Macular Pucker & Double Vision

[MarkAlb]

I have developed a macular pucker in my left eye. Horizontal lines now have a dip in the center, and objects appear larger with the left eye. They especially appear elongated vertically. I'm having double vision with objects over 6 ft. away. I believe that my two eyes are created such different images that the brain can't put the two together. What's the best correction for this?

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

Thanks JodieJ, Happy New Year and we are most grateful for your input and sharing of your experiences.

JCH MD

[JodieJ]

Your vision problems are the result of changes in the photoreceptor configuration in your retina due to the macular pucker.  Your best bet for restoring normal vision is surgery to peel the pucker (aka epiretinal membrane.)  I'd suggest that you consult a retinal surgeon who is very experienced doing this procedure.  Please don't postpone the surgery--recent research suggests that the results of sooner surgery are better than those from delayed surgery.

I had this surgery done twice--once locally (botched) and a second time (successfully) by Dr. Steve Charles in Memphis.  Dr. Charles is a brilliant surgeon, and you'll find more information about your condition on his website.  (It might be worth a trip to Memphis if that's an option for you.)  In my experience, the surgery was completely painless.

Double vision is a tough problem to adjust to.  If you continue to experience this problem after surgery, please send me a personal message and I'll provide more info about treatment options using special glasses and contacts.

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

There are a lot of informative discussions on macular pucker which you can access with the search feature and archives.  Especially pay attention to the comments from JodieJ who has had the surgery and writes very informatively.

There is not truly fail safe way of dealing with this. If its not troublesome then live with it. You should monitor it with daily amsler tests, regular Eye MD exams and macular OCT.

Membrane peels are big operations with an extensive list of possible complications and the distortion often persists.

JCH MD