Eye Problem Detached Retina

[Guest Delaware Man]

Ok guys,I am not a frequent poster usually a lurker but I have something to share and also have a quesion. About 2 weeks ago I started having a lot of "floaters" in my right eye. Went to opthamologist on 4/8 and he said prob nothing to worry about but could be beginning of a detached retina. I scheduled follow up for 4/15. On 4/13 I began losing vison. Kept the appt and was told I had a detached retina and underwent emergency surgery that afternoon. Still to soon to know how much vision will return. I can't work and I can't drive for another week. Any body had a similar problem. I am not looking for sympathy just info. Needless to say my sex life in on hold. Thanks.

[Guest zipperzone]

>Any body had a similar problem. I am not looking

>for sympathy just info. Needless to say my sex life in on

>hold. Thanks.

 

Sorry - I can't add anything to the info you are seeking, but I would be very curious to know what would cause a detached retina?

[eastbayguy]

This is tough. My mom has a detached retina, and the end result was not good. She was also very old and not in the best of overall health when things began going wrong. Don't know where you are located, but go find a vitreoretinal specialist. These are super-specialized opthalmic surgeons who do ultra-precise microsurgery on the retina.

 

After my mom's surgery, the comparison was made that even the best of these surgeries are akin to putting up wallpaper with a bulldozer. Find yourself the very, very best expert around and go ask questions.

 

I wish you the very best and a superb recovery. Keep us posted.

 

--EBG

[LovesYng]

Hey Guy, I wish you the best. Knowing where you live I would get your ass up to Wills Eye in Philly soon..

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[Guest Delaware Man]

Thanks to all of you. A retina specialist who is at Wills Eye and also practices in Wilmington, DE did the surgery.

What caused it. Who knows although I am very near sighted and that and the fact that eye docs says I have big eyes made me more prone to it. WTF :-)

[Luv2play]

Delaware Guy, Sorry to hear about your problem. Unfortunately the first doctor you saw gave you some bum advice and although I am not the litigious type, I would consider suing him if I were you. He should have referred you for corrective action immediately. Taken early, such intervention is nearly always 100% effective. If vision loss occurs before any action is taken, the prognosis is not as good.

 

I also suffered a detached retina many years ago when laser surgery was just in its infancy (1975). I had gone in for an annual checkup with my opthamologist and he spotted it right away. I was not yet having symptoms such as floaters or flashes. Basically, a detached retina is a tearing away of the retina from the optic nerve at the back of your eye. Once it is completely severed, you lose your sight.

 

Retinal detachment can be caused by internal bleeding in the eye which weakens the retina. Diabetics often have this problem. In my case I had had a sports injury to my eye 10 years earlier and although the internal bleeding had cleared up it left a weakness. I was in the hospital and had my operation the same day (it was considered an emergency) and in those days I was in the hospital for 2 weeks to recover. Now laser surgery is much more advanced and I imagine you would be out very much faster. But the need for IMMEDIATE action remains the same. It is unfortunate your original doctor did not advise this.

[Guest JustStarting]

From the National Eye Institute Information Page:

 

With modern therapy, over 90 percent of those with a retinal detachment can be successfully treated, although sometimes a second treatment is needed. However, the visual outcome is not always predictable. The final visual result may not be known for up to several months following surgery. Even under the best of circumstances, and even after multiple attempts at repair, treatment sometimes fails and vision may eventually be lost. Visual results are best if the retinal detachment is repaired before the macula (the center region of the retina responsible for fine, detailed vision) detaches. That is why it is important to contact an eye care professional immediately if you see a sudden or gradual increase in the number of floaters and/or light flashes, or a dark curtain over the field of vision.

 

 

Good luck to you. Isn't this getting old wonderful! Everything hurts and nothing works.

[BobbyB]

I have to agree with Luv2Play. I am not the litigious type either, but when a alleged professional gives such inane advise that not only potentially puts you in harm's way but results in emergency surgery that may still yet have tragic consequences, legal recourse should really be considered.

