MEMBRANE PEELING 6 MONTHS AFTER RD

[Adiprince1]

Hi can't locate my last question.  Anyways I had retinal detachment but was repaired with the gas bubble and laser.  After 6 months I am experiencing distortion in that eye.  I see too much brightness and wavy objects.  Doc said I have membrane peel and have to go through surgery. The doc said there is always a risk involved and the vision might not be restored like before.  I am really worried.  Please share some thoughts .  My surgery is scheduled for march 12. I am. Posting the diagnostic sheet.  Please have a look and tell me if it's rights thing to do?  Will i be able to get back my eye sight since I only have one good eye

http://i49.tinypic.com/im574o.jpg

[Adiprince1]

Thanks for the encouragement doctor.    let's hope  for the best.  

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

By way of encouragement a neighbor of mine and a close relative have had the procedure in the past 2 years and they were much emproved. It's fantastically complex surgery that was totally unavailable 2 decades ago and each year can be done on more and more cases that were previously untreatable.    When you consider how successful the surgery is its important to compare you vision with what it was before surgery not what it was 20 years ago or before the pucker developed.

JCH MD

[Adiprince1]

Thanks a lot for the replies.  I really appreciate.  Will find a another specialist see what they say. Will keep you updated  

[Luvtoski]

Dr. Hagan is correct.  I have been thru a membrane peel and it improved my eyesight from what it was with the membrane 20/200, but not back to my 20/20 as I always had.

My advice is to get more involved in the process yourself.  Ask to see your OCT test results and have your Retina Specialist show you exactly where and how bad the membrane is.  Seek at least one more Retina Specialist opinion for your peace of mind.
I went to 4 Ret. Sp. before I chose whom I wanted the surgery with.  My Regence insurance covered all the visits and 4 OCT tests too.  Each Retina Sp. had their own opinion and different quality of OCT machine, so I saw more detail with some of them.

I learned so much by seeing 4 specialists and felt a lot more confident in my decision to go forward with the membrane peel.

Read more, and ask more questions on your specific membrane severity.  

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

There is no way that anyone can tell you how much if any your vision will improve.  Nor is there anyway to guarentee you will not have complications or side effects. There are no guarentees in life and medicine.  Every time you get in a car or a plane or a boat there is some chance of an accident.

I'm not being cruel or indifferent.  I will tell you that sometimes the vision comes back perfect and sometimes its not helped at all.


You can use the search feature and archives and read the many posts about membrane peels. the posts of JodieJ are especially helpful and insightful.

JCH MD