14-01-2013, 08:25 PM
1
Possible Detached Retina
I went to the optician today as since yesterday I was conscious of odd stuff in front of my right eye. He said I'm to go to the hospital tomorrow so the eye clinic can have a closer look but it may be a detached retina. Has anyone had this and if so what was the treatment.Thanks guys
15-01-2013, 02:32 AM
7
Re: Possible Detached Retina
Originally Posted by The Dog Lover
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I went to the optician today as since yesterday I was conscious of odd stuff in front of my right eye. He said I'm to go to the hospital tomorrow so the eye clinic can have a closer look but it may be a detached retina. Has anyone had this and if so what was the treatment.Thanks guys
Probably nearly 20 years ago I was at work and I noticed a black area impinging on my sight at the bottom of my vision in my left eye. It was not always visible it came and went popping up and disappearing depending on my head position etc but it stretched across the whole area for what looked like about 5mm at the bottom of the scene when I could see it and the top edge wobbled in a most disturbing fashion. When I say black I mean absolutely jet black.
I had no idea what it was but decided to call in at the local hospital on the way home - the registrar on duty in casualty had absolutely no idea and kept looking at the base of my eyeball. Fortunately after about an hour an eye specialist was available and he immediately looked at the top of my eye and pronounced a detached retina (he knew that the image in your eye is upside down and that the detached lining was hanging down and partly blocking the image from reaching the retina at the back.)
He arranged for me to be admitted to the Sydney Eye Hospital immediately. While I waited for the arrangements every intern and medical student in the hospital wanted to look because they are so rarely seen.
I got a friend to drive me up to Sydney (I was 95km away) for admission that evening and I was put on the operating list for the next day. They then blindfolded me to stop me moving about because the danger is the whole retina will detach, the macular torn off and the eye is then useless.
The next day they cut off my eyelashes and performed the operation under a local anaesthetic - basically they weld the retina back on with a laser by creating scar tissue to join it on. Took about an hour from memory but the drugs they give you to stop you moving are very nice.
The day after the operation I was sent home. Blind in one eye because the eyeball is drained of fluid and it takes a about a week to refill itself. (You then realise how important binocular vision is - couldn't even get the key in the front door without putting my left finger by the lock and aiming for that
) Driving was a nightmare.As i say it is now about 20 years since that occurred and my optician checks it every visit and all is still well. It is also the eye I have a cataract developing in so it is a pretty poor specimen.
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