Blurry Vision after Tube Shunt

I had a tube shunt surgery 5 weeks ago and the sutures have dissolved but my eye pressure in my good eye is very low (3) and I am experiencing blurry vision. Has anyone else been through this? It's very distressing as the vision was previously very good. I'm constantly wondering if it will go back to normal and it's also causing anxiety about the long term reality of my future eyesight. It's like I'm getting a taste of what's to come and I'm not coping well at all.

[Hidden]

I've had trabeculectomies and was taught how to massage my eye pressures down. I think I overdid it one time which resulted in blurred vision. The pressure would have resolved quite quickly but the blurred vision lasted several days.

I'd discuss your concerns with your consultant, but I think there's every chance your vision will improve.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply. The consultant said it's normal and there can be false starts. I said it should be gone in a few days though right. He nodded but said if it's not come back in a week. Then of course when I got home I turned to Google and found it can be up to six weeks. I'm hoping it doesn't take that long and this is the last hurdle ay

[nat10]

I had a trab operation and the pressure went very low but did go up on its own by my next appointment. Are you still on any drops after the surgery?

Do you use dry eye drops? As sometimes dry eyes can make eyes blurry.

[Hidden in reply to nat10]

Thanks for your reply. Did the low pressure cause blurry vision for you? I'm on Pred Forte (steroid) 6 times a day to prevent scar tissue forming.

[nat10 in reply to Hidden]

I cannot remember if I had blurry vision but I can remember that they didn’t feel right vision wise, but was 6years ago. the steroid drops can cause blurry eye, how long have you got left to take them?

[Hidden in reply to nat10]

The blurry vision started exactly 5 weeks after my surgery which was the day of my last appointment. I had been on 4 different drops to lower the pressure as well as the steroids. The consultant said it was definitely the sutures dissolving that caused the lower pressure as the valve started working so I had to stop all drops apart from steroids. I'm not sure how much longer I need them. It has been a shock to the system though as still blurry.

[Longwalks3]

I had blurry vision in my left eye for several months after a trabeculectomy in my left eye in 2018. I had very low pressure because there was a leak from the bleb that would not heal (I had to have several revision ops). Eventually it did heal and the vision in that eye is not blurry at all now. I would say don’t panic. Things will improve but maybe not as quickly as you would like depending on your circumstances!

[Hidden]

Thanks for the reassurance, I feel a bit let down that my consultant didn't prepare me for this but after the initial few days of horrible emotions I'm a lot more calm and I suppose it could be a lot worse at least I can move around easily and do most tasks reasonably well. This forum has been a Godsend as I was feeling so alone before finding all of you wonderful people. I live in New Zealand where there is very little awareness of glaucoma (I admit to having no idea what it was other than something to do with your eyes) and only support groups in the big cities. Once my vision comes right I would like to start doing something to raise awareness and provide more support for people in our situation.

[Astilbe]

I had an aqueous shunt implant just over 6 weeks ago. I have been extremely worried about the blurring/double vision such that I cannot read or drive. My eye pressure in that eye was 21 and the next day after the op it was 8, the next appointment was 9 and my appointment last Tuesday was 10. I had Atropine drops for one week, an antibiotic for a month and am still on steroids now. It was 6 times a day, just been changed to 5 times a day. Consultant said they liked to reduce gradually. Another appointment in 4 weeks time. Apparently the sutures had not dissolved last Tuesday and the consultant said they were 'tight' and she didn't want to remove them because it would lessen the chance of a positive outcome.

However, in the last couple of days I have noticed a slight improvement in the blurring/double vision. It is not back to normal at all but it gives me hope that maybe the stiches are at last dissolving. One doctor told me that the stitches could be pulling my eyeball out of shape and that could be causing the blurring etc. He said that it was a focussing issue because on my eye test the vision improved a bit when using the 'pinhole' attachment and everything else looked fine.

I meant to ask if I could now put moisturising drops in my operated eye to try and relieve the discomfort but I forgot to ask. Does anybody know if that would be OK?

[Hidden in reply to Astilbe]

I'm not a professional and please ask your consultant before trying this but if I could have do it again I would have stopped the pressure lowering drops the day before the sutures dissolved. Mine was exactly 5 weeks after the surgery and I used drops right up to the day resulting in a pressure that was too low (3) and causing me a few problems. Again, I'm no expert but it might be worth letting the drops wear off and the pressure rise the day before the sutures dissolve to try and meet the target pressure and avoid complications.

[Astilbe]

I wasn't using pressure lowering drops after the surgery. The consultant told me that the sutures had usually dissolved by the 6 week check up but mine hadn't, there were some remaining. I was told beforehand that my sight would be fine straight away after the op but it wasn't. My target pressure is 10 because of damage to my visual field and optic nerve due to waiting over a year for the operation after I was told I needed it (due to Covid cancellations and clinics closed). Some people have a target pressure of 15 achieved by a simple shunt tube I was told as well. Mine was the shunt tube and a bleb under the eyelid.

Were you on pressure lowering drops after the surgery then? What were they?

I feel more positive now because there has been a slight improvement in the blurred vision since my appointment last Tuesday so hopefully it will continue.

I know how you feel though, it is such a worry not really knowing just what the outcome will be. I think it does take time though so maybe in another couple of weeks you will be much better. I will probably need another operation on my other eye where the pressure is still 21 after over 20 years of using various eyedrops and having laser treatment (which didn't help me at all).

What drops are you on at the moment in your operated eye?

[Hidden in reply to Astilbe]

Oh that's really frustrating having to wait that long ay covid has caused so much carnage in the world. I am just on Pred Forte now, no pressure lowering drops. After surgery I was on four different drops but I think they got the pressure too low leading up to sutures dissolving. My target is also 10 so if it's not at that point by my next appointment I may need more drops.