Gas bubble after vitrectomy

My boyfriend had a vitrectomy on his left eye two days ago to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The doctor put in a gas bubble and he was told to lie facedown 45 minutes out of every hour for the next two weeks. He's been really good for the most part, but tonight he was lying on the couch while I watched a movie. He dozed off lying facedown, but when I looked over a little while later, he'd rolled over on his back. Is accidentally sleeping on his back for several minutes enough to completely derail his treatment?

[pinhole]

Of course his physician is the one to ask, but here is my experience. Although I had put heavy pillows against my back in bed to prevent rolling over in the night after a vitrectomy plus gas bubble to repair a retinal detachment, I did suddenly wake up in the night finding I had rolled onto my back (I think that's why I woke up). I freaked and accused my husband, who was asleep on the other side of the pillows, of not paying attention! When I was examined by the surgeon first thing the next morning, as is the norm following this surgery, all was fine.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[jyr1978]

Thanks for answering. I hope your vision has been doing well since your surgery. Did you have severe facial swelling from lying face down? My boyfriend looks like he lost a boxing match. His left eye is swollen shut and his right eye is almost as bad. He also has swelling in the middle of his forehead. He has no pain and not too much mucus and there is no bruising, but it is freaking me out. He goes back to the doctor Thursday, but I'm nervous that he shouldn't be this swollen. He spends a good bit of the day lying on the bed with his head hanging off the edge, nose parallel to the floor.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[pinhole]

Hi again,
Yes, thanks, I've been doing well. I've actually had two vitrectomies in the same eye.
No, I did not have facial swelling such as you described and cannot comment on your boyfriend's situation in that regard.
That said, I never had my face lower than the rest of my body (not hanging off the bed or couch as you described) during the face-down period. I remember resting my forehead on my arms a lot.
I would encourage calling the doctor to ask about the swelling. I can tell you that the printed instructions I received after my surgery indicated that some swelling is normal, but I think this is something you should hear from his doctor's office. Was your boyfriend given instructions following his surgery? Mine were quite comprehensive, addressing pain, swelling, the appearance of the eye, use of eye drops, physical restrictions, etc.
Best wishes!

[jyr1978]

Glad you've been doing well!

Yeah, his face isn't lower than his body (he's got a short, thick, football player neck, so believe me, he'd have to have his whole torso hanging off the bed for his face to be lower than his body!). I spoke with the on-call doctor yesterday and she said not to worry. I think it has to do with him refusing to sit because of the pain in his back. They gave us instructions, but they're pretty vague. Thanks for all of your help!