Retinal Detachment

[Loreuru]

I am 28 years old and in the past year I have had 3 surgeries in my right eye. In the first 2 gas was put in my eye and in the last I had the scleral buckle and silicone oil put in. Now according to my surgeon my eye is too ill to operate. I can only detect light flashes with that eye but I can't tell the direction they are coming from. Two other surgeons I have seen told me that vision in my right eye is lost. Ultrasounds don't show anything thanks to the silicone oil and a cataract that developed. One of the surgeons said I should not wait to operate but the another surgeon said operating was too dangerous and that I had lost total vision. I asked him "if I lost my vision already then why not operate?What could be worse?".He said that an operation could trigger reactions in the eye that could end in having to take a piece of the eye out or even having to extract the eye. At least now my eye looks esthetaclly ok.
My question is what should I do?My surgeon who performed the 3 surgeries wants to see me in September. The second surgeon I saw said waiting is the worse thing I should do. I really don't know what to do.
I appreciate any proffesional guidance you may give me.
Thank you.        

[Memahaffey]

Actually to everyone here - -  I JUST had my second surgery yesterday (and probably should not be on the pc, but luckily I can type without 'reading'.  I had a scleral buckle and small gas bubble put in 6 weeks ago - March 22.  I unfortunately had to cancel my flight plans to Las vegas from Kansas City, and could not even drive through the Continental divide.  (oh, the buckle SHOULD remain in there a lifetime, and would only be removed if medically necessary).  The original tear, or curtain (exactly as you described), that I had, unfortunately crossed the macula (the first Dr missed it 3 times, but I wont go there - -  yet), and therefore I have symptoms similar to wet-macular degeneration.  (squiggly lines).  I was told this was due to a second tear that occurred, and fluid got behind the retina, and leaked back to the macula, causing the wavy edges in a straight lines.  If anyone else has had that, you know what I mean!!!  My second step was to remove the fluid, and had a BIG gas bubble put in.  My first Gas bubble (depending on what gas they use), took 6 weeks to fully diperse.  This one should take 2 full months.  I am VERY active (golf, running, etc), and will find it difficult to remain face down 23 hours a day!!!  I read some of the other stories on here, and I feel so bad for the guy with the 3 surgeries who may not have vision.  I do agree with everyone that once you lose sight completely in one eye, being able to process light eventually makes a big difference.  I am not claiming to be any kind of expert, but I have spent months researching everything possible as it relates to the eye, among other studies.  Would like to hear others' stories.  Oh, all i see is blurry now  - next day which is expected, but when I blink, i can see where the original "curtain" ended and actually see my macula.  Kind of weird.  I have several pictures I created showing examples of my vision, wish I could post them here!

[Felis]

Be patient and optimistic. Any sight is better than no sight!

[tacmom]

My eye today is still the same as it was two days ago...

I went to see my retinal specialist yesterday, and she said there is still fluid behind my left eye that I just had a scleral buckle on.  I asked if it would go away on its own and her reply is...if it's still there next week, the retina will not be able to reattach completely and I will have to have surgery again.

I've already had 3 surgeries on my left eye...I don't see how much more one eye can take!  I've never had the gas bubble though so I'm wondering if this is the next step for me.  If it is, I am going to try to hold off as long as possible to do the surgery because I have vacation plans in July that involve flying and being in the mountains.  I am usually a very optimistic person, but the possibility of having another surgery really scares me!  

[tacmom]

I'm sorry your operation didn't go well!  I have had a total of 4 surgeries done on both eyes, with one done last week.

About 8 or 9 years ago, I had a curtain showing up on my right eye.  I let it go for a week before I told my husband, who begged me to go to the dr to have it checked out.  I told him on a weekend and promised him if he didn't take me to the ER, I'd go on Monday.  Monday night, I was schedule for emergency surgery for a detached retina in my right eye.  I was only 25 years old.  At the same time, they checked my left eye and saw a retinal tear so they did laser surgery.  (It was very small.)

Recovery was hard because I had no idea what to expect and it was done so quickly that I didn't have time to process things.  I also have a severe to profound hearing loss so having any kind of vision loss was scary to me.  Having a patch over both of my eyes was NOT a good experience!  BUT I haven't had ANY problems since.  I went for my checkup each 6 months for about 2 years and then they told me I could come back every 2 years for a check up.  I waited 4 years before coming back in Feb.  Just for a checkup.  Didn't expect the dr to tell me there was anything wrong.  She said I had a retinal tear in my left eye, but felt it could be fixed through laser surgery.  Had this done in March.  I thought for sure, that took care of it.  

I went for a follow up a month later, and they said I now had a detachment in my left eye.  I found that strange because I didn't really notice anything strange, but they said it was not affecting my peripheral vision...yet.  My dr was out on leave so I waited for her to return before we discussed surgery again.  Went two weeks ago to see her and she said it was a detachment and we needed to go ahead and schedule the surgery, a scleral buckle.  I had that done last Thursday.  Now I am 5 days post-op, and doing amazingly well.  My eye still looks gross, but I'm already getting alot of my vision back.  It's still blurry, but that is to be expected.  

I am just hoping this  is the END of my retinal problems.  I wonder if scleral buckles last a lifetime or if they eventually wear out?  

[Rustre1]

What can cause optic nerve atrophy during a vitrectomy?  Peeling the head of the nerve?  Peeling an artery or vein?  

[Rustre1]

Be sure your Doctor gives you the risks associated with all the procedures and find the best one in your area to do it.

[berrywoo]

hey, i'm 23 and i've recently had three surgeries for a recurring retinal detachment (scleral buckle/gas, vitrectomy/gas/IOL implantation, and then silicone oil/membrane peel). Hopefully I won't need anymore. If I were you I would go in and try to salvage any sight possible, if light is all you can see its better than nothing at all. If you don't seek treatment you loose the eye completely. I know its frustrating and frightening, but hopefully things work out ok. Good Luck!

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

Loreuru,    Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do. A professional recommendation can only be given after an examination of your eyes. Re-reading your post I'm not sure what you were told by 'two other surgeons'.  It seems two have recommended waiting and one has recommended surgery in the near future. You also fail to mention whether you sought these opinions on your own or whether your original surgeon sent you to these ophthalmologists (EyeMDs) for additional opinions.

This seems to be a very serious problem with a guarded prognosis. You really are going to need to decide which of these recommendations and surgeons you have the most confidence in and follow their advice. This may mean transferring your care from the original surgeon.  Hopefully the two other 'doctors' you saw for consultations were retina surgeon-ophthalmologists. They then could follow you and if necessary do additional surgery themselves.

Alternately you can go to the original surgeon, explain the recommendations of the two other retina surgeons you saw (he may need to get their records to review) and have him justify 'waiting'.

Remember there are innumerable problems in medicine where highly qualified physicians/surgeons will recommend 'different' courses of treatment. That does not mean that one is 'right' and one is 'wrong' instead both may represent 'different' treatments that are all directed towards the goal of making the problem better. Especially with new treatments it may take years, even decades before one course of treatment is demonstrated to be the 'only' course to take. (think about the different treatments available for breast cancer or prostate cancer).

Good Luck

JCH MD