Hello, I was diagnosed with glaucoma in both eyes and cataracts.
Several years ago, I had cataract surgery on my left eye (lens replacement). Now ophthalmologist wants to do cataract surgery on right eye and place stents in that eye to help relieve the pressure of glaucoma. I've been afraid of getting the surgery.
An optometrist said I had 32 pressure in both eyes and she could not dilate my eyes if the pressure was above 20. She very clearly discussed what's going on with my eyes and encouraged me to go back to the ophthalmologist. She was wonderful
My ophthalmologist doesn't discuss pressure with me. Also the optometrist told me I have optic nerve damage. She highly recommended that I see the ophthalmologist to do the surgery.
Well, I'm speaking circuitously, sorry. I'm very nervous.
Reason for my post is that for the last month my vision suddenly is getting worse. I'm worried about going blind.
Has anyone had the glaucoma stents? If so, do they lower the pressure in the eye?
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my nervous rambling, I live alone and rely on driving myself where I need to go. I don't want to lose my driver's license - among other things.
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DesertDeuces
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Hi, Firstly if your vision has worsened since your last appointment it is very important that you call the eye secretary and tell them this. They can relay this to the consultant and get back to you. If the worsening of your vision is intermittent it could be a sign of dry eyes and using a dry eye drop (preservative free)when needed may help with this. Either way you should call the secretary and make them aware of your concerns. Glaucoma UK have a buddy system where we can put you in touch with someone who has had the surgery and you can have a chat with them. I think there may even be a member on this forum who has had the iStent so hopefully they will see you post and reply.
I agree with Trish, how important it is to let your consultant's secretary know about the sudden change in vision.
Having had a 5 year history of Glaucoma which was difficult to treat , I noticed a marked change in one eye last year.
When I phoned at first I was told that they were very busy and I would have to wait. Luckily I phoned two weeks later and was given an appointment in a day or two. The consulatant then started talking about trabeculectomy as I had lost some field of vision , had previously had two lots of laser surgery and was on the maximum eye drop therapy.
I have normal tension glaucoma , so my pressure pre op was usually 15-21 .
The consultant then decided to offer me a Preserflo micro shunt , this used to be called the iStent. The first shunt was in December and the other eye had a shunt in March, each with a painless local anaesthetic and as a day case.. Everyone was really kind and helpful and I was given an emergency number for any problems.
My pressures now are about 10- 13 and I do not need to return for follow up for 6 months, as the surgeon is very pleased with the outcome.
Both eyes are comfortable most of the time, unless I have been on line for too long or have been in a dry atmosphere, so then dry eye drops are useful.
It is so good not needing the glaucoma drops that used to make my eyes sore.
I am very grateful for all the excellent care and numerous visits. Also I can drive again,( although obviously not able to drive for a while after each operation).
It did take a while to get my confidence back, and I found everything very bright indeed for several weeks , then things seemed to feel more like normal, I assume that it may be my brain adjusting to the changes.
If you have had cataract surgery , then at least you know a bit about eye surgery .
A nurse should see you a week or two before the operation and you should have time to ask questions.
I found both operations very interesting and learnt a lot about eyes !
Thank you for your reply. Doctor told me to take something for dry eyes and I just haven't. I didn't realize it was so important. Thanks for bringing this to my attention😊😊
Hi I would like to say welcome to the forum there are so many lovely people on here all experiencing different types of glaucoma and different stages. I was diagnosed in December last year I’m 53 I’m still so frightened I have open angle. I’m on drops once a day. I just wanted to say even though I know nothing about the surgery there is always someone to talk to so don’t feel alone. Even if it’s just about a chat about the weather it helps. Sorry I can’t be more help about surgery just wanted to say hello and your not alone. Keep in touch and take care x
Hi, I had istent operation on my right eye in dec 20 , and have had a trab on my left eye 2016. After the istent my pressure went down only slightly and I am still on Cosopt and monopost drops, but was able to stop pilocarpine drops.
I appreciate all of your responses. I will certainly resume using drops for dry eyes and contact the office to discuss my symptoms. Thanks for the warm welcome!
Hi and a warm welcome to this forum, so please feel you are never alone! Any and every question is so important and sometimes I really didn’t what questions I should be asking until I came on this forum. I’ve just had cataract surgery in the last week however never had stent surgery. I was diagnosed 20 years and it wasn’t until the last year that it was impressed upon me how important dry eye drops are for my eyes. So to be fair I was told about dry eye drops in the past but it wasn’t until about three visits ago that I was asked was I taking the dry eye drops daily and just how many drops per day! To cut a long story short I now use dry eye drops frequently throughout the day and wish I had done this years ago. Please keep in contact and let’s us know how you are getting on xx
Hello Desert Deuces. I can imagine that you are worried. I have had Glaucoma since birth so I’ve lived with it all my life and don’t know any different, but one of my elderly relatives has developed Glaucoma, she’s an avid reader, and she’s scared. I had a cataract removed from my right eye in Nov 2013. I had a tricky time with high pressure causing my eye to catch the inside of my eyelid, it would water and I couldn’t open it properly. I had a stent fitted and eventually that stopped. Pressures were lower, but still higher than my Consultant would have liked. I’ve had 2 subsequent laser treatments and now my pressures are lower and under control. The great thing about this forum is that although we all have different experiences of Glaucoma, there is someone who will relate to your problem. Keep your chin up and best wishes.
HiYes I've just had a stent put in. There seem to be different types.
Mine is a XEN stent. I was really nervous beforehand and requested sedation. But the ophthalmologist said it wouldn't be needed and he was right. The operation maybe took about 5 minutes and I didn't feel a thing.
My pressures in both eyes went down. I'm still having lots of checks and appointments to adjust the drops and find the right combination.
Hope all goes well for you.
Make sure you get good information in advance about what symptoms to expect after surgery and what you can and can't do afterwards and for how long.
Thanks for the great info on the different types of stents and your experiences with them. I had to postpone my cataract surgery and stent placement twice - once because I was admitted to the hospital from the emergency room and the other time because I had no ride. I'll be able to get it done on June 15th if I don't get sick again.I'm hoping the pressure will drop and that the optic nerve damage isn't too great. I can't see very well anymore and I'm worried about having to postpone the surgery twice.
My vision seems to go in and out of focus. Does anyone experience this?
Guess what? I cannot get surgery because I got an offer to move from California to Florida in a few days or so. I had to cancel my surgery because I have to be able to lift more than 5 pounds to put things in my car, and the doctor said there could be complications, too. So, I will wait to see a Florida doctor.
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