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Medical Forum / General / Vision / June 2006Vitrectomy surgery to remove eye floater
Hello Recently I have been to two opthamologists, one being a retinal vitreous surgeon, and both have recommended having a vitrectomy performed in my right eye to remove large floaters that appeared about a year ago. I've been told that I have a complete Posterior Vitreous Detachment and my risk of retinal detachment is low with this procedure. I would like to hear from others who have had a vetrectomy and understand their experiences with it, and would you have it done again knowning what you know now. Also, if there are retinal surgeons reading this, is there a difference in the vitrectomy procedure for removal of floaters versus the procedure for other serious eye conditions? Thanks Dale On 4/30/06 8:54 AM, in article 1146412489.597777.164940@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, "dchamberlain" > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Dale Wow! I am not a health professional, but this vitrectomy surgery sure sounds like using the proverbial sledge hammer to kill a fly. How bad is the floater? I had vitreous detachment with big time floaters, but they disappeared fairly quickly. I have also had floaters that swirled in front of my fovea. They went away or moved out of the way. Bill -- Ferme le Bush Hi Bill The floaters are pretty huge in that they extend from the top to the bottom of my sight in the right eye, are thick enough to distort the light coming into the eye (like watching a wave cross before me, and stay in my line of sight about 95% of the time. I've had them for about a year and they have not dimenished. I went to see a doctor who does laser treatment of floaters, and he tells me that mine are the type that can't be treated by laser, but did recommend the vitrectomy. When I asked him what the chances would be that they would eventually fade away, his response was "0%"!. A surgeon, who normally does not recommend the procedure, agreed to do it in my case because of the size and position of the floaters. Having a vitrectomy was certainly not my first choice, but 2 doctors have told me it is the only way to rid myself of these floaters. They do impair my ability to read, do things that are close up, and are always there when I am looking through a telescope. Dale I had a vitrectomy to remove a macular pucker last January. I was awake and unsedated during the surgery, but experienced no pain with the local anesthesia. The procedure took less than an hour. That afternoon I walked over to the local multiplex and stayed for two movies. (The operated eye was patched, but I could see fine with my other eye.) Since the surgery, my vision has gone from about 20/50 (with pucker) to 20/15. My vitrectomy was done in a teaching hospital using 20-gauge instruments, which require suturing. (The newer 25-gauge vitrectomy instruments require no sutures and are associated with a much faster recovery.) Unfortunately, my surgeon allowed a resident to suture my eye. About two weeks post-op, I developed a swollen red mound on my eye white (reportedly related to the placement of sutures.) Over the next few weeks, sharp ends of sutures poked through the inflamed mound to scratch my upper eyelid and make me feel like a torture victim. After about three months of steroid drops, the inflammation on my eye white still hasn't entirely resolved. I've been told that I will develop a cataract in the operated eye within two years. I fully intend to seek out a cataract surgeon (in private practice) who uses a "no stitch" technique. I had a vitrectomy to remove a macular pucker last January. I was awake and unsedated during the surgery, but experienced no pain with the local anesthesia. The procedure took less than an hour. That afternoon I walked over to the local multiplex and stayed for two movies. (The operated eye was patched, but I could see fine with my other eye.) Since the surgery, my vision has gone from about 20/50 (with pucker) to 20/15. My vitrectomy was done in a teaching hospital using 20-gauge instruments, which require suturing. (The newer 25-gauge vitrectomy instruments require no sutures and are associated with a much faster recovery.) Unfortunately, my surgeon allowed a resident to suture my eye. About two weeks post-op, I developed a swollen red mound on my eye white (reportedly related to the placement of sutures.) Over the next few weeks, sharp ends of sutures poked through the inflamed mound to scratch my upper eyelid and make me feel like a torture victim. After about three months of steroid drops, the inflammation on my eye white still hasn't entirely resolved. I've been told that I will develop a cataract in the operated eye within two years. I fully intend to seek out a cataract surgeon (in private practice) who uses a "no stitch" technique. I had an emergency vitrectomy in 2001 to repair a retinal detachment. Until that moment I didn't even know the operation existed so the procedure sounded intimidating. