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Eye Care (Expert Forum)
Lattice dengeneration and retinal holes
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Lattice dengeneration and retinal holes
by Monika__0__0, Aug 09, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Monika on August 09, 1999 at 13:13:27
I am a 31 year old grad student and an avid reader. Somewhere in February I developed some blurriness/shimmering in the bottom right hand corner in the field of vision of my left eye. This persisted on and off, but my opthamologist told me not to worry about it. In fact I still have it every day and it is there more often than not (making reading and paper writing difficult). In May I developed flashing lights in that same eye. They are sort of like a ball that gets bigger disappears and comes right back. I get anywhere from 2-10 of them in rapid succession. I have them about four days a week--though only two days this week. I went to an opthamologist who said I have pigment spots indicative of macular degeneration and should just watch it. Then went to an optometrist who told me I had perfectly healthy retinas. So...being confused, I went to a hospital specializing in Eye and Ear problems for a second opinion. The opthamologist there told me that he saw no indication of macular degeneration, but he did see that I had lattice degeneration (both eyes) and two pin sized holes in the retina of my left eye, one of which has a donut shaped sac of fluid around it. He referred me to a retinologist there because he believed that they may want to do surgery to tack down that area... given I was symptomatic and my mother recently had a retinal tear.When I was in the retinologist's office, I over heard the resident say to the med student that they would be discussing either laser surgery or cryotherapy to tack down that area so as to lessen my risk of retinal detachment. The retinologist, however,never mentioned surgery as an option for me. She said that 10% of the population has lattice degeneration and that if they treated everyone they'd never stop doing laser surgery. She sent me home with a book on retinal detachments and told me to have it checked in a year. Does this sound right? I'm still having symptoms, the blurriness more than the flashes, but both are still present. It's been 6 months of blurry/shimmering symptoms and 3 months of flashers. Will these symptoms go away on their own? Am I at a very high risk of a tear or detachment? How will I know if I have a retinal tear given I have so many symptoms now? Should I go back or just wait? Any advice/direction would be VERY appreciated!! Thank you!
Posted by HFHS MD-JL on August 09, 1999 at 17:32:00
The blurriness is likely not related to the retinal findings. Regarding the retina, I agree with what the retinal specialist said but I would recommend another exam before a year just to make sure there is not changes in the retinal holes. Your pamphlet should spell out the common signs and symtoms of a retinal detachment but these include increase in floaters or flashes, or the feeling like a curtain is coming down over your vision. I would recommend a follow-up appt.
This information was provided for medical educational purposes only.
HFHS MD-JL
