Everyone has a lot of questions so I guess the best way to answer them is to talk about my eyes.
Believe it or not, my history has been all over the U.S. Congenital cataract, then another one when I was 7 (apparently another much smaller at some point during my teenage years) in my right eye. Its rare. Very rare. No one was sure what to do at first. They tried hard to force my right eye to stay strong by putting a patch over my left eye every night. The vision changes in my left eye were gradual. From doing all the work...
At 21 the damage was getting bad in my left eye. It was not holding up well at all and by that time the progression of damage seemed to be accelerating. I was approached about synthetic lens replacement AKA cataract surgery. One surgeon was from a neighboring state. Very best in his field. 2 others from my state. They did every test imaginable and said they would get back with me. They needed to get in touch with other various surgeons and one who had seen congenital cataracts of unknown origin before(well unknon at that point).
They call 2 weeks later and I am given the pros and the cons. The pro being of course the ability to see and helping slow the damage in my left eye. To what extent they would be able to restore vision in my right, they were unsure. The cons being the nerve damage. Nerves never grew. That eye, due to non use, was also mild amblyopia. It had never really been used so the muscles were weak. Another possible outcome would be a protein build up behind the implant. The process of the eye trying to form more cataracts, but since the lens would already be replaced, the protein would just harden behind the synthetic lens. They would monitor me closely. So I agreed. Everything was recorded. Every last detail about my life and my history. Even the surgery.
Then I got home. I began the process of healing. Slowly learning how to do things. Walking with someone, going down stairs. Navigating objects in from of me. Driving, oh gosh driving. It was very hard to judge distances those first three months. Eventually the last series of eye exams is done and as it turned out my eye with the implant could see better than my left. My left eye had become the bad one. Soon my "story" or the "case file" about my eye made it all over the place. I was 22 by then.
Then years later, around the same time that my teeth began to crumble out when I was 28, my eye got milky. The "milkyness" spread quickly. As did the tooth loss. Much later that year (29) I go in for oral reconstruction and eye surgery the same week. That "milkyness" was the "protein build up", that if I had a normal eye, would be my eye trying to form new cataracts. Instead it was "hardening" behind my synthetic lens. So the eye surgeon (yes one of the original) made a small incision to allow the protein to drain once he "broke it up" with a laser. It turned out to be far more and thicker than he planned. He had to go in twice.
A few months after my eye surgery I begin to get black spots. I also begin to get much larger translucent squiggles. We find out the the cells that naturally cover each lens are stripping. The translucent ones are nerve damage. We also find out that the tissue of my eyes is softening and degenerating. We decided to hold off getting my lenses aspirated. Which is the process of removing the black spots. We were worried about causing cataracts in my left eye. Which we don’t want. We also decided that there "might" be an option to make the drain larger in my right eye... but I had already been through so many surgeries by that point that I would need to heal completely before assessing the "possibility".
My vision in both eyes become much worse over fall and winter 2010 so I make an appointment. I have no focus what so ever in my right eye. It is blurry. Basic shapes, colors mixed with milkyness. That is all. My left eye is has gotten very bad. I cannot seem to get focus very well. I have to get up close and move my head around to get a good look. In any case, I go in for my appointment. There is nothing that can be done. The damage is progressing fast. My left eye is pushed to its limit. Too much nerve damage. It is once again doing all the work for the right eye. Tissue softening in both eyes (normally associated with 70+yr old). Cells are stripping in both eyes. Amblyopia has increased drastically in the right. Increase protein build up. No one wants to make the hole larger to drain protein. No one wants to aspirate either eyes cells. It will cause cataracts in my left eye and my eyes are not strong enough to withstand surgery. My right eye is continuing to try to make more cataracts.
So, I guess that is it. In all fairness my eyes put up one heck of a fight. I just wish I wasn’t so mad. So.. fed up.
*hugg*
dani