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Possible Eye Surgery ??

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Posted 8/14/2008 8:41 PM (GMT 0)
Friends,

I need some advice from some of you who may have had or know someone who has had laser surgery on their eyes for diabetic reasons.  I was at my eye doctor this morning to have my eyes checked again.  He told me last winter that he wanted to check them out in six months which was today.  He says my vision is very close to what it was last Winter when I saw him, yeah but he thinks if he does some sort of laser procedure (I can't remember the technical name for it) it might improve the vision in my worse eye.  He went on to say even if it didn't make it better it would stabalize it so it hopefully dosen't get any worse.  If it works out as he says it should he proposes doing the same thing pretty much to my right eye which is my good eye in a month or so . He sent me home today wearing a patch on my left eye. mad   It's only needed for 24 hours since he put some medicine in it. The patch thing really upset me today.  cry It screws up my depth preception real bad. This whole thing scares me. cry   I don't want my vision to get any worse.  I don't even want to think of the possibility of my eyes getting worse.  They seemed to have stayed where they are since last fall or so.  I am content seeing as I do now even though I'm legally blind, I still can see pretty well during the day or even well lit areas at night with my glasses. I just don't know what to make of all this. confused   I need to go back in a week to see him again if I decide to have this done.  He wants to perform the procedure in about two weeks if things work out and I decide to have it done. Any advice would be welcome.

Thank You

Wheelchair Bound

Linda  

Posted 8/14/2008 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
Unless you want to get a second opinion, I would have the eye procedure.  First, I'd also do a little research myself online about this and learn all I can.  Then I'd ask him more questions if I needed to.  Even if the sight is not improved, at least it would be stabilized which would be a relief.
Posted 8/22/2008 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
Friends,

I spoke with my eye doctor yesterday and after having done a little investigating on my own and talking with the doctor some more I have decided to go ahead and have the laser surgery on my left eye he proposed last week when I saw him.  He says if nothing else happens it will help to stabalize the eye to keep it from getting worse, at least for a while. yeah    He said it may and he's not promising this improve my vision a little.  He wants to do the procedure the Tuesday after Labor Day.  He said he will just do my left eye and see how it works out.  If all goes well he said we could do my right eye about a month later. He told me when he works on eyes he ussually does one at a time in case something were to go wrong. This seldom happens he says, and when it does they ussually know it a high risk procedure before they even start.  Fortunantly he says mine is just routine and everthing should work out fine afterwards. I will keep you all informed as this plays out.

Wheelchair Bound :-)

Linda 

Posted 8/23/2008 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Linda, I think you will be relieved that you're doing this.  As you and the doctor say, stabilizing the eye is worth it even if there's no improvement.  I'm glad you've decided to do this. 

yeah


Posted 8/24/2008 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
Linda,

Is he going to zap your eye with the laser to seal off the microaneurisms and reduce the pressure? If so, I had this done shortly after my diagnosis and will have round 2 sometime later this fall since my eyes continue to develop the little bleeders no matter how tightly I control my numbers.

I first had to have a dye scan so the doctor could map my eyes, and then I had them done, one eye at a time. The procedure doesn't hurt. I went back to work as soon as the drops they used to dialate the eye wore off.  I had no restrictions and even hit the treadmill that day. My vision did not improve, but my eyes were okay for close to two years. Now I need a little -clean-up' again. My doctor does these 'procedures' twice a week and she's always booked up for a couple of months in advance- so it is a very common thing. I'm going to have another dye scan the first week in September.

sandy

Posted 8/25/2008 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

My husband has had several laser surgeries over the years.  He had the 1st one in 1997.  They would cotterize the blood vessels.  He has diabetic retinopathy.  He had a Vitrectomy in 2004 on his left eye, (which was his "bad" eye) and then in Oct 2007 he had the right eye done.  he no longer pops blood vessels but he still gets some blurred vision.

Posted 8/26/2008 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Linda,
My father-in-law had this procedure done several times and it did delay his final onset of blindness to some degree. His problem was that he gave up on his food plan and just ate what he wanted so his numbers stayed high and the surgery couldn't help in the long run.

I believe that if you can keep your food plan in line and do what you have been doing then this surgery could be a real help. Even so, it's a very personal issue and we can't really feel what you feel. I'm sending prayers, that's the best I can do.
Posted 9/1/2008 2:15 PM (GMT 0)

Well Friends tommorrow is the big day, the day I have the laser surgery on my left eye. Hopefully everything goes alright.  The doctor says not to worry, I'll be fine, it's pretty routine he says. I'm just a little worried though.  I don't like doctors messing with my eyes.  The surgery is supposed to help though and I sure hope they are right and it does. I'll let you know in a few days or so whenever I can.

Wheelchair Bound

Linda

Posted 9/6/2008 9:16 PM (GMT 0)

Friends,

I had my laser eye surgery this past Tuesday on my left eye.  Everything went well according to the doctor. yeah   My eye was a bit scratchy and sore for a couple of days and I need to use these eye drops the doctor gave me for the next two weeks until I see him again.  Other than that everthing seems OK. :-)   I can't say that I see better now than before, it may be too soon to know.  But who knows what might happen in time.  The doctor said the surgery was meant more to stablize the eye than to really improve my vision.  I guess I was hoping it might do both.  At least I'm glad that it should keep my eye from getting any worse, at least for a while. 

Wheelchair Bound

Linda

Posted 9/28/2008 3:24 PM (GMT 0)

Friends,

It will be a month on Thursday since I had my laser eye surgery on my left eye.  I went for a checkup with my eye doctor this past week and all is going well. yeah The surgery didn't really change my vision, it just stableized it, at least for a while. The doctor said he has no plans to do my right eye right now, it's much better than my left.  He said perhaps in a few months or so, if it's needed.  He wants to see me after Christmas just to follow up on there condition. Everything else is going well.

I had this weird dream last week that someone was after me and I needed to escape some how shocked   I tried to get out of bed very fast and fell flat on my face and chest giving myself a nice bump on the forehead and a black eye from hitting the nightstand or possibly my wheelchair.  Some how in the haste to try to escape in the dream the fact that I haven't any legs got lost somehow confused    When I fell I woke up fast.  My husband helped me back into bed and got some ice for my head and eye. He woke up with a start when he heard me crash on the floor.  Good thing I didn't get hurt bad. The bump is pretty much gone but it is still a little black and blue around my right eye. That's my excitement for the past few weeks.

Wheelchair Bound

Linda

Posted 9/30/2008 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Linda,
You certainly have lots going on! I wish your laser surgery would have cleared the vision in your bad eye a bit... but I'm glad you had no complications. I have fibromyalgia as well as my diabetes and in my dreams I don't have pain so I understand your legs still being there. Dreams are weird!
Posted 12/10/2008 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
I have had laser treatments in both eyes. When I was young, I didn't look after my diabetes and the consequence of that behaviour was the main blood vessels in the retina shut down and new, more fragile ones, grow in their place.

When I got pregnant with my older son in 1996, the extra fluid volume made these smaller vessels hemmorage and burst. I had up to 500 'shots' of a laser in my left eye and 300 in my right every other week for a year to cauterize the hemmoraging. After being diligent with my health, I have seen my opthomologist every 6-12 months since and have not needed treatment since, including a second pregnancy with my younger son.

It doesn't really hurt but I found it to be uncomfortable and had fierce headaches afterwards.
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