I had a cataract operation to help lower my eye pressure as I am so allergic to the drops but unfortunately it didn't work and my pressure has remained the same at 20 in that eye and for some reason gone up to 23 in the other one that still has a cataract.I am going back to the clinic next week and think they may suggest laser treatment,but I have read that this also doesn't always work to lower pressure.Would it be a good idea to ask about Migs as this might be a better option I am so worried as to what to do . I am able to use one eye drop Saflutan but that isn't keeping the pressure down enough .I would be very grateful to hear from anyone that has been in the same position. Also I have been told I have very sensitive eyes could that hinder any procedures I might have.
allergic to most eye drops: I had a cataract... - Glaucoma UK
allergic to most eye drops
Hi booktwo I know how disappointing it is when a procedure doesn't have the hoped for result . I too had cataract ops to open up the angles in my eyes and hopefully lower the pressure, the pressure like yours was unfortunately not lowered. I wasn't a good candidate for SLT, which my consultant had already told me, so when eye drops weren't keeping my pressures down I had trabs in both eyes ,one 5 months ago and one 15 months ago. SLT is however successful for many patients. We are all individual as are our eyes, so unfortunately there's no one size fits all but I'm sure your consultant will offer you the treatment he feels will work best for you. The main thing is you are in the system and are receiving treatment . There's no harm in enquiring about MIGs, although your consultant should have a treatment plan in mind for you which you can discuss with him.
Good luck at your appointment next week .
Thank you for your reply. I'm glad you had successful treatment in the end. I suppose as you say I must see what the consultant thinks is the best option. As you say there is no one size that fits all. I think it would have been better to have had the MIGs, in the first place now that the pressure hasn't come down with the cataract operation but no one mentioned it,and when i said about having the other cataract done the consultant didn't seem that keen maybe because my pressure went from 20 to 34 after the operation . I was told I should have been given tablets to keep it down,although they don't always work .My main worry is not being able to use the drops as I am so allergic to most of them. Everything seems so complicated and no easy answers sometimes.
It is obviously an issue being allergic to drops if your op had worked everything would have been fine but unfortunately nothing ever seen to be that easy. Hopefully whatever treatment your consultant chooses next will be a success. It is a worry I know and I can certainly empathise. Did your pressure go up after your op due to the steroid drops, as a few people on the forum are steroid responders and the same thing happens to them . My eyes are quite resilient but I did find after two years on Simbrinza and Ganfort they were permanently blood shot and itchy so being drop free is wonderful. It's finding the treatment that will work for you so that you no longer need drops either . As you say there is sometimes no easy answers but with luck your consultant will find the correct answer for you 🤞.
My pressure went up straight away after the op I was told that I should have been given the tablets to take after the op as the pressure spikes about 6-7 hours later but talking to another consultant I was also told they don't always give them which i don't understand why aren't they given to everybody with glaucoma when they know the pressure might spike.Fortunately I have been told they can't see any damage but I did have to take Acetazolamide for two weeks . It must be lovely to be drop free with controlled pressure.I am going for appointment tomorrow Sunday they are putting on extra clinics to try and get the back log down which is good news for everyone.
I never knew that your pressure can spike after a cataract op, mine I'm assuming didn't as I had no issues. Thank goodness the high pressure didn't cause your eyes any damage but scary nonetheless.
I am definitely enjoying not having to take drops, I was scared nothing was ever going to work for me but 🤞 so far the trabs seem to be working.
I hope your appointment goes well tomorrow. Let me know how you get on.
I went for appointment yesterday I had one booked for 3.30 but had phone call at 9am to ask if I could go in earlier as they had so many cancellations the exact words were we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs. So much for putting on extra clinicsI. I shouldn't think they will do it again. Anyway I saw a very nice consultant who didn't seem particularly concerned about my eye pressure,said still 20 in cataract eye and down from 23 to 21 in other eye said it takes time for pressure to come down and eye to settle., she said to just carry on with the saflutan and she would see me in six months and we could see about having the other eye done then. That wasn't what I was expecting to hear after the previous consultant thought pressure needed to be lower.I know 21 is lower than 23 but not being seen for six month it could easily go up again . I was thrown by being told something I wasn't expecting to hear so didn't ask all the questions I have now like why did the other consultant seem to think the pressure should be lower,and how can you be sure that its ok to leave it for six months before checking again.I know I should be happy with that but then all the but ifs creep in.So I thought I could try and get a pressure check with an optician in a few months. It's daft really I know I wish I was one of those people that could just accept what there told and leave it at that.
Hi there, the real issue is whether your pressure is causing damage to your visual fields. Some people get damage at much lower pressures than others. When was the last time you had a visual fields test? I have advanced glaucoma and a lot of damage to my vision because my glaucoma was diagnosed late when I was in my 40s. Unfortunately after 15 or so years I became intolerant of all the glaucoma drops currently available so I have ended up having a lot of surgery including Baerveldt tubes in both eyes. MIGS and a trabeculectomy did not work for me but cyclodiode laser treatment and something called canaloplasty combined with cataract treatment did. My glaucoma is stable at the moment with pressures of around 14 in both eyes. There are a lot of treatments available these days so don't lose heart!
