Retinal tears - Betmiga?

[Janouska]

Hello

I have just had laser got two retinal tears. I’ve been on Betmiga for. Few months and wonder if it has encouraged this. Had anyone experience of bladder drugs impacting vision? My eye pressure had been normal ( varied from 15 when left off drug got few days - was 18 in hospital this week in eye casualty) . Am feeling very scared. Thanks

[Desanthony]

I can only answer from my experience and no I have not had this problem. A younger friend of mine has had a retinal tear recently but he was not on Betmiga.

[Janouska in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you! It seemed unlikely as not had increased eye pressure but wondered whether there is a dehydrating effect. I am now on my third tear and had surgery today. Conclude I’m just unlucky/old/very shortsighted. Various bits of body - heart/bladder and now eyes- seem to have deteriorated rapidly since stopped HRT in 2019. Back on in desperate attempt to rebuild my body😀 But must be positive and am grateful for health I have

[Desanthony in reply to Janouska]

As with a lot of things it’s probably a combination of many things. So hard to pin down a definite cause. My wife had rapidly growing cataracts in both eyes at the age of 52. Within 6 months of the optician seeing the cataracts for the first time at her annual check and telling her that these little cataracts would take 15 to 20 years to grow to the extent that they would affect her sight she could hardly see out of her right eye and the left was getting much worse.None of her immediate family had even had cataracts and she was questioned about hydration and sun exposure and wearing sun glasses but she always wore sun glasses even when I didn’t as she seemed more sensitive to bright light and had never been seriously dehydrated and they meant seriously when they questioned her about it - dehydrated to the point of being ill but she never had - just one of those things - I suppose something that could have been carried down from a grandfather she never knew - but who knows?

Hope all goes well for you. Getting old is a privilege denied to some dear people I know who died young. I keep telling myself that but at age 80 things can be a heck of a challenge.

[Janouska in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you. Wow your wife must have been shocked . Yes it’s just luck. I too have cataract ( am 63 in a couple of weeks) but small and will resist surgery as now retinas frail there is added risk of detachment. Yes age is a privilege - both my parents died young but I inherited my eye problems from my grandmother. My brother hasn’t and is much less shortsighted than me. I wish I’d lived a fuller life, not worked 12 hour days for local government and not saved my living for retirement . But regret is futile. I just want to get on with my art and writing now, potter in garden and do some volunteering.

I wish I had a partner- preferably an

ophthalmologist 😀

Take care. Keep as well as you can.

[Desanthony in reply to Janouska]

I’ve been lucky to have travelled with work and been able to have some good holidays but at one time worked a full time job and any other part time evening and weekend jobs I could just to be able to afford to buy our own house and live. I really enjoyed my work and found it very fulfilling. The last two years though have upset the apple cart just as I had recovered from cancer treatment I had AF and then a new knee and just as I recovered from that 2 years of lockdown so not been travelling as much as I wanted to - I have a brother in South Africa and some in Florida and hadn’t visited them since before cancer treatment started 5 years ago - thankfully they did visit so now ready to get back to going to visit them.

Can’t manage to potter in the garden as have a bad back and neck so moved to a place with a smaller garden and between us we cope - though I keep thinking I can do what I used to do when I was in my 40’s and then pay for it!

Got to make the most of whatever we have.

All the beat