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Young Person With Detached Retinas

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BLUEEYEDANGEL311

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 4
Location: JACKSON,MS
Young Person With Detached Retinas
Posted: 08-16-06 13:45pm

Hi. My name is amanda and I am 22 years old. I have wore contacts since with 8th grade, yet have never wore glasses. Right around christmas 2005 I got pretty severe eye infections in both eyes, more so my right eye. I had bubbles on the surface of my eyes that were very painful and had constant discharge. Every since then I have noticed glitches in my right eye. It seemed that when I would look straight ahead there would be almost like a line going down the right side of that eye and I even had trouble reading out of it. However, doctors say my good eye probably over compensated making my vision seem better in the eye than it really was. Anyways, I am a procrastinator and I like to think I can out-live anything without the help of doctors and medicine-- until I am painfully reminded differently. With that being said, I am sure you are all aware that renu moistureloc was recalled a few months ago. I used that product for months! A push of a few buttons pulled some info online and it all started to make sense. So the next step was to make the appointment. I did make that appointment but it didn't go quite like I expected, if I honestly could have expected anything. The doctor did test after test, had me looking at this and trying to read that, but the harsh realization was that with that eye alone I couldn't read any of it. That is when the doctor diagnosed with detached retina and sent me immediately to ms retina associates.
Once I got to the retina clinic, they took my under their wing and to me now, it almost seems like a dream that I am some how still stuck in. Doc said that my retinas are detached in not just my right eye that I have lost vision in, but also in my left eye. He said they look thin and referred to some marfan syndrome because I am so tall and thin, (5'11") but didn't diagnose me as having it. He said all he can say is "bad luck." that was probably the most depressing thing I could have heard. That was until he told me that I needed emergency surgery in my right eye and later they will do laser in my left eye. He said if I didn't have the surgeries then not only will I go blind, he will have to remove my eyes. All I could do the first week was cry. I sat around covering my good eye, trying to determine exactly how much vision I had already lost. They did the surgery the following monday. They lasered scar tissue, lasered the retina back in place and put a gas bubble in my eye. They said I would be down about a week; failing to tell me that I wouldnt be able to see through the gas bubble for almost a month. The gas bubble being in your eye is like looking through a fish bowl and as the "water" drains out, you can see over the top of it. I could stand in the sun light and wobble my head and you could actually see a 'water line' moving in my pupil. Then it splatters all over the inside leaving you to look at bubbles. This is not to mention having to be face down for the first week. I couldnt use my good eye either for the first few days after surgery. They put stitches in my eye ball and those were very uncomfortable as they desolved. They had me using drops to dialate me eye several times a day. That made my pupil off center and then my eye color changed in that eye. Now I have one blue eye and one green eye- I think it looks kind of cool actually. Ha. I have bad acid reflux and vomitted one night. Big mistake. That made all the blood come to the surface of my eye and that took forever to go away. I haven't used the dialating drops in a week and a half now, yet my pupil wont go down and I cant read anything up close with that eye. Hopefully this will improve. I have a lot of floaters now. I dont know if or when or how my vision will be and this is all very confusing and emotionally challenging. Not to mention I am slowly trying to work my way back into work and it is very difficult. Lucky for me, vocational rehabilitation of mississippi is helping me and have completely covered the financial situation on both eyes. That alone is a miracle because the doctors said the bill would be about $5000 per eye. Vo-hab uses federal funds to help. I owe them my eye sight right now... Them and doc. All of the staff on both ends have taken my under their wing and are doing everything in their power to help me heal to my fullest.
I wanted to write my story because everywhere I go I only see this in the elderly or at best in a young person who has been in an accident or fight. That is not the case with me. I am a normal 22 year old female that did nothing and both eyes are detached. I don't know how to deal with all of this and I don't know what to expect. I was hoping by sharing what I have been through, maybe others could/would reach out. If you have been there, share some insight... And if you haven't then maybe I can help. Everyone tries to understand what I am going through, but I just don't feel they have the slightest clue. I am also looking for causes. Maybe a doctor will read this that has seen it before and share his knowledge to get me pointed in the right direction. My doc is great and is doing a wonderful job but he is highly offended that something so tragic has happened to such a young lady in such an unexplainable chain of events.
I appreciate you taking the time.... Go ahead.. Write back :)
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Mames

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 3

Posted: 01-17-07 23:31pm

I agree, it's really scary. Especially thinking that you could lose an eye. I have retina problems, too. I have high myopia (-12) and that causes me to have thin retinas. I had a slight tear several months ago, but I haven't had one since. Do you have high myopia? What is causing your tears?
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titaniumbum

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 24 Sep 2008
Posts: 1

Posted: 09-24-08 20:36pm

Hey,

I just recently went through the same traumatic experience. It's comforting to know that I'm not the only young person out there who had a detached retina.

I wonder the same questions: how did I get a tear? Is there anything I can do to stabilize myopia My prescription is very high as well, -12 in my left eye. The detachment happened in my left eye nd now I'm worried about my right.

So many questions and the docs don't really answer them. That's why I'm on the net.
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