Vision pulled to the left

[JLF702]

Had Detached Retina surgery in my right eye last Sept. Cataract surgery in January to same eye. It seems that the vision in this eye is being pulled to the lower left as opposed to what my left eye is seeing. The Retinal surgery was close to the center of the eye (Macula?). This makes the way I visually register everything pretty interesting. Just saw my Eye Dr. a month ago and he said it was healing as best as could be expected. I know it takes about a year for these things to heal as good as it's going to get but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I also see a bend or wave to everything. Anybody ever have this happen to them? And did it ever get any better?

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

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[JodieJ]

I think that retinal surgeons have become successful at saving vision in situations which were once hopeless.  Unfortuately, their successes can sometimes leave their patients with new problems.  Dr. Gerard de Witt of the Netherlands has published a very interesting paper ("Retinally Induced Aniseikonia") about treating the visual distortions sometimes experienced by patients post-retinal surgery for conditions such as retinal detachment and epiretinal membrane.  You can download the paper from his website at www opticaldiagnostics com (dots omitted to evade the censor).  The treatment options he proposes include corrective lenses (glasses/contacts).  (Unfortunately, the paper is somewhat technical.)

You will probably still see (literally) some improvement as your eye continues to heal, but it may not be nearly enough to make your vision with both eyes comfortable.  My own condition followed the typical pattern for an epiretinal membrane--a larger image size in my affected eye, with a slight vertical pull.  The corrective lenses that Dr. de Witt proposed for me following online vision testing have made a big difference, and I'd suggest you contact him via email, describing your condition.  You could also try contacting Dr. David Guyton at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  I was not successful in getting any help from the local doctors I consulted--maybe you'll have better luck in that regard.