Corneal Scarring after retinal surgery

[sheryl961]

August 2008 I had a retinal detachment. It was repaired and the gas bubble was inserted. Post op I developed macular pucker. 4 months post op I had surgery for the macular pucker. Post op, I had significant corneal swelling. The retinal specialist treated me for 5 wks then referred me to a corneal specialist. A "lesion" had developed.  I was treated for a few wks and then wore a "glass patch". Afterward both said I was healed but I still cant see. Well, my vision in that eye is 20/200. I explain it as though someone took an eraser and swiped it across my vision, so parts of the letters are missing, making it extremely difficult for me to see.  The retinal specialist says he cannot understand this and there is no explanation for it.  I went last week independently, to get refracted to see if this would help by improving the vision in the good eye.  The Dr. told me I have significant scarring of the cornea.  Is that why my vision is so bad?  What would you recommend? Thank you, Sheryl


This discussion is related to Cornea Scar treatment.

[sheryl961]

The corneal lesion was an" ulcer from the swelling". The Retinal Surgeon said he couldn't see it till a lot of the swelling went down. The procedure was described to be a simple scraping of the scar over the macula. Yes I did have cataract extractions a few years ago. Cataracts came so fast and literally obscured my vision so that i couldn't even drive. Was prohibited by Ophthalmologist though i couldn't see enough to drive anyway.  I think they came from steroids i needed for asthma. Anyway, if it is significant or not i don't know but the Retinal Surgeon did tell me the detachment was complete and involved the macula. I was able to see until a few weeks post op, when he said the scar began to form over the macula and i totally lost central vision.  Believe me I am not looking to sue, i just want to see. I'm 57. I don't think i should just give up and live with this. As an "old O.R. Nurse"  I was concerned because I heard a lot of talk when i was undergoing the surgery. "Oh no, no no, he kept repeating as though he were quietly correcting someone. I kept kidding saying "more anesthesia please, i don't want to hear this".   I asked him about that later and he assured me that wasn't the case. He also explained that the retina is like a wall of building blocks that settle and move around a little post-op and sometimes it takes a while for vision to clear but after 6mos he agrees it doesn't look like a good prognosis but says there is no explanation for it. I will see my primary care physician on Thursday and will certainly do as you said, but I thank you so much for your input and if you can expand any further with this 2nd info I'm relaying it would be appreciated more than you can imagine. I have severe eye strain, difficulty seeing because of the distorted letters which also are uphill, downhill, tilted sideways as well as missing whole sections. I don't like to patch the eye because I do have some peripheral vision which is helpful especially in driving etc. Thank you soooo much for your professional input! I hope you will expound on this for me.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

What was the corneal lesion?  Did you have cataract surgery prior to the retinal detachment?

Missing letters is more likely a retinal problem.  You probably still have a retinal problem (get an OCT and F/a) in addition to your new corneal problem.

Get a second opinion from another retinal specialist.  Get a referral from your independent doctor.

Dr. O.