Eye Position vs Head Position after Macular Hole Repair

Most patients are told of the importance of keeping their head down after macular hole repair, but more importantly you need to keep your eyes looking down! Remember the gas bubble is in your eye, not your head. You can have your chin tucked all the way to your chest but if you are looking at the floor five feet in front of you, or worse, trying to watch the TV, you are NOT in the right position! You can have your head at a more comfortable angle so long as your eyes are looking down at your belly button. Of course when you are laying down the the eyes should be looking straight down below you. For those who have been told you can lay on your side, try to turn your head as far in the direction your doctor has told you as you can.

You asked for it!

Welcome to my latest effort to reach out and offer reassurance, advice and my service to those about to go through vitrectomy surgery and the misery of face down positioning. I started Kelly Comfort Solutions, specializing in face down recovery equipment, in 2002 when I saw the need to do SOMETHING to help the poor folks coming in after surgery in such discomfort, not from the surgery itself, but from holding their head in a position that is sheer torture to the neck and back muscles. My company has grown from a local service to a nationwide distibutor of both rental and purchase items to help make the recovery at least a little more comfortable. No one is going to tell you they breezed through macular hole recovery because they had devices to help support the weight of their head for a week or more, but certainly I have been told by more than one person they don't know how they could have done without it. To be fair, others have also said they COULD have done it without equipment, but they are definately fewer in number. But that is not what this blog is about. I have had MANY people say to me " I have never heard of this problem before" and true, macular holes are not everyday problems like, say, cataracts. People want to talk to others who are going through, or better yet, have been through, the procedure and the fears and the recovery. That is what this format is all about. So, let's here from you!