[Bootpathguy]

Going in for surgery tomorrow morning. Anybody else go through this. Recovery time and vision quality after procedure?

Thanks

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Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want

[Anne Elk]

BPG - sorry to hear it.  A good friend of mine had that problem some years ago.  The critical thing was getting it fixed ASAP. He was ok afterward, as I recall, but not sure about any vision changes.  He's gone now, but will get back to you when I hear from his wife.

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"There are yahoos out there.  It’s why we can’t have nice things."  - Tom Mahood

[FiveNines]

Don't know anyone personally, but this guy came out ok.

Before:

After:

[Tom]

TLDR:  You're in for a ride for the next month but don't sweat it as you're in good hands and technology is amazing.

I suffered a detached retina in 2018.  Initially knew something was wrong when mid day I started seeing black floaters everywhere, and particularly bad when I looked at white objects or the sky.  Next day I saw an eye specialist who checked for retinal tear and didn't see anything but said the floaters should settle down, and to monitor / let him know if noticed anything new.  For the next few days nothing really settled down and by Friday I thought I was seeing what looked like a bubble come up from the bottom of my eye when blinking.  Everything is upside down so this was actually curtain veil with retina detaching from top.  I followed up with the eye specialist and this time he found the tear.  It was late in the day but he said I needed emergency surgery and pulled some strings to get me seen by Vitreal Retinal Associates.  Good folks and one of their docs performed surgery next day at Swedish.

Post surgery I had to try to keep my head down / sleep face down for the first 24 hours.  Miserable but I did my best, who wants to lose their eyesight?  I also suffered from some claustrophobia during recovery as my other eye is my bad eye which I can't see well out of.  Be prepared it will be several weeks until you can see out of your operated eye.

They warned me I would need cataract surgery within a year or so (cataract happens after they remove the vitreous fluid) but almost 2 years later I'm still able to see fine but having to zoom things more so perhaps it is coming on.

At first I had much better closeup and wonky distance vision in the operated eye.  The doc said it wouldn't change much but eventually my distance vision improved.  Don't freak out once the bubble is gone from your operated and give time for your eyeball to adjust.  I've always had a bit of a shadow and some light sensitivity that hasn't gone away but I'm just thankful to have my eyesight.

Best of luck!

[Backpacker Joe]

My right eye sight started getting bad around November. I went in and the doctor determined I had developed a cataract.  He thought it would be better to wait.  Well Ive waited and its gotten a little worse.  Im basically blind in my right eye. I need to get surgery for it soon.

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"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."

— Abraham Lincoln

[stever]

I've had detachments in both eyes, a full one in my right eye and a partial one in my left eye.  Both surgeries were quick and painless.   I was lucky as I was told to sit upright during each recovery so I got to watch a lot of TV (with the non surgical eye I could see out of).   My dad who I inherited the detached retina gene from had to lie face down after his surgery for a week other than a few hours each day when he could be upright.  I think the different positions one is assigned is based on the way the retina detaches.   

In both of my eyes they put a gas bubble in to hold things in place so you can't see out of the eye until that goes away, usually in a couple of weeks.  Once the bubble went away I had no vision issues other than for me more floaters than usual to start with.

Unlike Tom both of my eyes developed cataract's within a year post surgery so I've had both of those taken care of.   The blessing there is I now have 20/20 vision for distance in both my eyes for the first time since I was in grade school.  I need readers for up close stuff but to see 20/20 for distance with no glasses or contacts at the age of 60 is something I never thought I would experience.

Good luck!   SR

[Bootpathguy]

Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate it!

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Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want

[Cyclopath]

How did you find out?  Before you got a diagnosis, smart was going on that made it clear to you that you need to go to the eye doctor?

I would be delighted to talk about this either here, by PM, by email, or by text.  Or coffee, outdoors in the sun, with 6 feet between us.

[Bootpathguy]

[Anne Elk]

BPG - checking back with info from my friend, whose recently deceased hubby had two detached retinas some years ago - one worse than the other.  She confirmed what others here have said - once he was healed up, there were no impacts to his vision.  If you subsequently must have cataract surgery, fear not!  It has to be the most painless "miracle" surgery out there.  I have the eyes of a teenager again, for distance vision.  My surgeon wasn't all that keen on the replacement lenses that also correct astigmatism.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!   

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"There are yahoos out there.  It’s why we can’t have nice things."  - Tom Mahood

[Bootpathguy]