Any Ophthalmologists on the board

Jun 2, 2015
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Well, you get one thing fixed & something else pops up. Guess if you live long enough, you are going to have something. I am scheduled to have a Gundersen procedure on my left (blind) eye Jan. 13th. I google enough to be dangerous but what I understand is that membrane is taken from the upper eye lid and pulled down over the cornea and sutured.

I had a blood clot in this eye back in 2017 and went blind. I am fortunate in that it could have gone to the brain. Some of my friends may argue that it did go to my brain. Over the past few months I have had a silicone disk placed over the cornea about every 2 to 3 weeks as I had "bumps" on the cornea which created quite a bit of pain. Any ophthalmologists out there who have performed this procedure?

Having had the open heart surgery in Oct. 2019, this should be a piece of cake but for whatever reason I am more apprehensive about this procedure than I was the heart procedure.
 
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Gatordiddy

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Well, you get one thing fixed & something else pops up. Guess if you live long enough, you are going to have something. I am scheduled to have a Gundersen procedure on my left (blind) eye Jan. 13th. I google enough to be dangerous but what I understand is that membrane is taken from the upper eye lid and pulled down over the cornea and sutured.

I had a blood clot in this eye back in 2017 and went blind. I am fortunate in that it could have gone to the brain. Some of my friends may argue that it did go to my brain. Over the past few months I have had a silicone disk placed over the cornea about every 2 to 3 weeks as I had "bumps" on the cornea which created quite a bit of pain. Any ophthalmologists out there who have performed this procedure?

Having had the open heart surgery in Oct. 2019, this should be a piece of cake but for whatever reason I am more apprehensive about this procedure than I was the heart procedure.

@EyeDocGator ...any thoughts?
 

EyeDocGator

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Well, you get one thing fixed & something else pops up. Guess if you live long enough, you are going to have something. I am scheduled to have a Gundersen procedure on my left (blind) eye Jan. 13th. I google enough to be dangerous but what I understand is that membrane is taken from the upper eye lid and pulled down over the cornea and sutured.

I had a blood clot in this eye back in 2017 and went blind. I am fortunate in that it could have gone to the brain. Some of my friends may argue that it did go to my brain. Over the past few months I have had a silicone disk placed over the cornea about every 2 to 3 weeks as I had "bumps" on the cornea which created quite a bit of pain. Any ophthalmologists out there who have performed this procedure?

Having had the open heart surgery in Oct. 2019, this should be a piece of cake but for whatever reason I am more apprehensive about this procedure than I was the heart procedure.

@EyeDocGator ...any thoughts?


It's normal to be nervous about eye surgery. It's unfortunate you lost the vision in that eye. Nothing can be done to restore the vision. The cornea is the most sensitive part of the body (as measured by the density of sensory nerve endings). The pain and discomfort caused by the irregular eroded cornea can severely undermine the quality of life. Bandage contact lenses sometimes alleviate the pain, but obviously they did not work well in your case.

The good news is this procedure is very safe, simple, and highly successful in reducing discomfort. The procedure is usually done with a local anesthetic, so the danger of general anesthesia is eliminated. Basically, a flap of the conjunctiva (the thin pink membrane that covers the white of the eye) is pulled over the eroded cornea and tacked down with microscopic stitches.

Healing is generally rapid, and Daytona I'm sure you'll do great. I'll be thinking about you on the 13th.
 

soflagator

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It's normal to be nervous about eye surgery. It's unfortunate you lost the vision in that eye. Nothing can be done to restore the vision. The cornea is the most sensitive part of the body (as measured by the density of sensory nerve endings). The pain and discomfort caused by the irregular eroded cornea can severely undermine the quality of life. Bandage contact lenses sometimes alleviate the pain, but obviously they did not work well in your case.

The good news is this procedure is very safe, simple, and highly successful in reducing discomfort. The procedure is usually done with a local anesthetic, so the danger of general anesthesia is eliminated. Basically, a flap of the conjunctiva (the thin pink membrane that covers the white of the eye) is pulled over the eroded cornea and tacked down with microscopic stitches.

Healing is generally rapid, and Daytona I'm sure you'll do great. I'll be thinking about you on the 13th.