 

'Floaters' are never a symptom that should be ignored and, frankly, I am shocked by his statement. Is your insurance coverage via an HMO or a PPO? If the former, I would be suspicious - and I mean extraordinarily suspicious - of his motive for giving such a lame diagnosis. Is he aware of what happened? If so and he isn't showering you with flowers, get well cards, and promises of free optical visits for the rest of your life, on top of being a lousy doctor he's also a callouss and mannerless asshole.

 

Please keep us informed. I for one am VERY interested in not only your long-term prognosis but how you follow this up.

 

And my most heart-felt best wishes!

 

- BobbyB

[Funseeker 22]

Sounds like you have it under control -apart from no sex. :+

Also I believe you`re not supposed to fly for about 6 weeks.

I have a travel client (A Doctor) who has had this happen twice in the last 3 years - early 50`s, very fit and this totally came out of the blue. He`s doing fine now so hopefully all will be well with you too.

It must be another part of the aging process. :+ :+ :+

[FLJohn]

My Father had the same problem last year. He had it "operated" on the same day. Except for a "red" eye for several weeks, he had no other problem. In fact he wanted to drive the next day (and let me tell you that was difficult to prevent!).

[buzz]

Good luck to you. Anything to do with eyes is frightening. A couple of years ago, about six months after cataract operation, I suddenly sensed one eye filling up with floaters. Fortunately I had a good eye doctor in town and I headed right for his hospital. It was late on a Friday afternoon and he was about to leave, but he took me right to an examining room. He found a slight detachment of the retina and immediately performed laser treatment. The next day he did the treatment again. I have regained most of the vision in that eye, but no matter how good the treatment there is always the possibility of your having floaters permanently. This happened to me; I still have floaters several years afterward. Other friends have had the same experience.

 

That first doctor should have his license yanked.

 

Good luck

buzz

[JT Brooklyn]

Hey Delaware. I wish you the best in the future..As always you have gotten some sound advice from the Group..:+

[Luv2play]

The more I think of it, Delaware Guy should file a complaint against that first doctor to whatever board licences him. To tell a patient that a retinal detachment is not an emergency and not to treat it as such makes him a dangerous person to be practicing medicine. Given the gravity of the condition, and the potential for permanent sight loss, the authorities should be made aware of his behaviour, IMO.

[+ Charlie]

I have a real horror story for you. A friend of mine knew she was having eye problems but put off seeing a doctor about it. On a flight to Texas, both retinas detached and she was blind when she landed. Despite an enormous amount of emergency surgery there, her sight is still permanently damaged. Anyone who notices anything strange happening with his sight should see a specialist immediately.

 

Private me if you want a referral to one of the best eye surgeons in Philly (he's not at Wills Eye, which despite its reputation doesn't have all the best eye specialists in town).

[+ nycman]

I have to say I’m a little disappointed with how quickly everyone is shouting, “sue...Sue...SUE!”

 

We hardly now ANY details in the case at all.

 

None of us knows what the first physician saw on his exam. Without that information we’re jumping to a lot of conclusions. Just because someone sees a physician and then develops a disease that was “possible” on the first visit doesn’t necessarily mean there was malpractice. I don’t know much, but I’m sure some of the lawyers on the board can give us the litany of requirements that go into proving a malpractice case. It’s not that easy, and that’s why the vast majority of malpractice cases in America end up in favor of the physician. Nonetheless the payoffs are HUGE when the patient wins…hence a bus load of lawyers are willing to play the “malpractice lottery” that we have created in this country.

 

Do you really think an ophthalmologist saw a detaching retina that needed emergency surgery…and he just blew the guy off? Why on earth would he do that? Also, what is the guy going to gain by suing the first physician? Years in court, tons of stress, maybe a cash payout that will mostly go to his lawyers and his vision won’t be improved one iota.

 

The only argument that even remotely makes sense to me is that you really are concerned that the first physician is incompetent. In that case, I’d talk to the physician who fixed my eye and knows the case well and see what he/she says. Then if I really thought the first physician was in left field, I’d put a call into the Department of Health to start an investigation. Lawyers and suing, rarely does anything but make the lawyers richer.