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience as they kept me awake and I could follow the discussion. In the process they drained the eye (my term and probably not theirs) and it slowly refilled over a period of six weeks. At the end of the that time the eye was not only functional again, but free of floaters. Vision ended up at at better than 20/30 after about a year. I would do it again but having no real choice the first time made that initial decision easier. > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Dale Hi Orv, Thanks for sharing your experience. You stated that your vision was better than 20/30 after about a year. What was your vision before the procedure? Did develop a cataract later? Again thanks, Dale You will eventually get a cataract, but cataract surgery is relatively safe. It is possible that you will get a retinal detachment from the vitrectomy but that risk is relatively low, as is the risk of glaucoma, infection, vision loss, etc. As another said this is a big procedure to rid oneself of a floater but if the floater is annoying enough then go with the vitrectomy. He might tell you that you cannot fly for a period of time after the procedure. Plan accordingly. The sutures used in cataract surgery are much smaller than those used to close the sclerostomy. If placed correctly (that is the surgeon was not trying to get away without sutures but found he needed one and then added one) it will not need to be removed, you will never know it is there, and will eventually disappear in about 1 1/2 years. Ted. Thanks Jane and Ted, It helps to be armed with more info. I was planning to take a couple of weeks off work around the time the surgery would be performed. I wondered about the flying, since I do have a trip planned right after that two week period. I'll be sure to ask my surgeon the details when I go back this week. Thanks again! Dale > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Dale Dale, There is laser surgery available for floaters. I highly recommend you research this approach before you have someone split your eye open. Michael Weldon Thailand > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Dale Michael, I had already tried the laser treatment approach before I decided upon the vitrectomy. The laser surgeon told me that he could not treat the type of floater I had in my right eye because it was too close to the lens. He was the one who recommended the vitrectomy. Thanks! Dale > Dale, > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > > > Dale > Hello > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Dale Dale, how bad is your eye site with the floaters? About a week ago, I experienced a retinal tear. My eye site was 20/400. The surgeon zapped the tear with a laser and injected a gas bubble in my eye. My eye site improved in 3 days to 20/60, but things are still foggy and I see floaters. I'm concerned I'll need a vitrectomy also, but I don't have anything to gauge against. The surgeon is very optimistic and not concerned. Thanks, NEPA John > Dale, how bad is your eye site with the floaters? About a week ago, I > experienced a retinal tear. My eye site was 20/400. The surgeon > zapped the tear with a laser and injected a gas bubble in my eye. My > eye site improved in 3 days to 20/60, but things are still foggy and I > see floaters. Three days is too soon to tell. You can't see with a bubble, although depending on what they put in, they last different periods of time. My first was five days, and my second was about ten. Your retina was damaged, and needs to heal. If your doctor thinks it's OK, maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.  SignatureDan Abel dabel@sonic.net Petaluma, California, USA John, My floater was pretty bad. It was thick and curved like a snake and extended from the top of my vision to the bottom. Whenever I moved my eye, it would swing back and forth like a windshield wiper. The vitreous surgeon told me that it was an unusually large floater and he felt there was justification in performing the vitrectomy to remove it. On 6/1 I went into surgery. Actually the procedure went more smoothly than I imagined. I had no pain afterward. I wore a bandage patch for the first day after surgery, and the doctor removed it during the second day post op examination. Before the surgery I had 20/15 in the eye, and after surgery I had 20/30. I thought that was pretty good for 24 hours after the procedure. Right now it is two days after surgery. I see the gas bubble at the bottom of my vision, and my vision is a bit "foggy", like being in a steam room or smoke filled room. The surgeon told me that the bubble would go away in about a week. He didn't menition the fogginess though. I hope that is normal too. I'd give yours some time yet before going into vitrectomy surgery. The floaters, if not too large, may appear to go away over time. Dale > Dale, how bad is your eye site with the floaters? About a week ago, I > experienced a retinal tear. My eye site was 20/400. The surgeon [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > NEPA John |
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