You do seem like the obvious choice here.
 
Jun 2, 2015
907
1,851
It's normal to be nervous about eye surgery. It's unfortunate you lost the vision in that eye. Nothing can be done to restore the vision. The cornea is the most sensitive part of the body (as measured by the density of sensory nerve endings). The pain and discomfort caused by the irregular eroded cornea can severely undermine the quality of life. Bandage contact lenses sometimes alleviate the pain, but obviously they did not work well in your case.

The good news is this procedure is very safe, simple, and highly successful in reducing discomfort. The procedure is usually done with a local anesthetic, so the danger of general anesthesia is eliminated. Basically, a flap of the conjunctiva (the thin pink membrane that covers the white of the eye) is pulled over the eroded cornea and tacked down with microscopic stitches.

Healing is generally rapid, and Daytona I'm sure you'll do great. I'll be thinking about you on the 13th.


EyeDoc, thanks so very much for your comprehensive and kind reply. I will let you know how it went after the 13th.
 

stephenPE

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How refreshing to have a real expert weigh in on something once in awhile.......Daytona, its sounds like a walk in the park. Good luck. Prayers heading your way..........
 

Nalt

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Good luck Daytona. Hope it works out well for you.

@EyeDocGator: About 5 years ago I had the Lasek procedure to improve my distant vision. At the time, my eye doctor suggested that I let him correct one eye for distance and the other for near vision. I didn't believe him when he said that my brain would compensate and that it wouldn't be an issue for me so I had both eyes fixed for distance. I would love to now go and get one eye corrected for near vision. Would this be possible now since a corrective procedure has already been done? FWIW, I am currently 56 y/o.
 

EyeDocGator

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@EyeDocGator: About 5 years ago I had the Lasek procedure to improve my distant vision. At the time, my eye doctor suggested that I let him correct one eye for distance and the other for near vision. I didn't believe him when he said that my brain would compensate and that it wouldn't be an issue for me so I had both eyes fixed for distance. I would love to now go and get one eye corrected for near vision. Would this be possible now since a corrective procedure has already been done? FWIW, I am currently 56 y/o.

LASIK is usually very successful in correcting vision and side effects are unusual. However, every procedure does have a certain element of risk. It is definitely possible to have the LASIK repeated. I am hesitant to recommend that because the risk of the vision being less than ideal (either blurred, distorted, or light scattered) is slightly higher for a repeat surgery.

Monovision (one eye distance and the other eye near) works week for many people. However, it does not work for everyone. I have seen people who end up uncomfortable and miserable because their brains are unable to adapt. I always had my patients try monovision with contact lenses to see if they were comfortable under different conditions (driving, reading, sports, low light, etc.) before going ahead with refractive surgery.

If you were my patient (and if I were still in practice) I would advise you to try wearing a contact lens on the non-dominant (usually left) eye. Some people do well most of the time but have problems with sports for example. Contacts allow you flexibility. You could wear the contact only when you want.

Hope this helps.
 

Nalt

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Jul 23, 2020
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LASIK is usually very successful in correcting vision and side effects are unusual. However, every procedure does have a certain element of risk. It is definitely possible to have the LASIK repeated. I am hesitant to recommend that because the risk of the vision being less than ideal (either blurred, distorted, or light scattered) is slightly higher for a repeat surgery.

Monovision (one eye distance and the other eye near) works week for many people. However, it does not work for everyone. I have seen people who end up uncomfortable and miserable because their brains are unable to adapt. I always had my patients try monovision with contact lenses to see if they were comfortable under different conditions (driving, reading, sports, low light, etc.) before going ahead with refractive surgery.

If you were my patient (and if I were still in practice) I would advise you to try wearing a contact lens on the non-dominant (usually left) eye. Some people do well most of the time but have problems with sports for example. Contacts allow you flexibility. You could wear the contact only when you want.

Hope this helps.
That does help. Thanks. And not sure if it matters or not but, my doctor that did the procedure said that he did LASEK not LASIK. Is there a difference?
 

