Gas bubble following Vitrectomy

I had a Vitrectomy for a macular hole almost two weeks ago together with a cataract removed at the same time. At present I can see a black circle with a grey and white interior (very much like a camera lens) which moves or bounces around depending on the position of my head.  I am assuming this is the gas bubble and that it will get smaller and disappear over time? What is most disconcerting is that even with my eye closed I can still see the bubble. Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanking you in advance.

[eyesonyou]

Although my surgery was for a different problem, I had and still do have a gas bubble 5 days after surgery.  The surgeon said it is at about 30% of its former volume.

And, yes, it will go away, although the surgeon didn't say how long it would take.  Mine was a short-acting bubble, and I expect it will disappear faster than yours, because you had macular hole surgery, where mine was an ERM peel.

I agree, it is really annoying, especially when you bend over.  Also, I keep wanting to reach up and move it out of the way.

Hope this helps.

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

Use the search feature and archives. There are many people that have had that surgery that have shared their experience.

JCH MD

[Fernackerpan]

Thank you for replying to my post. It's reassuring to know that you are experiencing a similar phenomenon. Like you, I want to grab it and move it out of the way. I have noticed today that it has shrunk in size so that's a good sign.

Hope yours disappears soon.

[Fernackerpan]

I did use the search feature and archives before posting my message, but could not find anyone who had experienced seeing the bubble even with their eye closed.

[eyesonyou]

You'd better believe that you see the bubble with your eye closed!  I saw it especially well after surgery, as I had my eye patched for 24 hours.

There is also silicon oil that is sometimes used.  I wonder how it would be different.  Come to think of it, I prefer not to know. :-)

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

-

[Fernackerpan]

Thank you for the links. Much appreciated.

[Fernackerpan]

The gas bubble has disappeared this morning after shrinking rapidly yesterday. Everything still looks very blurry and I've got small black spots floating about but I guess this is all part of the recovery process. I've got a follow up hospital appt next Tues so should know then if all is in order. Hope your eye is healing too.

[eyesonyou]

I am glad to hear this.  My gas bubble is still there a little bit, and I had to descend lots of stairs today.  Looking down through the bubble throws off my equilibrium. I just held on to the stair rails and went slowly.

I can't wait until it is gone!

[matt_ret_d_vitrectomy]

I had a vitrectomy, but had long lasting gas bubble. What you see is very normal, you're lucky  it wasn't for 12 weeks like with my case. I don't remember seeing the gas bubble with my eye closed.   However I also had PFO (a dense liquid) placed in the eye during surgery and there are still some bubbles after a year and a half. And I can see those with my eye closed, even in the dark!  My guess is the bubbles touch my retina and stimulate the optic nerves and I "see" an image.
Eyes and ophthamalogy are wonderful things, and I've seen and learned so much. I appreciate my vision and eye care daily!

[Psyklops]

Mine just disappeared a minute ago, almost two weeks to the day after scleral buckling, vitrectomy and laser.

What you see is the shadow of the bubble, originally it obscures the vision, but becomes progressively smaller over time (I had the faster acting SF6 gas). It becomes a button sized ball and if it was like mine it just goes 'poof' and gone.

I could see mine with my eyes closed and it was quite pretty, purple in the middle and red on the outside, with a sort of light that looked like an eclipse.

Scary at first check out this guys website - http://www.jimlawton.info/myeye

[larryng]

It's thirty days post-op and I still
have about 40% gas bubble. The gas used is C3F8 which is a long acting gas with a long half life. My doc told me three days ago that it will take another two to three weeks to reaborb completely. After that, he will give the prescription for new glasses as my eye has become short sighted and astigmatism has set in. Good news is that the cataract is reduced since the first week the head down posturing helps to prevent gas induced cataract, so all that hard work and suffering was worth it.