Vitrectomy

[wvdisluv2]

Has anyone had experience with this eye surgery? My Dad will be having this done on June 4th~he is really worried (as are the rest of us) He is 68 yrs old and has never had any kind of surgery~my Mom will be staying home from work with him for 2 weeks that he will need to be face down We are going on a family cruise to Alaska this August, and the doctor has assured us that Dad will be fine to fly by then? Please give any suggestions/advice on this condition/surgery

It was suggested by the CB that I post this question here? Someone here has had experience with this surgery?

 

[Anjiebaby]

I am pretty new to the podcast forum and have been listening to back podcasts. Kevin one of the crew who hosts the podcasts had eye surgery back a couple months ago and had to spend a whole week face down. I think detached retina was mentioned. Hopefully this bumps your thread up and someone who knows more can respond.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Has anyone had experience with this eye surgery? My Dad will be having this done on June 4th~he is really worried (as are the rest of us) He is 68 yrs old and has never had any kind of surgery~my Mom will be staying home from work with him for 2 weeks that he will need to be face down We are going on a family cruise to Alaska this August, and the doctor has assured us that Dad will be fine to fly by then? Please give any suggestions/advice on this condition/surgery

It was suggested by the CB that I post this question here? Someone here has had experience with this surgery?

I've had a vitrectomy. I have also had three cataract surgeries, a retina reattachment and a scleral buckle put in. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can.

We also have an opthamologist that posts here regularly and I can not tell you the comfort I got from having him tell me that the things I was experiencing were not "abnormal"

You can also PM if you'd rather or write to me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

 

[challer]

Yup, Kevin. I'm here. I am an Ophthalmologist/Eye Surgeon, and I'll be happy to answer any specific questions either here or via PM.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Yup, Kevin. I'm here. I am an Ophthalmologist/Eye Surgeon, and I'll be happy to answer any specific questions either here or via PM.

Thanks Challer...I didnt want to just offer anyone's services without asking first, but I was hoping you'd post.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

I've had a vitrectomy. I have also had three cataract surgeries, a retina reattachment and a scleral buckle put in.

Kinda sounds like he's braggin'...............

 

[wvdisluv2]

SO glad to find folks that are familiar with this surgery! My Dad is pretty much beside himself and we are all really worried....any suggestions for the recovery period? How bad was it? He is not happy about spending 2 weeks in the face down position . We are all planning a family cruise in August to Alaska, his surgeon has assured him that he will be fine to fly by then? They are using a fast dissipating gas? I am in WV and Dad is in NC~should I take time off of work to be there for this surgery? My Mom will be taking off work for two weeks to make sure Dad is staying face down and putting in the eye drops.... (So many questions...sorry) Any info is greatly appreciated~Glad you are doing well Kevin!

 

[wvdisluv2]

Kinda sounds like he's braggin'...............

LOL~I've checked the utube videos on these suckers...I'd be braggin

 

[drakethib]

I've had a vitrectomy. I have also had three cataract surgeries, a retina reattachment and a scleral buckle put in.

Is there an App for that?

 

[drakethib]

Yup, Kevin. I'm here. I am an Ophthalmologist/Eye Surgeon, and I'll be happy to answer any specific questions either here or via PM.

Hey Doc.

I am not the OP but I am considering having eye surgery so I can chunk these darn eyeglasses, but I am pretty scared that something can go wrong.

I know many people that have had it done, but still unsure. Can you offer any suggestions / recommendations that may ease my fear?

Just a note and not a joke: many people are terrified of dentist, I am petrified of eye doctors. My wife has to come in the room with me during eye exams. (John is probably laughing at me and calling me a wuss). The puff of air test usually brings tears to my eyes because of me being so scared. On our last visit my wife warned the doctor to back away from me as she thought I was about to attack him when I told him to stop with the "puff of air" test.

It may sound funny when you read that, but I am truthfully that nervous about eye exams.