EyeDocGator

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In LASEK there is no need to mechanically create a thick corneal flap. This probably results in a little faster healing but slower restoration of sharp vision. However, the potential problems with monovision remain unchanged. I would definitely try a contact lens before having surgery. If the vision is good, you are comfortable and have no problem with insertion and removal this is a less expensive solution. Also, when your prescription changes in the future you just have to change the contact prescription. If your vision is good, but you don't like wearing the lens you can go ahead with the surgery expecting to be comfortable with the visual result.
 
Jun 2, 2015
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I am now one week postop from the Gundersen flap procedure on my left eye. I did very well through surgery as EyeDocGator predicted that I would and have had little pain & just mild discomfort....which is getting better each day. I kind of look like I was in a fight and lost. My doctor used an Ethicon 9-0 suture (J&J product). My son works for J&J in the Ethicon division and told me this suture is about 60% smaller in width than a hair on your head. Amazing!!! My doctor said while he likes the Ethicon sutures, this particular suture curls some.

EyeDocGator, thanks again for your informative and kind post & thanks guys for your well wishes. The sutures are supposed to dissolve within 2-3 weeks & I should be back to normal or at least MY normal. Now maybe I can keep it glued together as I approach my 83rd year on this planet in a couple of months. Guess if you live long enough you are going to get something or another.
 

NVGator

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Good to hear you mad it through @daytonacane You have a glass eye now? Just minimal movement?
 

Gator515151

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I wasn't gonna bother eyedoc with my problem but since this thread is over and my situation seems to be near ending why not.......I have never experienced floaters in my vision until late December when all of a sudden I had 2 floaters appear in my right eye. The following day I went out into my garage and saw a bright flash of light like a flashbulb going off in my peripheral vision from that right eye. I saw this flash of light several times while in the garage. The floaters stayed with me the flashes went away until late that evening when I stepped from my lit up kitchen into the dark bedroom then the flashes started again.

The next day was more of the same so I called the local eye clinic and they told me to come in right away. The doc checked me over and said there was no torn or detached retina. He told me to just keep an eye on it and if the flashes progressed to a strobe light effect to come back in immediately. No further instructions. 3 weeks later and things have gotten better. One of the floaters is still there but the flashes have all but stopped. It's kind of strange I still get the flashes if I go somewhere in my truck at night especially if it is cold outside. My guess this is probably due to my eye adjusting to the light changes along with the cold air. I will still get a couple of flashes at night if I walk from a bright room into a dark room but only happens every once in a while.

My question to eyedoc would be are there any further instructions I may have missed. The eye clinic just told me to keep an eye on it and if it got worse to come back, no time limit of further instructions when I left.
 

MJMGator

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I wasn't gonna bother eyedoc with my problem but since this thread is over and my situation seems to be near ending why not.......I have never experienced floaters in my vision until late December when all of a sudden I had 2 floaters appear in my right eye. The following day I went out into my garage and saw a bright flash of light like a flashbulb going off in my peripheral vision from that right eye. I saw this flash of light several times while in the garage. The floaters stayed with me the flashes went away until late that evening when I stepped from my lit up kitchen into the dark bedroom then the flashes started again.

The next day was more of the same so I called the local eye clinic and they told me to come in right away. The doc checked me over and said there was no torn or detached retina. He told me to just keep an eye on it and if the flashes progressed to a strobe light effect to come back in immediately. No further instructions. 3 weeks later and things have gotten better. One of the floaters is still there but the flashes have all but stopped. It's kind of strange I still get the flashes if I go somewhere in my truck at night especially if it is cold outside. My guess this is probably due to my eye adjusting to the light changes along with the cold air. I will still get a couple of flashes at night if I walk from a bright room into a dark room but only happens every once in a while.

My question to eyedoc would be are there any further instructions I may have missed. The eye clinic just told me to keep an eye on it and if it got worse to come back, no time limit of further instructions when I left.
I’d get that eyeball removed immediately. Besides, you’d look awesome with an eyepatch! Arrrrrgggh!
 

AuggieDosta

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@Gator515151, that sounds scary and I'm glad you immediately got it looked at.
I, personally, think your Doctor is screwing you over because if one eye has flashes and he tells you to keep an eye on it then your other eye will become cross eyed.
Question his authoritie now!
 

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