Detached Retina

[Boomer]

I am sending this out into cyberspace this morning on the outside chance that it may help someone someday.

Last night we got a call from one of our good friends who is having surgery for a detaching retina.

Without going into details here, I want to say to anyone reading this that if you do not know the symptoms of a detached or detaching retina, please open up your internet medical practice and do a little research.

While there are certain conditions that may predispose to a detached retina, there is one in particular that we all share. That one is simply getting older. The vitreous ages along with everything else we have. The aging of the vitreous can cause floaters. But sometimes the vitreous tries to take the retina with it.

I know 3 men who have had detached retinas and every single one of them had 20/20 vision. And every single one of them tried to ignore initial symptoms.

I don't know if men are more prone to detached retinas or if men are more prone to ignoring symptoms.

But, to all of you, please take a few minutes to find out about this condition if you don't know anything about it.

And sadly, I know of an actual ophthalmologist who missed the immediacy of the need to send the patient on to a retinal specialist. STAT. (or whatever that word is they say on televison) That part was put off for over a week. That's another story. I won't go into it.

But please educate yourself on this one. We are mostly of an age you know.

And any of you men who are out there ignoring symptoms, of any kind, please, at least, tell a woman in your life. And if she loves you, she will kick your butt.

Boomer

[nONIE]

In high school I had an old crabby miserable home economics teacher. Whenever we would leave one of the kitchen cabinets open she would scream right in our faces....
DETACHED RETINA DETACHED RETINA!!!!!!!!!! She was the most annoying woman I have ever known.

Sorry but this thread reminded me of her, this actually is a very serious problem if not reated very quickly.

[Irish Rover]

If you have cataract surgery in your future, be sure your doctor checks to see if you have a tear or holes in your retina. Detached retina can be a by-product of cataract surgery. I know because last April I had cataract surgery followed by a detached retina about a month later. The surgeon who did the detached retina claimed the tear could have been repaired before cataract surgery and then I wouldn't have had to go through the detached retina. By the way, a detached retina can be a scary thing.

[schotzyb]

I am a victim of cataract surgery gone awry resulting in a detached and torn retina.Not realizing what it was ,I compounded the damage by going on a business trip for four days before seeing a doctor. By that time the damage was severe, After two surgeries; one experimental procedure and 6-8 air, gas bubble injections ,I am legally blind in that eye. My tear and detachment were a result of a severe sneezing spell. So if this happens to you and you start to see flashes of light and or a black space in the corner of your eye, get to your eye doctor immediately. The air, gas bubble injections in the eye are no fun.

[richman]

Irish: That is exactly what has happened to my mother. She is now getting the injections and has been told she is legally blind in that eye. She had also had cataract surgery prior.

Thanks for sharing your situation.

[Hyacinth Bucket]

Hi, a detached retina can be repaired but not always successfully. The procedure that is used has been in use for over a decade.

If you are diagnosed with detached retina and your doctor wants to operate a question I would ask is "How many surgeries for detached retina's have you completed successfully?"

There are many opthamologist who are extremely capable of doing this.

HB

[Barefoot]

In high school I had an old crabby miserable home economics teacher. Whenever we would leave one of the kitchen cabinets open she would scream right in our faces.... DETACHED RETINA DETACHED RETINA!!!!!!!!!! She was the most annoying woman I have ever known.

I realize this is an extremely important and serious topic and I don't wish to hijack it. :cop: But Nonie, I have to say, your post made me laugh out loud.

[Village Kid 2]

My doc said very near sighted people (me) have to watch for this. A symptom is when there is suddenly a large shadow over your eye, like the lights are turned off. He told me if it happens, to get to a retina specialist immediately. If caught within a few hours, it may be repaired by laser. The longer one waits to have it looked at, the more chance you will lose sight in that eye.

VK2

[Boomer]

When I posted here yesterday morning, I mentioned that I know 3 men who have had detached retinas. As I read your responses, I realized that there is a 4th I had forgotten. That one followed cataract surgery. Thank you for sharing that information. I have heard that it can be a relatively common complication of a very common surgery.

Recognizing immediately what is happening if the retina is detaching is crucial to saving sight.

Here's a link:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/retinal-detachment/DS00254/DSECTION=1

Boomer

[Hyacinth Bucket]

Hi Boomer,

When we were in Boston the other day we saw an adorable 8 month old girl in the doctors office. She had a retina tear that they tried correcting but sad to say it did not work. She is blind in that eye and hopefully it will not have to be nucleated in the future. She has an older sister that also has a retina problem.

Detached retinas do not only happen to older people, people who have had cataract surgery etc. It can happen to young, middle age and older people who have "healthy" eyes.

It is good to know the symptoms.

HB