 

As my father used to say, “Son, you CAN sue anyone…that doesn’t mean you SHOULD.”

[Luv2play]

You are not reflecting what the original poster said. He said he started getting a lot of floaters suddenly in one eye and went to see the doctor, who is a specialist in eye care, an opthamologist. At the very least, the doctor saw the floaters and he commented that, although it was probably not something to worry about, it could be the beginning of a retinal detachment. This should have waved a red flag for the physician. It did for mine when I had the same problem. He had me in the hospital the same day for an operation. Waiting is fatal in many cases because once the tearing progresses so that the optic nerve is damaged, you lose sight which is often difficult to restore.

 

IMO, the floaters were the key here. They indicate that there is something wrong, particularly when they appear suddenly and there are a lot of them. It is always better to err on the side of caution than be casual about this kind of problem. The physician in this case took too relaxed an attitude, IMO. In any case, I'm just glad I had an alert doctor who gave me the right advice (in my case, he called the specialist at the hospital who took me right away). And this was in Canada, where we have socialized medicine. Waiting was NOT an issue, I went straight to the operating room.

[luczen]

Allo Delaware Man ,

I am an ophtalmologist (semi-retired)I see a lot of people with floaters only one out of 500 develop RD; if you had ligth flashes that's more serious; did he check the perifery of your retina after dilatation of your pupil? Your ophtalmologist can see the tears and holes in your retina before it comes lose and then a simple lasertherapy solves everything

The detachment causes serious visus loss if the macula (fixation point) is included in the detachment.

If you are myopic your chances for developing an RD is much higher.

This are some considerations; I hope you get well and check your other eye especially if you are myopic

[clncutjoe]

I had a detached retina (detached in two areas) almost two years ago. It was detached for about a week (it affected my peripheral vision and it went unnoticed for that period of time). Due to what was done to re-attach it, it took some time to determine how much vision I would regain. By the 4th month the vision (corrected) was 20/30. But, also due to all that was done (scleral buckle, gas bubble, vitrectomy), I was informed a few days after the original surgery that cataracts would, in time, develop. They did. Since the original surgery I've had the buckle removed (it restricted an eye muscle), the eye lens replaced (to resolve the cataract problem). I have full vision, but my eye gets easily irritated and gets red. But even that is getting better after all this time.

 

BTW, also by the 4th month I ran my first marathon. I have always exercised and had planned on running the marathon that year after putting it off for 25 years! After gettting the OK from two retina specialists that I could run again, I had six weeks till the run. I completed my first marathon. I've run a second. I've been taking swimming lessons and a triathlon is next in my plans. My point: keep your spirits up; ask your doctor questions; don't let it change your life completely.

You still caught it relatively early. Some people let it go for weeks before seeing a doctor.

Best of luck to you.

[baltimore27]

At 26, last year, I discovered I noticed I couldn't see very well out of one of my eyes. I thought I just needed new contacts, and put off seeing the doctor. Finally, I put a camera up to my eye to take a picture and realized I couldn't see out of that eye. I went to my MD and told him, "I feel like someone is holding a curtain over my eye, at least over all of it but the bottom quarter of it."

 

He didn't seem concerned, and he sent me to an opthamaligist (yes, it was an HMO). The eye doctor couldn't see me for two weeks. When I saw him, he immediately said that my retina had detached and that the retina in my other eye was detaching. I had surgery the next morning on the detached retina, and surgery a month later on the detaching retina.

 

I now retain 20:80 (corrected) vision in my right eye (the one that had detached) and 20:20 (corrected) vision in my left eye. I have scleral buckles on both. The recovery went fairly quickly - very painful and tough at first, but subsiding after about a week. I went back to work after about a week in both cases.