 

[challer]

SO glad to find folks that are familiar with this surgery! My Dad is pretty much beside himself and we are all really worried....any suggestions for the recovery period? How bad was it? He is not happy about spending 2 weeks in the face down position . We are all planning a family cruise in August to Alaska, his surgeon has assured him that he will be fine to fly by then? They are using a fast dissipating gas? I am in WV and Dad is in NC~should I take time off of work to be there for this surgery? My Mom will be taking off work for two weeks to make sure Dad is staying face down and putting in the eye drops.... (So many questions...sorry) Any info is greatly appreciated~Glad you are doing well Kevin!

OK, one step at a time...

First of all, any surgery can take an unexpected turn at any point during or after the procedure (as Kevin can attest to). It's always "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." I'll answer to the best of my ability with regard to how things should be.

I'm not sure why your dad is having surgery, but the surgery itself takes approximately an hour. With regard to recovery, there are two ways of looking at it: recovery of vision and recovery of eye comfort. The visual recovery depends of the eye problem and its severity. The eye should recover comfort within a couple of days, provided that the pressure is controlled well. Some retina surgeons use "small gauge" technique, which can avoid the sticky feeling of stitches (which melt).

The face down position can be annoying. Everyone has different ways of dealing and adjusting. I don't know your Mom, but if she can handle helping him out for those 2 weeks, and helping with the drops, I don't think you would necessarily be needed, but that may be a family decision rather than a medical one.

August should absolutely be no problem to fly.

I wish your dad successful surgery and recovery.

 

[wvdisluv2]

Hey Doc.

I am not the OP but I am considering having eye surgery so I can chunk these darn eyeglasses, but I am pretty scared that something can go wrong.

I know many people that have had it done, but still unsure. Can you offer any suggestions / recommendations that may ease my fear?

Just a note and not a joke: many people are terrified of dentist, I am petrified of eye doctors. My wife has to come in the room with me during eye exams. (John is probably laughing at me and calling me a wuss). The puff of air test usually brings tears to my eyes because of me being so scared. On our last visit my wife warned the doctor to back away from me as she thought I was about to attack him when I told him to stop with the "puff of air" test.

It may sound funny when you read that, but I am truthfully that nervous about eye exams.

I fear the dentist AND the eye doctor! I won't even consider the lasik surgery, because I'm a chicken *sigh* Stupid utube

 

[DisneyKevin]

SO glad to find folks that are familiar with this surgery! My Dad is pretty much beside himself and we are all really worried....any suggestions for the recovery period? How bad was it? He is not happy about spending 2 weeks in the face down position . We are all planning a family cruise in August to Alaska, his surgeon has assured him that he will be fine to fly by then? They are using a fast dissipating gas? I am in WV and Dad is in NC~should I take time off of work to be there for this surgery? My Mom will be taking off work for two weeks to make sure Dad is staying face down and putting in the eye drops.... (So many questions...sorry) Any info is greatly appreciated~Glad you are doing well Kevin!

Thank you for the good wishes

The recovery is the hardest part.

Ask your DR for the brochure for the place that rents equipment to help with this surgery....but do it in advance. I ordered it after the surgery and it took several days to get here. By the time it did, I didnt need it any longer.

At first I was told I would need to be face down for two weeks....but it turns out it was only 1 week.

I found it inpossible to lay flat on my stomach. I laid on my side with my face down toward the bed.

When I rode in the car, I brought a bed pillow and rode with my face down. I did the same when "listening" to television.

One of the things I found unbelievably helpful was my iPhone and / or iPod Touch. I went on iTunes and bought a bunch of movies and TV shows. It was easy to hold in my hands when my head was down. I did this in the chair and in bed. If you dont have one.....it's worth the investment.

I also recorded a bunch of stuff on the DVR that I liked but had seen before. It was easy to listen to stuff I has seen and not have to look at it. I also watched / listened to alot of talk shows, cooking shows, music, radio etc....stuff that didnt require me watching / looking at the screen.

Something else to keep in mind...as this drove everyone around me crazy because it's not something anyone else has to go through......your Dad is going to have to sit in a position that most people associate with some one who is VERY sad. He will need to sit bent forward, probably with his forhead in his hands and most likely his eye will leak/ run/ drip etc.

His position will be the clasic "I'M REALLY SAD" position. Everyone that sees him in this position will ask him whats wrong.

