling

[jivey42]

I had scleral buckling surgery on 5/12 following a retinal tear/detachment.  I have a small gas bubble in my eye.  Today the gas bubble broke off into now 3 gas bubbles - one large, two small (looks like Mickey Mouse, they are all attached).  Has anyone who had a gas bubble had this happen?  I am 2 weeks post-surgery.  These things always seem to happen to me during a holiday weekend...


This discussion is related to Gas Bubble Procedure.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS]

It's not unusal. Call your Eye MD's answering service tomorrow morning for some reassurance.

CJH II MD

[AnnaE]

5 retina surgeries here. It happened every time for me. All kinds of bubble formations.

[9fingers3]

I am 7 weeks post surgery.  vitrectomy and gas bubble.  when bubble dissapated, spot where tear was reappeared and now looks like it did before surgery.  surgeon says this is normal.  has this happened to you?

[AnnaE]

No. it did not. I hope that the doctor can also answer you soon, also. Are you seeing a retinologist?

This is just my experience, and I do not want to alarm you. But I think that this needs to be looked at right away. In any regard, you need reassurance, and perhaps medical care.

What you have described is what I saw at the point where they needed to do more work on my retina. I suggest you talk to your doctor right now, or seek a second opinion. Retinologists take calls every day, through assistants or answering services.

If you want, you can find a retinologist at www.aao.org.

Write back if you have questions, post you question on the eye care expert forum for a doctor to answer you.

I hope you are fine. When you can write back, let us know how you are.

[AnnaE]

I read your post on the expert forum, and you write that your doctor says it is scar tissue.

I DO have a spot like that--not the same as the original detachment, but resulting from the fifth surgery, in the area of the first detachment. Doctor says it is probably scar tissue, but it still bothers me. I am going to ask him soon, now that you have brought up the subject.

The vision I still have in that eye is blocked out in that spot--it is sort of gray. I have very low vision in the (left) eye.

I do not consider it normal. I consider it a very troublesome after-effect of the surgery--perhaps unavoidable in your case, and in mine. I do not know.

After I ask my doctor a second time, I plan to get a second opinion if I feel at all confused.

A lot of factors can  determine why something like this happened. How long the retina had been detached at the time of surgery, how many surgeries you had, how much scar tissue your body makes, etc.. I have also heard it suggested that it can be caused by a fault in the surgery.

I don't know the answer. Except that it is traumatic, and we do not easily accommodate trauma. If it cannot be fixed, It takes questions, good answers, strong support, time and pain. How much help we need with the situation also depends on history, circumstances, etc. I did not have a good experience with my first doctor, and my second md is his partner. I live in a relatively small city.

I lost most of the vision in my left eye during the last year, and I can have nightmares every night. Many other diffiulties.

Now that I have read your other post, I think that this is not as emergent as I earlier thought. The doctors here will help you more, of course.