UKC

Anyone here had eye surgery? I'm having one on Tues and frankly the thought of it has got me sh*****g bricks.
I'm wondering what sensations you experience. Can you see what's going on?

In reply to mypyrex:

No need to worry, just neck a bottle of an expensive wine before you go in, the eye surgeons I know seem to get by fine on the same regime.

In reply to mypyrex:

Mum and Dad have both had various pokeabouts and survived to tell the tale. Hope it goes well.

In reply to mypyrex:

What surgery are you having?

In reply to veteye:

Viscocanalostomy

In reply to mypyrex:

That's a new one on me. Can't determine if it refers to surgery to your nasolacrimal ducts, and trying to open them up whilst leaving some viscoelastic there to keep the new opening viable, or some glaucoma surgery involving Mr Schlemm. So enlighten me in my ignorance please.

In reply to mypyrex:


Oh! - that eye

In reply to mypyrex:

Yes, lots unfortunately - 2 retinal detachments with vitrectomy; 1 retinal reattachment; 2 cataracts.

Presumably you're having it under local? In which case...

Some anaesthetic drops get put in. Then you'll be asked to look up and to one corner of the room whilst the main injection is put in. To be honest this is the only unpleasant bit - a sensation of strong pressure behind the eye. Lasts a few seconds.
After that the vision is totally blurred (no you can't see anything that's going on.
You lie on your back with your head in a rubber cup (quite comfortable). The eye is immobile and eyelids retracted.

You'll hear them talking and perhaps feel some fluid run down your cheek as they keep it irrigated, but feel nothing - maybe some scratches towards the end of the procedure if you metabolise block fast. Say so and they can top up if needed.

You'll be back out very fast - cataract 20'; yours only a little longer.

In reply to veteye:


Yes

In reply to Deadeye:


What about post op?

In reply to mypyrex:
I've had quite a lot. Invasive on one eye, for surface damage on the other

I don't want to worry you but assuming its not a general anaesthetic you can see what is going on but if you are prepared for that it's not so bad and no where near as bad as the nightmare you think its going to be.
Your eye is mostly immobilised with some natty device. I found the best technique was to focus on an object behind the surgeon and drift.
What you should be prepared for is to be absolutely exhausted and pretty useless afterwards.
If you find your vision has changed (I once came out and found the world was at an angle and further away) don't be alarmed you quickly adapt.

In reply to mypyrex:


Bit of a bandage. Some stinging drops for a few days (make yourself a chart if you have multiple sets).
For cataracts it was like the windows had been cleaned. For the retinal detachments it was relief that I hadn't gone blind, tempered by disappointment that the vision is very wavy in one eye now.

I wasn't as tired as the other respondent suggests. You'll need someone to drive you home though.

In reply to Deadeye:





Looking back in hindsight that tiredness on the local ops may have been largely emotional exhaustion as my retinal detachments didn't have a successful outcome and I was pretty scunnered by the time they started playing with the other eye.
On a positive note for the OP having had a variety of ops I now have very good vision in the working one and DVLA don't seem to mind either.

In reply to mypyrex:

I had the one where they stuck a hypodermic needle in my eyeball to get a splinter of wood out. It could have felt like that Bunuel film, but was actually painless. The accident left me with corneal abrasion and a damaged pupil - it's indiscernible, but I can't look at white buildings on a sunny day. Don't worry though, the alternative is probably worse.

In reply to Deadeye:

Interesting, thanks. My daughter has developed cataracts due to heavy (necessary, medicinal) steroid use and has gone from perfect vision to hardly being able to see jack in about 3-4 weeks.
She's having bilateral surgery to remove them in a couple of weeks and the surgeon is using a light GA.

In reply to rogerwebb:


Did they put your eye back in wonky? I've always wondered what you'd see if they took an eye out and put it back in upside down. I also wonder if what I see as a particular colour is what someone else sees as a particular colour i.e. if I had someone else's eyes transplanted into my head would blue things become a different colour.

To the OP - I had surgery for a lazy eye when I was 6. It was under general and I don't really remember anything other than getting a R2D2 toy afterwards .

In reply to Toerag:
I think they altered its shape. Stuck a band around it to keep the retina on.
All seemed normal after a few days.

If your retina is unpeeling from the top the sensation is going blind from the bottom.

I think you would perceive the same colours as the the information would still be processed by your own brain but I do wonder about colour perception when I see what my brother thinks goes together.

The deed is done. Apart from the initial anaesthetic injection the worst part is the anticipation.. Having had a sedative I found myself drifting off back to the Alps!

In reply to mypyrex:

Good, glad it went well. (hope the Alps was a good memory!)