Suspended activities

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

On September 3rd, I am to undergo quite complicated eye surgery that will take about 100 minutes to complete, and after that, who knows what the result will be. This is made all the more difficult because at present, I have no symptoms, and can see very well. It is to reduce the pressure in order to prevent me getting glaucoma, that I do not have at present. I was going to announce this closer to the time, but it may as well be now. But model shipbuilding will certainly be out for quite a long time even with the best outcome!
Best wishes Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I wouldn't be too despondent Bob. Is it just one eye or both?

Presumably the pressure must be pretty high if an operation is being contemplated as usually they try eye drops first.

I was diagnosed with glaucoma some 15 years ago although my current consultant reckons the damage might have occurred as the result of a temporary stress event which raised pressures.(work was a bit hectic at the time). Either way my pressures were too high (Glaucoma runs in the family) and they were brought under control using eye drops. I was left with 25% sight loss in one eye although it isn't apparent with both eyes open! There was also some minor damage to the other eye.

My pressures have been within normal limits for years now with eye drops twice a day and there doesn't appear to have been any significant further damage. One nuisance was that at 70 I had to declare it to the DVLA when renewing my driving licence and becaus both eyes were affected I had to take their eye test which I passed almost 100%, probably better than most drivers of my age. With my varifocals I essentially have 20/20 vision.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Hi Colin,

It is not something sprung on me suddenly. At my first eye test at the age of 48. 27 years ago, the pressure was too high – about 27 both eyes. I was kept under observation for 7 years with no treatment at all, with pressure between 27 and 30, but no damage to optic nerves. Then on eyedrops that were increased gradually over the years until the pressure eventually went over and stayed over 30, but still no damage to optic nerves and visual field tests 97% in left eye and 100% in right eye (the one with the highest pressure). Left eye has a CSR (liquid bubble under retina that causes central distortion) but not really apparent in normal life, but quite apparent for close work. This has improved by 60% in the past few months, but they are going to do a Viscocanalostomy on the right eye whose vision is perfect! I watched the op on Utube and it looks pretty gruesome, and will certainly result in blurred vision for some weeks at the best until the stitches dissolve and drop out. High success rates, but talk is cheap – all very worrying! My next DVLA test is early next year, so if I haven't recovered by then, it will be goodbye driving.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Hi Bob,

Yes, those pressures are high. Mine started at mid 20s but are now down to 16/17.

Hope all goes well.You really shouldn't have watched it on You Tube. Some things are better not to know…

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Strangely enough, it is not the thoughts of the actual eye operation, but having to have the drip put in the back of my hand for and hour before and an hour after. Had one several years ago for a minor op that proved unecessary anyway as they took a suspicious growth from the back of my throat that proved to be nothing more than a saliva glad that was protruding a bit But that drip was really uncomfortable and the pulling out was very painful! Having general anaesthetic, because I doubt if I could keep still for 100 minutes!

Bob

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

I'm currently undergoing a seemingly endless series of monthly intravitreal injections for something that sounds very much like CSR, althought none of the various doctors I've seen has used that term. If it's of any comfort then I found the thought of having someone shove a needle into my eye was far worse than the reality. Fortunately just one eye is affected and I do have a spare… Eyesight is one of those things we take for granted until it goes wonky.

As for having a cannula stuck into your hand, it shouldn't hurt at all unless the person fitting it misses the vein. In that case it's truly horrible and you should yell until it's sorted – I did!

Good luck, Bob.

Dave M

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks Dave. CSR means Central Serous Retinopathy (search for it on Google for full details) caused by a bubble under the retina that causes distortion. Generally though to be due to stress. I had a bad one in 1984 following a fire at sea where we nearly lost the ship. They told me if I preferred to be patient, it would get better of its own accord. It took about two years, but it did go. It came back two years ago, and again I opted to be patient. On my last visit to the eye hospital, it was found to have improved by 60% since February, so I hope it will be gone soon!

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

One cant stress enough the importance of going to an optician for a checkup at least once a year!!

Ashley (cataracts done)

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

My thoughts are with you Bob,

After a lifetime of eye problems and 7 operations including cataracts at 52 I know what it's like, being type 2 diabetic doesn't help either. My wife has a serious inherited defect with her one eye where the lens has ridges in it so has spent most of her life with the issue and now she has dry macular degeneration, it's getting close to the stage where she will be classed as blind but meaning that she has no clear vision so we're now looking at the options for coping in the future and have just ordered an Echo Dot so that I can set up the house for remote control of lights etc.

Anyway good luck with he op, I'm sure it will be successful

Roger (Cataracts done x 5)

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks Roger,

I have been lucky so far, having lived with this since 1990, and even now, I can see quite clearly and have no visual symptoms. It will be great if I can get off all these eyedrops and tablets though, becuase they do have side effects!

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Surgery apparently successful. Sore, scratchy eye, bur nothing too bad. It took 1 hour 40 minutes. Pressure before surgery was 35, the day after, down to 16 – a very safe figure. No model shipbuilding for at least a month.

Bob

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[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Glad to hear you are still in one piece Bob.

