Retinal Detachment surgery and eye is smaller compared to unoperated eye

[loriai]

Hi, i had a retinal detachment approximately 4 weeks ago and have had SEVERAL problems with my doctor/surgeon and i am wondering if anyone had similar problems post surgery. My surgery consisted of a vitrectomy, gas bubble and scleral buckle to my knowledge. My problems are:

1) My eyes are different shapes, meaning when i look in the mirror my operated eye looks half the size of my unoperated eye. the eye doesn't open as much as the unoperated eye. I look like a monster. Does anybody know if this may change?

2) Vision is horrible, blurred and distorted and cannot see words without the paper being two inches from my eye. I am very nearsighted but compared to my other eye, i am very disappointed. When i don't have a contact in my good eye my vision seems all over the place like seeing 4 hands. Can anybody relate or give some feedback? Will it stay this way? Anybody have a vision change for the better and how long did it take?

3) When i come in from outside (it is August now) in my operated eye there is a  strange bright, sometimes blinking light in the central area that twirls around, looks the same every time and goes away after a minute or two

4) I am only 34 and wonder if anybody has tips or comments on avoiding further retinal detachments as my doctor avoids answering most of my questions.

Thanks for all the comments. Please don't hesitate, i could really use some feedback from someone who has gone through this.

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

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[es98]

Just to second what pinhole said..

You are very early in your recovery.  It is even possible that you still have a gas bubble in your eye, which will cause all kinds of distortion.

Your eye is not smaller..  It's that your eyelid is not opening all the way.  This could take 6 months or more to fully go away, and if it does not, there are surgeries available that can help.

Be patient and ask your doctor how long the gas bubble will be in your eye.

[pinhole]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your experience. You are still very early in the healing process, but it is very hard to be patient and calm, especially when one has little information.

I too had a vit-buckle with gas bubble and was very upset afterward about everything, but especially the appearance of my eye.

While I can fully relate to your overall misery, the one item I will comment on is your RD eye not opening as far as the other one. It was many months (maybe five) before mine improved in that regard, and the best explanation was suggested by a relative, who was researching eye health for his own (different) situation. He thought my eye muscles were likely clenching as a protective response to the surgery trauma, and that once my eye healed further, the muscles would relax. That did seem to be the case for me, and the lid did open better after five months or so. The eye doctor's office (technician) by phone told me only that sometimes the lid didn't open because of the anesthesia, but that was several weeks post-op, and I never knew what to make of that.

It wasn't until eight months later, following a second vitrectomy plus membrane peel for a macular pucker that had developed plus installation of an IOL for a cataract, that my eye achieved its best comfort and vision.

My eyes now look the same!

Four weeks is really early in the healing process. I wish you all the best.