Torn retina - emergency surgery
Discussion
What a shocker. No previous eyes issues, flew to Mallorca last Thursday for my daughters wedding.
That night around the pool I started seeing flashes around the perimeter of the eye. The following morning I thought a money spider was in front of my eye so kept trying to swat it. Thousands of dots appeared 'floaters'. No pain nothing, it continued the spiders, floaters , flashes, dots just a nuisance really . My lad's a doc and was getting worried. Flew home Monday and on the flight I started losing colour saturation.
I went straight to the emergency eye hospital, as I sat there my vision was visibily getting worse, everything on the wall I could read with my left eye was blurred in my right, a mist started to descend.
I was examined by 3 docs and then the surgeon and an hour later underwent emergency surgery for a retinal detachment. I was told if I'd left it a few days I'd be blind in that eye.
I had three procedures and three needles inserted into my eyeball. I now have a gas bubble holding the repair in place for up to 8 weeks. I can't drive, we've had to cancel our Caribbean holiday in 3 weeks as cant fly due to the gas bubble.
I'm still in shock at this sudden onset out of the blue. There was no trauma, they put it down to age - im 61. I'll need cataract surgery further down the line.
My sight has always been excellent - anyone else suffered anything similar ?
That night around the pool I started seeing flashes around the perimeter of the eye. The following morning I thought a money spider was in front of my eye so kept trying to swat it. Thousands of dots appeared 'floaters'. No pain nothing, it continued the spiders, floaters , flashes, dots just a nuisance really . My lad's a doc and was getting worried. Flew home Monday and on the flight I started losing colour saturation.
I went straight to the emergency eye hospital, as I sat there my vision was visibily getting worse, everything on the wall I could read with my left eye was blurred in my right, a mist started to descend.
I was examined by 3 docs and then the surgeon and an hour later underwent emergency surgery for a retinal detachment. I was told if I'd left it a few days I'd be blind in that eye.
I had three procedures and three needles inserted into my eyeball. I now have a gas bubble holding the repair in place for up to 8 weeks. I can't drive, we've had to cancel our Caribbean holiday in 3 weeks as cant fly due to the gas bubble.
I'm still in shock at this sudden onset out of the blue. There was no trauma, they put it down to age - im 61. I'll need cataract surgery further down the line.
My sight has always been excellent - anyone else suffered anything similar ?
Edited by DT1975 on Wednesday 9th September 23:34
sjc said:
My neighbour, mid fifties has just had the exactly the same thing,even to the point of cancelling his holiday that was due the following week.
Yes , it seems a lottery with age. I think many people get these 'floaters' in their eyes, mine were due to the detrious and blood as the retina started to rapidly detach. Hats off to the NHS in my case, they moved very quickly. As it is I have little to no vision in the eye due to the gas bubble, the left eye is trying to compensate and its all a bit of a mess. Happened to my wife one Saturday morning. She said it was like a shutter over her eye. Went to optician and she referred to A&E.
Was dreading a massive wait but amazingly she was seen very quickly by on call eye doc, She said she'd get someone in to operate but whoever it was couldn't be arsed to come in so the op was scheduled and done Monday morning. Was weeks with the gas bubble - in her case she had to keep head up, but sometimes it can involve keeping face down.
Then needed cataract op fairly some months later. All OK now.
Was dreading a massive wait but amazingly she was seen very quickly by on call eye doc, She said she'd get someone in to operate but whoever it was couldn't be arsed to come in so the op was scheduled and done Monday morning. Was weeks with the gas bubble - in her case she had to keep head up, but sometimes it can involve keeping face down.
Then needed cataract op fairly some months later. All OK now.
Sheepshanks said:
Happened to my wife one Saturday morning. She said it was like a shutter over her eye. Went to optician and she referred to A&E.
Was dreading a massive wait but amazingly she was seen very quickly by on call eye doc, She said she'd get someone in to operate but whoever it was couldn't be arsed to come in so the op was scheduled and done Monday morning. Was weeks with the gas bubble - in her case she had to keep head up, but sometimes it can involve keeping face down.
Then needed cataract op fairly some months later. All OK now.
Excellent news. I have to keep my head down as you said and sleep on my left side :-) Facing the missus all night is a new one as I naturally face the other way. Was dreading a massive wait but amazingly she was seen very quickly by on call eye doc, She said she'd get someone in to operate but whoever it was couldn't be arsed to come in so the op was scheduled and done Monday morning. Was weeks with the gas bubble - in her case she had to keep head up, but sometimes it can involve keeping face down.
Then needed cataract op fairly some months later. All OK now.
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