I have been having trouble with my right eye for a couple months. Like a veil descended over half the eye (including the macula). On Friday, the opthalmologist diagnosed a torn retina. He will operate on Jan. 4 and put a “buckle” around it and also insert a gas bubble. The latter is supposed to press the retina down against its backing. That works only if, for the next three weeks, I keep my head facing down nearly all the time.
Bummer!
Good luck! I had a detached retina and had cryosurgery for it. No problems whatsoever and it never happened again. My dad had the buckle surgery for his retina and had a good result. Hope it goes just fine for you!
No fun! Sending out a wish for a safe and easy operation.
**You miserable, worthless piece of dung! You are not worth the effort to wipe off my shoe! Keep your head down unless I allow you to raise it, filthy pigman! **
If you need more let me know.
Dang, astro, that’s funny!
SIngs:
Look down and see the beggars at your feet
Look down and show some mercy if you can
Look down and see the sweepings of the street
Look down, look down,
Upon your fellow man!
Seriously, Ouch, Ouch, OUCH!!! I’mso sorry to hear this!
I was going to suggest it was time to work on that sidewalk crack pictorial is the BDSMSDMB didn’t work for you.
I know our retinal specialty office normally has things like an option to rent (from an outside company) various pieces of equipment to help you do things like sleep face down, a padded bracket where you can prop yourself and read, etc. Assuming they haven’t already offered you that option, you should ask the doctor or techs at that office about it and what they would recommend you use.
I’m very glad they’re still able to do something for your vision.
Normally a gap between retinal detachment and treatment of that long means that they may not be able to treat it or may not get good results. Typically we recommend you go to an ophthalmologist within a couple days or so, if possible, when something like that happens. It may be that the tear happened in not-too-bad of a spot in your case. If anyone reading this ever has a similar symptom of a “veil” over part of your vision or a huge “light show” of bright flashing lights or a dramatic, fast increase in “floaters” in your vision, please get seen ASAP.
(The “light show” symptom risks worrying people who are suffering from a scintillating scotoma as part of an ocular migraine - which may or may not produce an actual migraine headache afterwards - but the main distinguishing feature is usually whether your vision goes right back to normal after the episode.)
Oh damn, that sounds brutal. You have my deepest sympathies.
3 weeks, head down. Are you going to do a lot of reading? I’m imagining lying face down with your head hanging over the edge and looking at a book.
Good luck with that, follow the post-op instructions to the letter, and I hope it all goes well and (relatively) quickly.
Me too - about 12 years ago.
Face down for 3 weeks was the worst part about it. After the first week I was whining and complaining - sore/stiff neck and back, couldn’t get comfortable lying down hardly at all, crappy sleep…
Good news is full recovery and all is well since then. I do get red/dry eye in that eye (the eye with the band) from time to time, no biggie though.
Oh no! Now you won’t be able to get into your super-secret bank vault because your retinal scan won’t match!
Seriously, though, I hope the surgery goes well and you’re back to normal soon.
Yes, I have already arranged to rent various equipment to allow my to sort of function for the next three weeks: A special chair (it looks like the sort of computer chair a friend of mine had, kind of like a stationary bike), a special pillow to sleep face down on, a mirror to be able to watch TV and a couple smaller items. A three week rental will cost $400, plus $25 delivery cost and another $25–if I choose it, which I will–pick up fee.
The only early symptoms were a lot of “floaters” (black dot variety) which my ophthalmologist (now ex-ophthalmologist) dismissed as meaningless. I think that, had it been caught at that stage, a simple laser surgery would have sufficed.
Oh dear. I’m glad to hear they’re taking good care of you now and wish you the best for the surgery.
Just to assure people - a floater here or there is normal. A sudden increase in floaters should be checked out.
I’m so sorry. 
My mom is still in the process of getting her social security disability approved for diabetic retinopathy, and her boyfriend was born with serious cataracts (eyesight’s so bad, he’s never been able to work a day in his life). So I know how much eyesight problems SUCK. I hope you have a good support system in place. Huggles!
A few months ago, I had a bright slash in my vision. I immediately went to the opthtomologist. I spent 3 hours getting every eye test imaginable. They saw something. It wasn’t exactly a detatchement.
Because he didn’t know what it was he sent me off to have carotid dopler studies. They were normal.
Went back to him and he said it will go away, don’t worry about it. It’s still there 6 months later. Now it’s too late to do anything. I’ve gotten used to it.
Good luck. I hope it works out for you.
Oh, shit, I am so sorry. That’s happened to me, three times now, three occurrences of retinal tears. The ER I went to took it very seriously, and I was referred quite quickly to an ophthalmologist, then to surgery. The laser surgery was not fun, but as someone with existing terrible eyesight, what’s left is extremely precious. Had laser surgery twice and some kind of freezing surgery once. I still have the floaters left, and there’s nothing I can do about them, apparently, but the brain gets better at ignoring them. They do get in the way of reading, unfortunately. Hurray for ebooks and enlarging the print.
Best wishes for a good recovery!
Anyone who notices sudden changes in vision–take it seriously.
Thanks all. I have the aids all arranged. One of them is a “majik” mirror that reverses the image twice. I will be interested to see how that works. It is for TV viewing. I guess I will watch a lot of football (not generally my favorite pastime) and curling.
And Happy New Year to all.