Anyone had to massage eye themselves post trabeculectomy ?

Hi hope everyone is doing ok?

I have just had my one week post trabeculectomy check up and I am healing well, possibly too well !!!

My IOP was up at 30 but consultant got it down to 10 by massaging lower lid. I bled a lot during op and needed a massage following day to break up blood clot which was blocking bleb.

I have another check up in 6 days and have to massage my eye for 5 secs every morning . I am obviously willing to attempt this in hope it will stop any scarring and prevent the need for another op.

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue.? If I press too hard I will make my eye bleed and too gentle and it will be pointless .

I am bit apprehensive but fingers crossed it works.

Thanks for reading this .

[Jennymary]

If you're in the UK maybe contact Glaucoma UK or RNIB for some advice and guidance, good luck

[Hidden in reply to Jennymary]

Thank you that's good advice, I am in Scotland. My surgeon was great and showed me exactly what to do but I guess it's the reassurance that someone else has done had to do this too.

[Vich81]

Hi I had a trab 10 years ago now. I’m also in Scotland but was living in Essex at the time and under the care of Moorfields. I can’t say I was told to massage it myself but I do remember the consultant doing this a couple of times there and although it didn’t hurt, I just wasn’t loving the thought of it so I can appreciate it can’t be easy for you to do it yourself. Good luck! Hope the healing goes well, it is a process.

[Hidden in reply to Vich81]

Thanks for replying , the consultant has done it both times I have seen him for my post op check ups and it's uncomfortable but not sore. I actually massaged eye this morning and it didn't fall out so that's a positive!!!! It's definitely the thought of doing it myself but anything to help it along. Did your consultant massaging your eye keep your eye pressure down ? Thanks again.

[Vich81 in reply to Hidden]

I’m pretty sure when he did it the pressure did come down. I remember I was a nervous wreck though and cried at the thought of anyone even remotely coming near my eye! I like to think I’ve toughened up a bit since though. I had a bit of stitch issue and a bit was poking out making my eyelid sore so he had to snip a bit away and I was such a big baby haha! It wasn’t even sore. It definitely is the thought of most things rather than the thing itself. They gave me a general for the trab. I think that was more to do with my age though. I was 29 at the time.

[Hidden in reply to Vich81]

You were certainly much braver than I would have been at that age. The thought is always worse than the actual event. It helps to hear other people's real life experiences I've found, it stops me being so terrified prior to check ups etc .

[lswk]

The day following the trab my IOP was around 22. My consultant told me to massage in the following days, a few times per day. I followed and tried to do it in a gentle way. The week following the IOP dropped to 6. I wondered if it was good to be that low, but the consultant told me it was ok, and no need to do the massage then.

The the following two appointment the IOP kept at 5. I was told it will gradually come up. See how it will be.

[Hidden in reply to lswk]

Thanks for sharing that with me, it's good to know that you also had to massage your eye and that you did it successfully . I am only doing it once a day and trying to copy the same pressure the consultant did. When he massaged my eye the pressure dropped immediately from 30 to 5 the day after op and 30 to 10 this week. I am hoping I have achieved the same result .