Kevin - Eyeball question

[LilGMom]

I am hoping that I can ask you about your recent eyeball problems. If you don't want to answer that is fine you can just tell me to butt out and I'll go cower in the corner.

I have a coworker who told me that his wife was just told that her retina is detaching and it could possibly lead to blindness but that there is nothing that they can do for it. She had a black blur right in the middle of her vision for a few weeks which this doctor said "Well, let's wait and see" and now has what she describes as a constant blurred out "C" in her vision that occaisionally looks like a gnat flitting around. Due to awful short-term memory I couldn't remember 100% what problems you had but told him that I thought she could have a gas bubble put in to let the retina reattach. These are great people so I'd hate for her to lose her finish in that eye if her doctor won't be proactive about fixing the problem. So would you mind telling me if her vision problems sound similiar to what you experienced and if the gas bubble was indeed for a detaching/detached retina?

Thanks. By the way, how is your vision now?

 

[challer]

Are you sure they're talking about a retinal detachment and not a vitreous detachment?

 

[LilGMom]

Are you sure they're talking about a retinal detachment and not a vitreous detachment?

He definately said that her doctor said that it appears that the retina is detaching from the eyeball.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I am going to bow to Challer's far greater knowledge. He's an opthamologist.

I had flashes of light in my left eye and had what looked like a blackish gray curtan coming down from the upper right corner (my right).

I'm told the little black specs are "floaters".

The gas bubble was put in to hold the retina in place after surgery. The retina is against the back of the eye and the bubble acts like a bubble in a balloon. It rises to the top. This is why you must lay face down for an eternity...or what seems like an eternity at the time. It's so the bubble rises to the back of the eye and holds the retina in place so that it has time to heal.

I also had a scleral buckle put in. It looks like a belt that goes around the eye, top to bottom and helps keep the retina in place.

Please, please, please dont use anything I've told you as a diagnosis for anyone else. I only know about what happened to me and even that knowledge is limited at best.

If she is at all uncertain, she should get another opinion.

I wish her the best of luck.

 

[LilGMom]

Thanks for the info. Even though I watch doctor themed tv shows I don't play a doctor so I definately won't diagnose her with anything. Her DH and I both think that she should get another opinion so maybe if he scares her a bit she'll cave and get another opinion.

 

[challer]

He definately said that her doctor said that it appears that the retina is detaching from the eyeball.

I don't understand - why can't they do anything about this?

 

[LilGMom]

I don't understand - why can't they do anything about this?

I'm not sure. Her hubby (who is my coworker) doesn't like this doctor and thinks he is a bit of a quack. He is trying to get her to get a second opinion but she is the type of person that doesn't like to go to the doctor anyway so the thought of going to a second doctor isn't high on her list. I'm hoping that he can convince her because they are very active and nice people with many many years of an active lifestyle ahead of them.