What if I don't get my macular hole repaired?

HI,I AM LITA. LAST JUNE MY EYE DOC. SAYS I HAVE MACULAR HOLE. i WAS READY TO HAVE IT DONE BUT BY THE TIME I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECOVERY PROCESS I CANCELED IT. i HAVE IT ON THE RIGHT EYE. THINKING ABOUT IT IS UNBEARABLE I DO NOT HAVE THE ENERGY TO HAVE MY FACE DOWN FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS OR SO. IF I DON'T DO IT WILL IT GET WORSE OVER TIME? what IS THE BEST THING TO DO. Any IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO HAVE IT DONE?

Dear Lita:

The recovery does sound worse than the surgery doesn't it? That's because it is! However, it is not unachievable and people do it everyday. Your fear is not unreasonable, but you need to understand that the hole will probably not get better on its own. There are cases of holes spontaneously closing, but they are unusual. I cannot give a definite answer to your question about whether your hole will get worse or not. It may get bigger, depending on its size now. Rarely, retinal detachments occur, a MUCH bigger problem that can affect your entire field of vision. Mostly, macular holes left untreated leave you with a dark spot right in the center of your vision which makes it very difficult, maybe even impossible, to read with the affected eye. Probably the best argument for proceeding with the surgery is that one day something could happen to your other eye that would leave your right eye your "better" eye. Would you be able to drive or read if you lost your left eye? Something to think about. The likelihood of surgical success is better with a fresher hole. Conventional wisdom says it is better to operate on a macular hole that is less than a year old.

As for the cost of the surgery, your surgeon's billing person should be able to provide you with the cash cost but most insurance companies will cover this type of surgery (though they may not cover the cost of the rental equipment).

Toni Kelly