questions

[les4560]

I now this site is about lung problems but was wondering if any one has had problems with eye problems I have to travel a great distance so t hey can put shunts in my eyes ( one eye at a time of course) so maybe I wont lose any more vision because I have already lost 85%- there is a lady on here that skates something that used to be a passion of mine and of course I cant do it any more,so my question is has any one had this surgery and if so can you tell me a little bit of what im in for?

[peege]

Sorry, I cannot help Les. Hopefully someone will be along who can. P

[les4560 in reply to peege]

thank you

[knitter]

My late mother had it done to help with her glaucoma, so has one of my friends.

But sorry I do not have any details, so I am not much help.

[les4560 in reply to knitter]

well thank you for responding!

[Caspiana]

Hi les4560 .

I'm sorry I can't help you with your question, but I wanted to wish you well for your procedure. Sending hugs and warm wishes. xx 🍀

[les4560]

oh think you so much,you are so sweet!

[BlackMounta]

Hi, I have had a Partial Venus Occlusion. Basically the artery has hardened and squashed the vein so that blood cannot get through and thus causes the blood to haemorrhage through the eye ball. This caused my eye initially to go completely blind and then return to normal a number of times before my eye eventually started losing centre vision.

The first eye doctor I saw said that nothing could be done. Not being satisfied, I had acupuncture, laser surgery, herbs, acupuncture, blood thinning and eventually found an eye surgeon who said that he could inject it with medicine used for cancer. This stopped the haemorrhaging very quickly however I am left with a legally blind eye but still have lighting and colour to the perimeter. If I had met this doctor at the first instance I would not have a blind eye! So my motto is keep getting opinions until you exhaust them and don't take the advice of a single doctor! Hope that you have a speedy recovery...

[Hidden]

Hi. In addition to the rest I have Sjergrens syndrome which causes very dry eyes. For a few years I used to go to the hospital to have blocks put into my tear drain ducts I was going every couple weeks because the kept coming out so I had both drainage ducts sealed. It has made a big difference to the dryness of my eye - now I have (steroid induced) cataracts I don’t really know what shunts are for but if they work????

[les4560 in reply to Hidden]

thank you so much so much for responding !WOW sounds like you have had a rough time do you have enough vision to do daily things and can you drive? do you have a special key board so you can t type? sorry for all the questions but im just scacred if the surgery doesnt work than I will lose more vision

[Hidden in reply to les4560]

Hi. My vision appears to be be quite a bit better than yours. The cataracts have, apparently, changed the way the light gies into my eyes so I can see fine close up, when I didn’t before, and I can’t see distance at the moment where I used to be long sighted. I think your proyis probably the opposite to mine as you have watery eyes that need draining don’t you? I used drops to keep eyes as moist as possible. Really hope they can fix your glaucoma and give you, at least, some of your sight back.

[les4560 in reply to Hidden]

thank you so much for responding once you have lost vision you can not get it back with glaucoma all they can do is try to keep you from losing more!

[les4560 in reply to Hidden]

oh I for got to tell you I don't have cataracts and they have tried different scripts on glasses and they are worthless! does glasses help you?

[Hidden in reply to les4560]

Yeah glasses help a bit but it’s still very blurred. However, when I have these cataracts removed hopefully things will be a lot better. Hope they manage to save your remaining sight

[les4560 in reply to Hidden]

thank you sweety!

[Hidden in reply to les4560]

You’re welcome

[Izb1]

Hi Les, sorry cant answer your question, but i do have watery eyes, which i imagine is similar to your problem, except that you have glaucoma. I looked it up and it seems the shunt is to drain the excess liquid. Whuch hospital are you having this done at? I hope it works out well for you, good luck and keep us updated x

[les4560]

hi there-yes if my eyes don't drain than the pressure will cause more vision lost and at 85%vision lost I cant afford to loose any more -the hardest part for me is I cant make peoples faces out,they are distorted! as for watery eyes I have just the opposite mine are very dry!

[Jomo46]

I have glaucoma but the drops made my chest worse and I refused to take them, my consultant offered me shunts or a deep sclerectemy operation. The shunts are small valves that lessen the eye pressure. The deep sclerectemy is an op where they take out a very small section of one of the layers of the eye. The excess pressure drains back to the circulatory system, not down your nose. , that does the same job. He said I could only have a local anaesthetic as my lungs would not take a full anaesthetic. The first op , shunts would take approx 40 mins, the second about an hour.he said the shunts sometimes need replacing and I may not be well enough then for him to replace them. He also said I would need cataract operations in about 3 years, so he would do these at the same time. I could choose either. I chose the deep sclerectemy. Usually you lie flat on the operating table, but I thought this would make me cough. He arranged I could go in on an operating day and lie on the table. He played with the table so my chest was slightly raised and my head back. That was ok with both of us.

So injanuary I had the first eye done, awake draped in sheets etc. It was very painful that afternoon when I got home but my gp gave me strong painkillers that worked. Unfortunately painkillers tend to thicken my mucus and 5 days later I had a chest infection- antibiotics etc. I had check ups with the consultant who was wonderful after 1 day, 8 days and then I think 3 weeks. My eye pressures went down. I could drive after 8 days.