He is already going to be uncomfortable...not only physically uncomfortable, but mentally uncomfortable because he will have lost a lot of his independence for a while.

I would suggest that you make the deal that if there is something wrong.....he needs to TELL you. Everyone that sees him sitting like this will automatically assume something is terribly wrong and ask him "whats wrong". If he's like me....his patience will last about 24 hours before he explodes.

Just be as patient as possible. The surgery isnt painful. I had very little pain afterwards. I only took Tylenol. The worst part is the recovery.

Chances are also very good that his taste buds will be out of whack for several days. I understand this is quite common. Foods I normally love made me gag. I ate scrambled eggs with no salt, no pepper, no nothing for three days.

The gas bubble will block his vision for a few weeks and as it starts to disolve, he will be able to see light around it. Something to keep in mind....as the bubble gets smaller, it will start to move around. This scared the daylights out me and resulted in an emergency trip to the eye DR (who came in on a Saturday to find me me near hysteria). It turnes out it was just the bubble moving about. I was told it would take 6 to 8 weeks to disolve and it took 7 weeks.

As for taking time off....I cant tell you what to do, but John pretty much took care of everything. He now tells me I was a pain in the butt. I dont remember being a pain the butt....but apparently I was. John tells me that your Dad will need someone to monitor that the drops are done at the right time. He also tells me that I wasnt a physical "burden"(other than being led around) but I was a mental "burden". Let me explain....he tells me that I had to be coerced into being face down all the time. He says he'd come in and find me laying on my back (because it was more comfortable) and he'd have to convince me return to being face down.

I'm just hearing this for the first time. I thought I was the model patient.

I dont wish this recovery on anyone, but I do wish him all the best and that he does well with it.

 

[challer]

Hey Doc.

I am not the OP but I am considering having eye surgery so I can chunk these darn eyeglasses, but I am pretty scared that something can go wrong.

I know many people that have had it done, but still unsure. Can you offer any suggestions / recommendations that may ease my fear?

Just a note and not a joke: many people are terrified of dentist, I am petrified of eye doctors. My wife has to come in the room with me during eye exams. (John is probably laughing at me and calling me a wuss). The puff of air test usually brings tears to my eyes because of me being so scared. On our last visit my wife warned the doctor to back away from me as she thought I was about to attack him when I told him to stop with the "puff of air" test.

It may sound funny when you read that, but I am truthfully that nervous about eye exams.

Fist of all, let's deal with the "air puff."

I don't use that gadget. I use something called Goldman applination. It tests eye pressure without the puff. It just requires an eye drop to make the tear film yellow (temporarily, of course). A lot of optometrists (non-MD eye doctors) use this if their state laws don't allow for them to give eye drops. As an ophthalmologist (MD), I can do that. Many of my patients are relieved that I don't use the air puff. In addition, the air puff can overestimate higher pressures or underestimate lower pressures. Goldman is more accurate.

Secondly, your question is the most common question I get from friends, family, & acquaintances outside the office. My general feeling about Lasik is: make a smart decision. Success can vary based on your age, eye power, corneal & tear health, and expectations. Know the potential risks and weigh them against the benefits for you. (For example, I can get free Lasik at any time. The benefit for me would be to stop wearing contact lenses, which don't give me any problem. The risk would be damage to my vision, which would mean I'm out of the job. Therefore, no Lasik for me.) I have met many people who feel getting Lasik was the best decision they ever made in their lives. I have a number of patients who are suffering with the after effects, including a 19 year old boy who will never regain better than 20/40 vision again even with glasses.

Basically, make a well-informed decision.

Kevin, maybe we should have a chat night dedicated to DISers and their eye issues.

 

[wvdisluv2]

OK, one step at a time...

First of all, any surgery can take an unexpected turn at any point during or after the procedure (as Kevin can attest to). It's always "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst." I'll answer to the best of my ability with regard to how things should be.