Colin

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Bob, that's great news, you could use that month gathering stock to build a tribal class destroyer along with the rest of us

Regards

Roger

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks for the good wishes. The back of my hand is blaxk & blue where they inserted the drip, and as I suspected, that was th most paiful part of the whole thing. But I am feelinh a lot better now it is all over. For the past few months, I think I have had Pre Traumatic Stress Disorder, and now it is behnd me, my mental process has been reset to normal. I think they were very suprised when I read the bottom line of the eye chart with it this motninh.. If you are not too squeamish, you can watch a Viscocanalostomy done on UTube!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I'm squeamish!

Colin

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Bob,

I am delighted to hear that all went well, and wish you a speedy return to a state where building model ships is again on the menu!

Mattias

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks Mattias. It is quite painful today. But as long as I keep still, and don't look around, it is not painful at all. Had a good sleep last night, and can still see OK. IIt is probably the stiches, they said it would be a bit painful for a couple of days.

Robert

 

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Ten days on, and only slight discomfort now. Vision improving all the time. On eight drops per day in that eye, but in three weeks, should be on no medication at all. Can't lift heavy weights for several more weeks (moving saw about), Unpleasnt experience, but behind me now. The 6-month wait was the worst part!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

All good then Bob and normal service resumes shortly.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

After the successful surgery to my right eye on September 3rd, that resulted in me not having to put drops in anymore, I was told the pressure was a "bit" high in the left one, and they would like to try fixing it with laser treatment that would take place probably in late January. On the 23rd Dec, day before yesterday, they phoned to ask if I could get in at 1430 on Chrsitmas Eve, in which case they would be able to fit me int. I said OK. 1200 hrs Christmas Eve, they said if I could go in straight away, there would be no delay at all. I rused off, and arrived at 1250 hrs. The pressure at that time were 18 (right) and 22 (left). They put a drop in left eye and told me to wait for half an hour. At the end of that time, they completed the treatment (SLT) in about 10 minutes. Uncomfortable rather than painful. I was then told to go for a walk for half an hour, and come back. Eye was not covered, and felt normal. On my return, the pressures were 15 (right) and 18 (left), most satisfactory. They wished me Merry Chrsitmas, and off I went. Can't praise them enough for treatment and caring attitude – Well done Royal Preston Hospital –

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I am now waiting to see if the DVLA will renew my driving licence. The hospital tells me I am OK, but the DVLA said that hospital tests are not good enough, and I had to attend a "specialist" test in another town. This turned out to be Specsavers! Did the test on Friday and it involved four hours travelling on four buses! Missed about 16 dots on the test! I did it with my reading glasses on which I had been told was the way to do it. They then suggested that my glasses rims were blocking some peripheral vision, so I did the test again without glasses, and that time only missed two dots on the left hand side, but I may have missed them through blinking!

Just got to wait patiently now and see what the "experts" say!.

Since the eye surgery, I built this without any problems, by way of my own test! Look at those tiny deadeyes – less than one mm across!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

You should be OK Bob. You have the alternative of doing the test with and without glasses.

I have to redo mine next spring. Last time it was fine but last month I suffered what they call a minor eye stroke which resulted in a severe deterioration in vision in one eye which was alarming to say the least. I have started treatment and things have improved a bit since then so I am hoping for th best..

In th meantime I am OK to drive as the other eye is fne and there is still a reasonable amount of vision in the affected one.

Just goes to show you can't take anything for granted though.

Colin

[redpmgParticipant @redpmg]

After having bilateral cataract ops (brought about by long term medication) had almost perfect vision – best ever and no longer had to wear glasses for driving – down side was loosing almost microscopic near vision – so now use cheap over the counter reading glasses……….

A couple of years after the ops noticed a dark patch in my right eye – which gradually got bigger & bigger – off to the opthamologist to find its the beginning of a detached retina. By the time I got to see the specialist who could operate on it was to all purposes blind in that eye. Brilliant surgeon who reattached the retina refilled the eye with oil as the altitude change between his city and the village we lived in could have caused major pressure problems in the eye. As we could not afford the very high costs at a private hospital he was based in we had cancelled the op and I had more or less accepted I would be blind in one eye. The surgeon, Dr Uys contacted us on the way home 140km away after hearing we had cancelled the op – he had persuaded the local Govt hospital to let him operate on me after hours in the evening so asked us to return. Never felt so relieved before in my life . Three months later the oil was removed by the Govt surgeon at the same hospital and replaced by the watery fluid they use as a replacement.

The probable cause of the detached retina was a car accident in my 20s – when my eye was twice its normal size and caused multiple image vision for nearly a year and probably not the cataract op.

The op was a success and now 5 years later my vision is still good , although not as good as it was before – but that''s due to aging as well.

I will be grateful to Dr Uys for the rest of my life – every morning I wake up and am still able to see I thank him internally……..

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

That was an interesting account, and good to hear that it was sorted out. The Viscocanalostomy that I had was developed in South Africa by the way. It was done on 3rd September last, and since then I have not needed any eye drop in it at all to control the pressure. I had been on them since 1997!

It was all very worrying when it all began, as I was only 48, but have now reached almost 76 and still have pretty good vision, so hope it remains stable.

Bob

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