The second eye was done early May. I don’t understand it as the consultant said he did everything identically, but I had absolutely no pain afterwards, a bit of a dull ache that did not need painkillers.

You take an antibiotic , a steroid and a snails drops afterwards. This time it has taken more time for the eyes to see clearly. Some double vision. But 3 weeks later I am ok to drive again. The eye pressures have dropped to 12 and 8. Consultant pleased. My distance vision is now good. I need reading glasses though.

I was quite afraid of the op, but there is a reassuring team there and someone holds your hand all the time, so if not happy you squeeze, but u can also talk. On the last op the stitches were digging in after 4 or so days,but they gave me a lubricant that worked. I had it all done at St. Paul’s in Liverpool and they have an emergency eye unit attached to the general a and e. Any problems and I could go there. I went twice. The first time they trimmed the offending stitch, second time gave me the lubricants. Both times I was seen almost immediately.the stitches dissolve in 4-6 weeks. Remember I had the cataracts done as part of all this.

I hope this is of use, you may want to ask the consultant how long the shunts last. The op for just shunts could be a lot shorter, but you could ask how long it takes. Which hospital do you go to?

This bigger op that I had was quite bearable, and nothing to be afraid of.

Good luck and let us know how unget on.

Incidentally the first op I was short of breath but not on oxygen. The second op I was on ambulatory oxygen. They all looked after me really well and I felt safe

Good luck

Jo

[les4560 in reply to Jomo46]

if its not to personal of a question can I ask how long it took your eye site to get that bad ?I am 58 and it took 15 years for me

[les4560]

hi there thank you for responding - I have talked to the surgeon about all this and you are right about what you say about shunts my worry is some time it does not work so I dont know where we will go from there -I have gotten 2 other opinion and they both said they did not want to scare me but this was some serious glaucoma! the eye drops that I had been on through the years just did not work,the eye doctor and his team did tests and said I was legally blind but not the blind where everything is black,so hopefully they can keep me from loseing any more vision! I do have a question are you against the shunt being put in you didn't sound very optimistic?

[Jomo46]

I have normal pressure glaucoma . They gave me drops but I seemed allergic to at least 5. I was diagnosed through field vision tests about 8 years ago. Aged 65. I refused to take more drops. The drops had caused post nasal drip which set off sarcoidosis. This is a genetic thing but needs a trigger to set it off. The post nasal drip was the trigger for me.So I have pulmonary fibrosis which is controlled by chemo drugs. I am always short of breath and now on ambulatory oxygen. My glaucoma deterioration was monitored and was slow but last year it suddenly got worse. The consultant ( very nice person) read me the riot act of being registered blind if I went on like this. My sight was always ok but there is a patch on my right eye which I know I have lost, fortunately the other eye covers it so I don’t notice it. He discussed the 2 ops and I chose the bigger one because I know my fibrosis will get worse and surgeons will refuse to treat me later on. I have nothing against the shunts

. Both types of op can not work or go wrong unfortunately. In the end I discussed it with my gp and sarcoidosis consultant and it seemed the bigger op had less chance of needing to be redone so I opted for that, if I didn’t have these severe breathing problems I would have probably chosen the shunts as they can be redone if needed.

The shunts are incredibly small. I think what I am saying is that the bigger op was actually quite bearable and nothing to be afraid of. So the shunts are a smaller op and you should sail through that easily. The very best of luck. It seems you have had a lot of professional advice and the shunts are their advice. By bigger op was quite bearable so you should sail through getting the shunts done. I think they still have a range of things if these don’t work like laser treatment etc. Make sure you have access to good pain relief for afterwards if you need it. ( remember my second eye had no pain afterwards). Perhaps discuss with your gp about whatever medication you take for your copd . I take steroids occasionally and made sure I had some in in case I needed them to help my chest and reduce inflammation.

When do you have them done and which hospital?

Best of luck jo

[les4560]

hi there -yea I had quit a problem with eye drops one caused my blood pressure to drop In the 70s and we know that's not good- I don't have copd but I do asthma it is now well controlled the hospital im having it done at is 3.5 hours from where we live so we have to stay in a hotel because he wants to check my pressure at 9 a.m the next day and then I go the next week and if no complications he will see me In 2 weeks and it goes on and on and on- my surgery in July 10-thank you so much for your concern!

[Skatergirl1]

Hi Les, i just wanted to say I wish you well and hope all goes good for you. I don't know where you lI've but if you were near me I would take you skating again and hold your hand and be your eyes, as you know it is all in the balance and feel with skating. I wish you well. Love and hugs xx

[les4560]

LOL-that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard,you are surely a sweet heart- I have no dought every thing will work out for me! you just keep doing what you are doing because it sounds like it is making you better! thank you so much for your concern and please call me Marjorie!

[Artist1956]

Hi. It sounds like you are getting expert eye care. Yes, some autoimmune lung diseases are associated with eye problems. For example, rheumatoid arthritis can be associated with bronchiectasis . And, those diseases are associated with eye diseases like Uvieitis. That is just one example. The best thing that you can do is keep your eyes moist and free of infection. You eye doctors will monitor all of those other associated diseases. Enjoy life. Blessed be.

[les4560]

thank you so much and yes aren't these the most wonderful people ever? have a good night!