 

It sucks. The doc says it's because I'm very nearsighted. He also mentioned I probably have a family history of it, which no one in my family knows anything about. It was certainly scary, but I don't think about it much any more - a year and a half later. If you ever go back to contacts, make sure to clean them with enzymatic cleaner often; scleral buckle eyes produce more protein that stay on the lenses. Also, you'll probably go from nearsighted to very nearsighted... realize that eyeglasses have the centimeter or so of distance between your eye and the lens, and you won't be able to see as well until you get contact lenses back. I remember the moment I was able to wear contacts again (about nine months after the surgeries), it was an amazing moment because I could see so much more clearly than I could than just with glasses.

 

I now stand *very* pissed off at the original doctor, who didn't seem concerned about my eye. Of course, I thought I just needed new contacts, and he might have just thought I was just trying tog et one over on him. But the fact that he didn't know made me change doctors. I probably should have done more, but, in reality, the damage had pretty much been done at that point.

[Guest]

I read this string after coming back from a week-end trip, and I have to admit that I'm also curious as to whether the original poster's visual loss was preventable. As the ophthalmologist pointed out, certainly flashes of light or sudden visual loss call for immediate and complete retinal evaluation. I don't know whether this case represented malpractice or incompetent care for a number of reasons. First, I'm not an ophthalmologist. Second, I don't know the details of the case. Third, I don't know if the vision could have been saved even if you had been referred in a timely manner.

Nevertheless, retinal detachments need to be evaluated emergently, as has already been pointed out, and if the original doctor's care was negligent, there should definitely be some sort of rememdial action. It's not as if he (she?) were a dermatologist. I would definitely question the doctor who subsequently took care of you. Does he think the first doctor's care was negligent? Why or why not?

Assuming these two doctors do not have a fiduciary relationship (i.e. one refers patients to the other), if the doctor who later took care of you provides a good explanation as to why the original doctor's actions were reasonable, I would drop the matter. If the second doctor feels the first doctor goofed, you may want to consider suing, or at least reporting the doctor to the medical board. If the second doctor isn't sure, or if you just aren't sure about his explanation, I would ask the medical board to investigate the matter.

The medical board has the authority to keep a close eye (so to speak) on a doctor who provided substandard care, and may audit his charts and/or force him to take remedial courses as a condition of continued licensure. If your visual loss was preventable, perhaps medical board action can prevent others from suffering the same fate. Have you looked up the doctor's record on the medical board website?

In my many years as a doctor, I've actually never seen a case in which I recommended that a patient sue. This is because medical training involves many years of careful training and supervision, and it's rare for doctors to act unreasonably unless they're impaired. Usually, when a patient asks me to look into something, I find that once I know more about the case, the care was actually quite competent.

That being said, malpractice does occasionally occur, and visual loss is a major consequence. If I were the one who had suffered the retinal detachment, I would calmly try to find out if the original ophthalmologist messed up. Only if I felt certain there was a screw-up would I entertain legal action. Remember, the truth will rarely come out in the courtroom. Many doctors will say anything for big bucks, and lawyers are skilled at finding them.

[Guest Merlin]

Other conditions can cause floaters and flashes. About a year ago, I noticed that when I turned my right eye, I would experience a white bar up and down on the right side, together with some floaters. My opthamalogist did a thorough exam and said that it was not a detached retina. The syptoms were caused by the vitreous gel in the eye pulling away from the retina, apparantly a function of age.

[Guest]

Yes, I agree 100%. That's why I don't know if the original poster received substandard care. The presence of floaters alone certainly doesn't necessitate an immediate ophthalmology referral. I also don't know if, even if the eye doctor knew a retinal detachment was going to occur, if there was anything that could or should have been done. My suspicion is that the first ophthalmologist's actions may have been completely reasonable. An independent evaluation by an uninvolved ophthalmologist (i.e. the second one, if the two don't have a fiduciary relationship) is the best way to find out the truth. One thing I can guarantee, though, is that the truth will not be discovered by 12 jurors with absolutely no medical training, having to choose to believe which hired gun/actor who's being paid thousands of $$ for his testimony is telling the truth.