I'm not sure why your dad is having surgery, but the surgery itself takes approximately an hour. With regard to recovery, there are two ways of looking at it: recovery of vision and recovery of eye comfort. The visual recovery depends of the eye problem and its severity. The eye should recover comfort within a couple of days, provided that the pressure is controlled well. Some retina surgeons use "small gauge" technique, which can avoid the sticky feeling of stitches (which melt).

The face down position can be annoying. Everyone has different ways of dealing and adjusting. I don't know your Mom, but if she can handle helping him out for those 2 weeks, and helping with the drops, I don't think you would necessarily be needed, but that may be a family decision rather than a medical one.

August should absolutely be no problem to fly.

I wish your dad successful surgery and recovery.

Thank you so much! Dad has a "macular hole"? I have faith in Mom~she hasn't killed Dad yet Although she did go to work full time when he retired lol. Dad isn't having any eye discomfort, but he is having blurry vision in that eye (left) He has another doctor appt. on this coming Wednesday for some more info~he is going to go under general anesthesia due to his anxiety.
(1st surgery EVER) I think he is really worried that he is going to have to ride home with Mom after the surgery (2hrs)

Thank you again for your kindness and great information! Ha! and my parents laughed when I told them I would find out what I could on the DIS I love this site

 

[drakethib]

Fist of all, let's deal with the "air puff."

I don't use that gadget. I use something called Goldman applination. It tests eye pressure without the puff. It just requires an eye drop to make the tear film yellow (temporarily, of course). A lot of optometrists (non-MD eye doctors) use this if their state laws don't allow for them to give eye drops. As an ophthalmologist (MD), I can do that. Many of my patients are relieved that I don't use the air puff. In addition, the air puff can overestimate higher pressures or underestimate lower pressures. Goldman is more accurate.

Secondly, your question is the most common question I get from friends, family, & acquaintances outside the office. My general feeling about Lasik is: make a smart decision. Success can vary based on your age, eye power, corneal & tear health, and expectations. Know the potential risks and weigh them against the benefits for you. (For example, I can get free Lasik at any time. The benefit for me would be to stop wearing contact lenses, which don't give me any problem. The risk would be damage to my vision, which would mean I'm out of the job. Therefore, no Lasik for me.) I have met many people who feel getting Lasik was the best decision they ever made in their lives. I have a number of patients who are suffering with the after effects, including a 19 year old boy who will never regain better than 20/40 vision again even with glasses.

Basically, make a well-informed decision.

Kevin, maybe we should have a chat night dedicated to DISers and their eye issues.

Thanks Doc.

I really appreciate the advice and you being so kind to share.

 

[challer]

Thank you so much! Dad has a "macular hole"? I have faith in Mom~she hasn't killed Dad yet Although she did go to work full time when he retired lol. Dad isn't having any eye discomfort, but he is having blurry vision in that eye (left) He has another doctor appt. on this coming Wednesday for some more info~he is going to go under general anesthesia due to his anxiety.
(1st surgery EVER) I think he is really worried that he is going to have to ride home with Mom after the surgery (2hrs)

Thank you again for your kindness and great information! Ha! and my parents laughed when I told them I would find out what I could on the DIS I love this site

Yeah, macular hole surgery is not as "big" a surgery at retinal detachment repair, but it makes the face-down thing that much more important. A lot depends on how big & how old the hole is, but your dad should prepare for the possibility of visual distortions, even while recovering "chart vision." It can happen even with perfect surgery.

 

[wvdisluv2]

Thank you for the good wishes

The recovery is the hardest part.

Ask your DR for the brochure for the place that rents equipment to help with this surgery....but do it in advance. I ordered it after the surgery and it took several days to get here. By the time it did, I didnt need it any longer.

At first I was told I would need to be face down for two weeks....but it turns out it was only 1 week.

I found it inpossible to lay flat on my stomach. I laid on my side with my face down toward the bed.

When I rode in the car, I brought a bed pillow and rode with my face down. I did the same when "listening" to television.

One of the things I found unbelievably helpful was my iPhone and / or iPod Touch. I went on iTunes and bought a bunch of movies and TV shows. It was easy to hold in my hands when my head was down. I did this in the chair and in bed. If you dont have one.....it's worth the investment.

