steffan said...
I too, am now recovering from a vitrectomy.I was religious with the head down after surgery and use a micro panasonic video cam to see ahead and up. It worked pretty well.the doc had me down for 3days and said to come back on the tenth day which was yesterday. He said the hole is closed! And he let me taper off my steroid drops during the next three weeks.at first I had this lake that I was peering over. And today it is still there but tide seems to be going out.I thought the tide would rise and fill in the gas. but the level seems to be dropping (10 days after surgery). Is this what others have experienced?
Toni Kelly said...
The tide is the gas and as the gas dissolves you will appear to be looking over the bubble when you raise your head. You are actually looking under the bubble as it rises in your eye. Remember the mirror image of objects you see reflect on the retina as they go through the lens of the eye. The bubble is behind your lens so it doesn't get reversed in your brain! So the tide is going out and will eventually disappear.
August 21, 2008 12:14 PM
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i had an eye surgery with the gaseous bubble and was told by my doctor to remain face-down for 7 days. then i'll return to another appointment, when i assume he'll check that the hole is healed and, if so, i assume i can raise my head.
ReplyDeleteis it at this point that the bubble starts dissipating?
also, i've noticed that on the occasions when i do raise my head - for eye drops, for example - that i feel dizzy and light-headed. has anyone else experienced this? when did it start going away?
also, i've noticed a lot of very lengthy recovery times, which i assume are affected by diabetes or other, additional medical issues. has anyone recovered in 7 days and what was the recovery experience after that? i'm trying to figure out (a little ahead of time) whether i should plan to go back to work or not - and whether i should park my car for a month.
i would really appreciate anyone's experience. thanks
My mother had this surgery yesterday. It's a damn joke. The post operative care is ridiculous. The whole head down thing...they need to come up with something BETTER and fast. This whole bubble thing is a joke. How can you lie on your face? I really think its a terrible procedure. I doubt it will work, she can't keep her head down for long periods, I think the procedure is a JOKE!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteAnd just think what your mother is feeling! But alas, as much as they want to a better way has not been found. Try to look at the better side - at least they can do something for this problem; others are not so fortunate.
Did your mother get an type of devices to help her position?
sometimes the gas bubble moves around alot and makes me feel a little sick to my stomach. I fnd that keeping my eye closed or a patch over my eye helps with that - judging distance is a joke and moving in from a light to dark area is almost impossible without someone leading me. even as the gas bubble begins to disapate, i still seek streaks of light above the bubble and everything is fuzzy. I am only 4 weeks out and have not had to keep my head down since i have already had cataract surgery plus the detachment was located on the upper right side. all in all not to bad except that I developed 3 abcessed teeth within the week of eye surgery - that spread into my jaw bone - now try to have a tooth drilled and finally extacted without leaning your head back.. tons of fun - i just keep wondering what ailment I will experience this week. I am only 47 and way too young to be living in this 90 year old body
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks ago, I had vitrectomy with gas placement to treat a macular hole. My surgeon used a faster dissolving gas, which she said would be gone in 2 weeks. I was in the face-down position for 7 days, but she allowed a cumulative total of 2 hours/day for eye drops and eating. Still, I tried to limit my head-up time, hoping to expedite healing. Also, I was told not to tilt my head back for eye drops during those 7 days, so instead, I had to pull the lower lid down and have someone place the drops in the sac of the lower lid. Exam on day 8 showed the hole had closed.
ReplyDeleteI, too, was light-headed and somewhat nauseous when I raised my head up for eye drops or to eat during those 7 days of face-down positioning. An eye patch was helpful during eating, so that I didn't have to look through the moving bubble. After the first few days, I could see the bubble lowering (it looked like vegetable oil). It filled about 25% of my eye on day 8, and it eventually dissolved to the point that it turned into a circle, like a contact lens, and then smaller, like a pea. Sometimes, a baby bubble showed up attached to the big bubble, but would disappear later in the day. By the 10th day, the bubble disappeared, but I was left with some floaters (like black gnats flying around) that I assume will calm down after awhile. One recommendation: a gel face mask that you chill by putting in the refrigerator helped relieve the soreness I got in my cheekbones and forehead from resting on the face cushions.
I am 10 weeks past retinal surgery and the buble is still there although small. I am desperate to fly to see my premature grandson, Will this bubble ever leave?
DeleteI'm in my 28th day since the procedure. It took 15 days for the "little" to break up. I still have the larger bubble covering abount 40 to 50% of my eye the level moves depnding on the position of my head
ReplyDeleteI am 59 and had the surgery in my right eye 3 weeks ago today for a macular hole. I was face down for 4 days (on the third day, the doc said to go another day). I had cataract surgery at the same time. I still have a bubble that fills 75% of my eye--everything is blurry and it bounces around so much that it gives me headaches. It's like looking through a fishbowl--I can see fuzzy outlines of things, color and movement, but I couldn't tell you who was sitting across from me. I can tell that my eyesight will be better when the bubble is gone because I can see glimpses of the world around the bubble. But I'm still homebound because I'm not driving in our traffic with this lack of vision. Discouraged about the gas bubble not dissipating as fast as I'd like and getting bored. Luckily, with my job, I've been able to telework part-time, but reading with just one eye is tiring. Thanks for all your comments. It helps to read what everyone else is experiencing.
ReplyDelete