3/31/2023 0 Comments Retina surgery recoveryIt is extremely important to your doctor’s recommendations for face-down positioning during recovery. Since gas rises and the macula is located at the back of the eye, the patient must be face-down following surgery for the gas bubble to be properly positioned to exert the necessary pressure on the macula. Over several weeks, the pressure of the gas bubble causes the hole to close. Usually, those who have had macular hole surgery will also need cataract surgery within a year. Surgery consists of a vitrectomy (removal of the vitreous), peeling of the retinal scar tissue, and insertion of a gas bubble in place of the vitreous. What Takes Place During Surgery for a Macular Hole? Reading and performing other routine tasks with the affected eye become difficult. Straight lines or objects can begin to look bent or wavy. According to the National Eye Institute, in the early stages of macular hole development, people may notice a slight distortion or blurriness in their straight-ahead vision. A macular hole should not be confused with macular degeneration or a retinal detachment. The hole and the scar tissue cause blurriness and visual distortion. Once a hole is formed, the body’s defenses create scar tissue on the retina. This tug-of-war can cause a hole in the macula, the area of clearest central vision in the retina. Essentially, a tug-of-war takes place, with the body of the vitreous shrinking while the “stubborn” fibers hold tight to the retina. In isolated cases (about three per 1,000 people over the age of 60), some resilient fibers refuse to let go of the retina. As people age, the vitreous starts to shrink and pull away from the retina. The eye is filled with a gel-like substance called vitreous, which helps maintain the shape of the eye. All visual tasks had become fatiguing and additional lighting had become critically important. My best-corrected visual acuity had deteriorated from normal to less than 20/200. Letters became smaller while reading across a line of print. While trying to read, letters were skewed and wavy. Scanning became extremely difficult, e.g., while walking in a grocery store, items on shelves appeared to be jumbled together. Items appeared smaller with my left eye than with my right eye. At times, while I was looking at a person, it would suddenly appear as if his or her head had shrunk to a minuscule globe. The city looked devastated, with buildings at eccentric angles. Every horizontal and vertical line appeared to have at least five “S” curves. A visit to the ophthalmologist determined that I had a full thickness macular hole (through all layers of the retina).ĭuring the two months between diagnosis and surgery (in March 2009), my vision continued to deteriorate. Everything (whether near or far) was blurry. While driving in January 2009, I became aware that the painted highway lane markers appeared to be extremely wavy when viewed through my left eye. My Storyįollowing 42 years as an educator of blind and visually impaired children, it was a great surprise to me to suddenly experience a visual impairment on a first-hand basis. Since I live in Southern California, some of these resources are specific to that region of the country. Throughout the article, various products and equipment are mentioned the Resources section provides additional information about these items. You should always seek out and follow the advice and guidance of your own doctors. The information provided here is based on my own experience and research, and the advice of my doctors and former patients. Remaining face-down for six weeks would not have been possible for me without the assistance of others, face-down positioning equipment, mentoring and encouragement by others who have gone through macular hole surgery, and support of family and friends. However, maintaining that position was, I believe, one of the main reasons that my recovery was successful. The required face-down positioning following surgery was extremely uncomfortable and challenging for me. With adaptation for individual needs, I hope that many of these ideas may be of value to anyone who is preparing for macular hole surgery. The suggestions presented here were very beneficial to me during my post-operative phase. The purpose of this article is to offer hints and tips to assist in “surviving” the difficult post-operative period following macular hole surgery. This section contains a brief description of the author’s experience, plus introductory information about macular holes, macular hole surgery, and recovery. This is the first of a five-part series, Surviving Recovery from Macular Hole Surgery. Part One: Introduction to Surviving Recovery from Macular Hole Surgery
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