Detached retina surgery tomorrow

[Survivor12345]

Posting for traffic, thanks for any replies.

I've just got back from the Eye Casualty Clinic of my local hospital (good place, in a city and well-reputed) which I attended today due to a vivid glowing semi-circular cloud over the bottom half of my left eye which I've had for about a week, along with lots of floaters. I was told it's detached, although I still have 50% vision in that eye, and needs operating straight away.

Can anyone tell me what to expect? I fully appreciate that everyone is different, but would be grateful for anyone's experience. It's being done under local anaesthetic. It's at the top of my eye (which means that the obscured semi-circle is at the bottom of my vision).

TIA for anyone else's experience.

Bumping.
I have no experience but I hope all goes well with your op

My experience of a detached retina is that they’ll put a silicon band around the eye to bring it back together. But that’s my own personal experience.

My husband went through this though admittedly in the USA. I’m not sure about the actual surgery - it was maybe an hour or two long and went fine. The aftermath is what I really remember. He needed v dark sunglasses to wear and he wore a cotton patch over the detached eye and then a metal shield over that to protect the eye generally.They had inserted a gas bubble into his eye and for him (it depends on where the detachment is and where they see it etc), to keep the bubble in place against the stitches he had to try and stay face down for about a week. I don’t know if the bubble is the normal way (it’s v common in America) this is done so couldn’t say if this is something you’ll go through.

Yeah. It was challenging. He slept badly on just front but did his best. I bought him a massage table with a hole in the pillow so he could watch tv/read face down. He had sore muscles from lying like that all the time. He wasn’t allowed to drive etc, I did all cooking etc for him and when he used the bathroom he has to stay face down. I think we did sponge baths and then a proper bath with his face down to keep him clean. It was a really tough week but he’d been told that the better he protected his bubble the better his eyesight would recover and he took it very seriously and was a trooper. I don’t know if I would have done half so well.

If you have to position your face to protect a bubble ask about related furniture. I don’t remember what it’s called but there is medical furniture designed to make you more comfortable for this situation that you may be able to buy or borrow. The massage table was the best I managed as is was a holiday weekend so nothing was open.

Recovery was a few weeks after that. Once he was allowed to have his face in normal positions he was happier though he still wore the patch, still wasn’t able to drive and was still off work. He didn’t seem in pain. The bubble gets smaller and dissipates eventually. He had regular checkups after (inclu about a year later) and his optician always remarks on what a neat job his surgeon did on the stitches. We were always the youngest people in the eye clinics - we were in our 30s and everyone else was over 65. It was unusual he’d been affected.

He had a small dark spot in that eye for a while (maybe a year) which bugged him and meant he preferred larger fonts etc on computers and what not. But then his brain adjusted and he can no longer see the dark spot which is great. It took a while for his glass prescription in that eye to restablise. It’s lots worse but not horrendous!

I don’t know if this has helped or not. It was tough but the docs were great and so was the husband. Well done for getting yourself to a clinic in time. We almost didn’t - he thought it was the heatwave doing funny things to him for days and we were about to go on holiday but at the last second he made an eye appointment. The earlier you catch it the better! Good luck to you and take care.

Abigail: I’d forgotten about the band. Husband had that too as well as the stitches and bubble. Maybe his was a bad case. His dark area was in the top left hand corner like a curtain so different to yours OP

So it's over and I'm back home, it was painful (local anaesthetic) but the staff were brilliant, and all I've been told about positioning is to sleep on my right.

It's really useful to read all those details itoohaveopinions, many thanks to all x

They did mine (both eyes 3 years apart) by tucking a piece of silicon sponge behind the eyeball to bring it back into contact with the retina (like sticking a bit of loose skin down) For a couple of weeks it felt as if I'd been punched in the eye, and I had lots of floaters for a while; but I've had no problems since: and that was back in the 80's.

I had this 3 years ago, glad your surgery went well OP.

My detachment was behind the macular in the middle so I had to position face down and was advised to stay facedown for 72 hours. I was allowed to raise my head a maximum of 10 minutes in every hour but to avoid it where possible.

The gas bubble took about a week and a half to dissipate, it was very weird when it started to go away as I could see the line moving down in my eye, vision above the line and blur below.

In terms of discomfort my eye was very very red for about 2 weeks, I had several bottles of drops to use multiple times a day, and the only really sore thing was the 3 points on my eyeball where they had made the incisions and put in a stitch. I could feel the stitches when I blinked until they dissolved about a week in.

Long term, I had a replacement lens fitted at the same time as the retina reattachment, that's now developing a film so I will need laser to remove that at some point soonish.

Last year in fact 20th of November I had a detached retina fixed my second, victriotomy and cataract lens replaced my second so three in one, depending on which procedure, either buckle or bubble, be prepared drops lots of them over several weeks, sunglasses a must, if you have oil bubble be -repaired to lie on front keep head face down, for a time, sight could be misty as well this will disappear, pm me if any more details good luck hugs.

Bless all of you for replying, thank you so much. My hospital (Hull Royal) was excellent, but I am confused by the comments by the two doctors, I am going to phone tomorrow for clarification, but this is what was said, if anyone had a similar experience:

On Friday the diagnosing doctor said: "The detachment is at the top of your eye, you will need to recover in a face-down position".

Yesterday (Saturday), the operating surgeon said: "You can lie on your left or right side, the only position you must avoid is lying flat on your back (supine)".

Today, I have the horizontal line which everyone refers to, but also the same blurred, blind semi-circle at the bottom of my vision which led to the diagnosis.

I am guessing that the gas bubble automatically goes upwards and is therefore pressing the retina back into position at the top of my eye hence I don't have to be face down like folk whose detachment is in the lower part of their eye.

I am wondering whether the blind spot will gradually diminish as it heals, or whether I will be left with it?

Many thanks if anyone can tell me whether theirs went like this, and thanks again to everyone x

Hi OP

My long term prognosis is probably different to yours as my detachment was caused by a congenital defect on the optic disc which cause fluid to build and recede over time behind the macular.

I have permanent visual acuity loss which is not correctable so my central vision is and always will be a blur in that eye.

You need to give it several weeks. The gas bubble is not fully transparent so everything will be a blur, you'll see the line getting lower and lower and that is the gas bubble dissipating, you'll notice your vision above the line is clearer. Even once the line goes you'll have a few days of the vision getting a little better.

Due to the vitrectomy (removal of vitreous fluid) you may find initially that you have some floaters which look like black wiggly lines or spots, they'll fade over time too.

Definitely check in with the Dr about positioning as I was very firmly told I had to do it continuously for 3 days not just overnight. It was explained to me as the gas bubble being like a plaster on the healing wound, every time it moves away from the wound it's like pulling the plaster off then sticking it back on. It gives time for that wound to move, stretch, shift.

Ps I loved my actual surgery, they gave me some kind of light sedative and I was in a state of sheer calm and bliss for the whole th8ng, it was wonderful.

FatGirlShrinkig thanks for your info, LOL at your enjoying the surgery, I was hoping for some lovely Midazolam but all I got was a local anaesthetic !