Needling

[Rievergal]

Has anyone experience with having their trab needled? I’m having it done in one of my eyes next week. Any positive or negative information will be helpful plus do’s and don’ts re aftercare. Thank you.

[Hidden]

I've had a few needlings in theatre and will have to have another one.

The op wasn't a big deal. It felt a bit claustrophobic when they put a latex like mat over the face. The only other hard part was looking down all the time and trying not to let the eye wander as the room was in darkness and there was literally nothing to focus on.

Aftercare was much like the trabeculectomy but with a less irritable eye. Lots of drops and not getting any water in it for a month.

I had a few unusual complications, but they are rare so I won't trouble you with them.

All in all, sounds nasty but really isn't a big deal. It's the drops and aftercare that are the biggest inconvenience.

[Rievergal in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your quick response to my questions. How long ago did you have your trab? I’ve read they are less successful if your trab was done years ago. Mine were 6 years ago. I might just be worrying too much but you always seem to be able to find worrying reports of procedures than the positive ones. Thanks again.

[Hidden in reply to Rievergal]

My oldest trab was about 3 years ago, so still fairly recent.

[Euphor]

Hi, I had bleb needling last December. I don’t know how long ago you had the original trab? It had been around a 15 year gap between for me and sadly the needling wasn’t successful but of course that doesn’t mean yours won’t be. I’m not sorry I had the treatment as it was certainly worth a try. My eye was very red and sore afterwards for a couple of weeks-I wish I hadn’t rushed back to work within the first week post op as the bright lights and computer glare as well as dealing with my students (FE teacher) was very irritating and I think hampered my recovery. Good luck with yours, rest up if you can. My consultant told me many many people have successful outcomes 🙂

[Rievergal in reply to Euphor]

Hello Euphor,My trabs were 6 years ago. It’s the good eye that the pressure has shot up in. I might just be worrying too much. What did they do for you since the needling failed. Thanks again.

[Euphor in reply to Rievergal]

They decided on a Baerveldt eye implant. I had that procedure about 10 weeks ago. I’m sure there are other options but I suppose the consultants look at eye history etc to decide what is best 🙂 hopefully the needling will work for you as it hasn’t been as long since your trab 🙏🏼

[Rievergal in reply to Euphor]

Thank you for your good wishes. I have tried to dig out the big brave girl pants but can’t find them! The hospital did say if the needling didn’t work then it would be the Baerveldt tube shunt for me. How have you found it so far? I do hope it continues to keep your pressure low for many many years ahead. We all hope to retain good useable sight in our lifetime. I’ve too much fun still to have!

[Euphor in reply to Rievergal]

Thank you. Haha yes, me too, though I’ve tried not to let the implant spoil my fun too much 😄. It was performed under general anaesthetic and was a one night stay in hospital for me. I took a few weeks off work afterward as my eye was quite swollen and I had some double vision in it for some time, also there were eye drops needed every couple of hours and they needed to be kept in the fridge. I don’t want to paint you any horror stories as some people will not have any issues at all . It’s starting to feel better now and I am back out on my bike and swimming again etc ☺️ hopefully you won’t need the implant but if you do, you can talk to me anytime if it helps alleviate any fears.

[Rievergal in reply to Euphor]

No, you haven’t painted any horror stories. I know it’s not always rosy in the garden but I prefer to hear facts. I’ve learnt over the years that not one shoe fits all. It’s good to hear from someone that’s had the shunt fitted and their personal experiences with this disease, it makes you feel you have support and are not alone in battling the glaucoma mountain. Thank you again and for the offer to get in touch again.

[Walrus71]

Hi. I have had a Sclerectomy in 2017, failed needling in 2019 followed by Baerveldt implant, plus cataract surgery in 2020 due to surgery induced cataract.I found the needling worse than the tube implant, but this was probably due to the fact that I scar excessively so my consultant had to be quite brutal with the needle! But no pain, just a bit uncomfortable.

The tube was very straightforward, done under general as a day case. I was amazed how well I could see & how little discomfort there was from the day after. I found it less uncomfortable than the sclerectomy.

It took about a year for my tube to reduce the pressure down to somewhere near what we were hoping for. Apparently this can happen sometimes, so don't lose hope if you don't immediately get the reduction you were aiming for.

Aftercare hasn't been too much of a problem, I use my phone alarm for the eye drop regime, & just line up my shampoo bottles & keep my eye shut in the shower!

Wishing you all the best. In my experience the fear is always worse than the procedure. Stay positive xx

[Hidden in reply to Walrus71]

Hi just wondering if you had to take atropine drops after your tube surgery and if so for how long?

[Walrus71 in reply to Hidden]

I was given Pred Forte drops, every couple hours to start with, then gradually reducing in frequency over several weeks.

[Rievergal in reply to Walrus71]

Hello Walrus71, Reading your reply is all very positive, thank you.

[Astilbe]

Hi Rievergal

I haven't had a trab or needling. They went straight for an aqueous shunt implant (Preserflo microshunt). Various drops over about 20 years weren't keeping pressures low enough and I had started to have defects in my field test in one eye. (I have glaucoma in both eyes). Laser treatment failed to have any effect.

I had the shunt implanted under general anaesthetic 3 1/2 months ago.

I was on Atropine drops one a day for one week. (This was to reduce swelling, although it does keep your pupil dilated so you need to take care in bright lights and wear sunglasses I found), also Antibiotic drops (kept in fridge) 4 times a day for 4 weeks. Dexafree (steroid) drops 6 times a day for 2 months. I am still on Dexafree drops 4 times a day, after 3 months, I have another appointment end of August by which time it will have been 4 months since op.

The op was ok. I had double vision, very gradually improving for 2 months, now don't have double vision but have lost about 2 lines of vision on the eye test chart. I am hopeful that it might improve some more. It took about 2 months or so before I was not aware that there was something in my eye, so the discomfort of that does get better. I wore the eye shield at night for 3 months to make sure I didn't rub my eye in my sleep.

My eye pressure in the operated eye went from 21 to 10 straight after the operation and has remained at 10. Which was what they were aiming for.

I am told that I will need the same operation in my other eye and that I have now got a cateract in my operated eye which nobody mentioned before and I was unaware of. So maybe that is surgically induced (as Walrus71 commented on). They say that they can operate on that as well.

One thing I found was that Blephaclean sterile eyelid cleansing wipes were absolutely great for keeping my eyes clean and comfortable. They were recommended by the consultant, although you have to buy them yourself. I got mine online from AYP Healthcare at roughly half the price that pharmacies and other online retailers were selling them for. I have carried on using them in the mornings.

All in all I am grateful that I eventually got treatment after waiting for a year for the operation due to Covid with deterioration while waiting. The experience, while it was uncomfortable, was not unbearably so and I am recovering and it appears to have been successful. I drew up a chart so that I could tick off when I had put each drop in, which helped a lot.

Sorry this post is so long, but I hope that it helps you.

[Rievergal in reply to Astilbe]

Thank you Astilbe,Absolutely it does help and I found your experience informative and details about your aftercare very useful. It’s good to know what I might experience after the op. A record of your drop regime is a good idea. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

[Vintageradio28]

Nothing to fear as my experience shows. A few pinpricks. and it's all over. Follow the advice of your consultant.