end-of-the-road for my mother's vision?

My mother is now 49 years old. She was diagnosed with retinal detachment in her left eye last April of 2011. The doctors from our hospital, since it's a public hospital, scheduled her for surgery (PPV and eyebuckling) on October of 2012. She was having a regular monthly check-up since then. As time goes by before her surgery, she developed a cataract on the same eye making her surgery to be cataract extraction, PPV and eye buckling. On the date of her surgery, one of the resident doctors said that there is an infection present so that should be treated first before the surgery that would take at least a month of treatment with antibiotic. She was then good to go for surgery last December of 2013. Prior to that, test had been made (ultrasound) and revealed that 9 o'clock of her retina is still attached. While on surgery, upon attempting to do the PPV, the doctors found out that the retina is totally detached, it is crumpled like a keloid so they proceed to removing the cataract anyway. After the surgery, they told us that they can not do anything about what they saw and no medical treatment can be done to save her vision.

Apparently, she is really depressed up to now (I know that) even though she is  telling that she already accepted her status.

I would like to know what is your opinion regarding this, the whole event? Is there, still, anything that we can do?

Thank you so much and more power to you.

-John

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

There is no way I can tell you anything useful except that eyes that have retinal detachments usually go blind  unless the RD is fixed. Many types of RD could not be fixed before new techniques like vitrectomies where invented.  Infection is the unavoidable enemy of every surgeon and an infection in the eye is very very serious.

You might want to 1. get a second opinion about the situation. 2 protect the remaining eye by healthy living, careful protection against injury and regular eye exams likely every 6 months by an Eye MD ophthalmology

JCH MD

[JCAlona]

Hello there, Doctor Hagan!

Every time I ask her what can she see with her affected eye, she is telling me that she can see nothing but white and a bit of colors like green and red (she would see some colors since her cataract is removed according to doctors) and sometimes silhouettes.

Do you think there is still hope in her case?

[JCAlona]

By the way, that was after her surgery. Its been more than a month now.

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

I'm sorry you are asking for reassurances and judgments I cannot make in this type of forum.

JCH MD

[achillea]

How terrible for you and your mother.  Have you sought a second opinion?

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

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[JCAlona]

yes we did... but we are getting same answers...

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

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[JCAlona]

I'm just wondering Dr. Hagan. Why do you always leave a comment that is "=" only?

[achillea]

I have always assumed that the symbol typed in means that the person responding has read the post but has no comment at that moment.

[JCAlona]

well doing that seems like non-sense.