I also recorded a bunch of stuff on the DVR that I liked but had seen before. It was easy to listen to stuff I has seen and not have to look at it. I also watched / listened to alot of talk shows, cooking shows, music, radio etc....stuff that didnt require me watching / looking at the screen.

Something else to keep in mind...as this drove everyone around me crazy because it's not something anyone else has to go through......your Dad is going to have to sit in a position that most people associate with some one who is VERY sad. He will need to sit bent forward, probably with his forhead in his hands and most likely his eye will leak/ run/ drip etc.

His position will be the clasic "I'M REALLY SAD" position. Everyone that sees him in this position will ask him whats wrong.

He is already going to be uncomfortable...not only physically uncomfortable, but mentally uncomfortable because he will have lost a lot of his independence for a while.

I would suggest that you make the deal that if there is something wrong.....he needs to TELL you. Everyone that sees him sitting like this will automatically assume something is terribly wrong and ask him "whats wrong". If he's like me....his patience will last about 24 hours before he explodes.

Just be as patient as possible. The surgery isnt painful. I had very little pain afterwards. I only took Tylenol. The worst part is the recovery.

Chances are also very good that his taste buds will be out of whack for several days. I understand this is quite common. Foods I normally love made me gag. I ate scrambled eggs with no salt, no pepper, no nothing for three days.

The gas bubble will block his vision for a few weeks and as it starts to disolve, he will be able to see light around it. Something to keep in mind....as the bubble gets smaller, it will start to move around. This scared the daylights out me and resulted in an emergency trip to the eye DR (who came in on a Saturday to find me me near hysteria). It turnes out it was just the bubble moving about. I was told it would take 6 to 8 weeks to disolve and it took 7 weeks.

As for taking time off....I cant tell you what to do, but John pretty much took care of everything. He now tells me I was a pain in the butt. I dont remember being a pain the butt....but apparently I was. John tells me that your Dad will need someone to monitor that the drops are done at the right time. He also tells me that I wasnt a physical "burden"(other than being led around) but I was a mental "burden". Let me explain....he tells me that I had to be coerced into being face down all the time. He says he'd come in and find me laying on my back (because it was more comfortable) and he'd have to convince me return to being face down.

I'm just hearing this for the first time. I thought I was the model patient.

I dont wish this recovery on anyone, but I do wish him all the best and that he does well with it.

This doesn't sound like ANY fun I'm going to copy/paste this into an email for my Mom~she is going to have to really be tough with Dad....he is not going to be any easy patient (I'm thinking you were probably easier than he will be...not saying John didn't endure a *cough*"pain in the butt patient" lol) I'm wondering if I shouldn't get John's email and hook him up with my Mom's email?

I can't tell you how much this information means to me, it is going to be invaluable to my Dad in what to expect~he is seriously beside himself with worry, which makes the rest of us crazy with worry Knowing what to expect is going to make a HUGE difference though He is checking into the equipment to hopefully make recovery easier.

Have you noticed improvement in your eyesight since the surgery? I think Dad is less worried about vision improvement and more worried about surgery/recovery *sigh* Can't say that I blame him

Thank you again for all the info! You'll probably be hearing from me again

Shannon

 

[DisneyKevin]

Have you noticed improvement in your eyesight since the surgery? I think Dad is less worried about vision improvement and more worried about surgery/recovery *sigh* Can't say that I blame him

Thank you again for all the info! You'll probably be hearing from me again

Shannon

After my first cataract surgery....I noticed incredible improvement in my vision.

After the surgery on the left eye, it sort of fell apart into nothing but problems.

Since the reattachment surgery, I have noticed much improvement...but the improvement is based on having no vision after the surgery to having vision again. My vision is not yet back to what it was before all of this began and might never get back to that.

I am also told that I might need one more surgery...but might be able to get around that with glasses. I'm told it will depend on how pleased I am with the vision I have.

Thinking about another surgery right now gives me the screaming mimis. That might change down the line....but for now....we'll wait and "see".

Let your Dad know that there are folks out there that understand and have made it through.

Again....it's not a painful surgery. It's a "pain in the butt" recovery.

we are here if you need us.....I mean just look at what one question has turned into.