You have had a lot of procedures that must have been very hard for you,but thank goodness things look better now. I have had a recent field test that I asked for after the cataract op because I had noticed a slight blurring at the bottom corner of a Amsler Grid that wasn't there before the op.so I wondered if it was caused by the pressure spike to 34 that I had after the op.and was told nothing to worry about,although yesterday the consultant showed me my last field test and there was a definite dark patch there .not sure what to make of that .It does seem to point to some damage to me.
It's not daft it's your eyes and you've been told contradicting pieces of information from two separate consultants so I would be exactly the same and want the know the whys and wherefores.As longwalks said it's about more than eye pressure,I was losing vision when my pressure was 27 whereas my friend's mum has had the same eye pressure for years but no damage. It's definitely a good idea to get your pressure checked in a couple of months by an optician for your own peace of mind .
My optimum pressure is 14 but my right eye which has most damage is stable at 16, which my consultant says is fine as long as it goes no higher and today my left eye was 13 which was brilliant. My optician understands how much I panic about my pressure therefore it was the first thing she checked today. An empathetic optician and consultant make all the difference.
I now write all my questions down prior to any appointment as I leave my brain at the door of the hospital and forget everything I want to ask.
Not accepting automatically what you are told I think is a positive not a negative.
I know I should have asked why I had been given contradictory information about the field tests .It was such an obvious question to ask,but for some reason I didn't think about it at the time.I am always thrown by all the questions I have written down and ready to ask suddenly not being of any relevance because i'm told something I wasn't expecting to hear.It's so annoying when you get outside and then think of all the things you want answers to but didn't ask
It's difficult enough at appointments anyway but when you are expecting to be told one thing and are instead told the opposite it's easy for everything you wanted to ask to just leave your mind. I've come out of the eye clinic and wanted to kick myself for not asking certain things. I think we probably all have done the same thing at one time or another. Just concentrate on your eye healing and don't be so hard on yourself .
Hi booktwo
Don't be so hard on yourself, you are doing fine and not the only person to want your questions answered. It helps us to understand better to make choices on our glaucoma treatment.
Ophthalmologists don't always think the same or do the same. This doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong. It goes by experience, what works well and what works best for their patients. Some consultants use MIGS, others don't. Neither is wrong.
I agree with you, why not get your eye pressure checked at your optician's. It will help to ease your mind in how it is doing before you are seen at the hospital in 6 months time.
Thank you that is reassuring
Hi booktwo,
I was recently in a similar situation when an appointment to assess for surgery was cancelled so I went to Specsavers, as I was worried about the time frame to my next appointment. Unfortunately my eye pressure was up to 34 but I was able to contact the clinic and get an earlier appointment, which led to emergency MIGS to insert a shunt.
I don't have cataracts so am not in the same clinical situation as you but 4 weeks after surgery my pressure is at 8. From posts on this forum it would seem there are many different views as to what constitutes high IOP; some doctors seem happy at 20 but others schedule surgery at 10. I assume everyone's eyes are different so each diagnosis is individual but I don't think you are being daft at all. I worry constantly abut my eye pressure from almost the point I leave the hospital to the next appointment!
I would advise regular check ups (it's quick and free at Specsavers) just for your own peace of mind and don't be afraid to ask questions. I know pressure on the NHS is high (no pun intended!) and you don't get a lot of time during consultations but I gained most of my knowledge of glaucoma through this forum and relevant web sites/searches. I know a lot more now than I did when I was first diagnosed (I was in shock for months) and now I carry a list of questions to ask my doctor and write everything down so I don't forget, and can research further if necessary.
I wish you well and let us know how you get on. You're not alone
🙂
I'm glad the migs worked so well for you. Did they give you a reason why your pressure suddenly went up to 34 what was it before. When I have asked my local Specsavers before if I could have a pressure check they said they didn't do it. I think it must depend on the branch.I will check other local opticians. Your so right about different views on IOP which make it very confusing when your told by one consultant we must get your pressure down only to be told by another that its fine don't worry about it. Thanks for your reply and understanding.
Hi booktwo,
There is a history of glaucoma in my family so my IOP has always been high, I just wasn't aware if it, which I think is quite common unfortunately. I am now blind in one eye and but luckily was able to reduce the pressure in my left eye (with the shunt) before any real damage was caused.
Yes you may be right about the different branches of Specsavers. I've had my pressure tested at two different locations and also receive a free eye test as I have now been officially diagnosed with glaucoma, but maybe hat's only available in London. Where are you based?
Wishing you the best of luck and let us know what happens.
Hi, I have glaucoma and cataract. The consultant I saw last week (privately) said he would like to do laser on both my eyes as he believes this will help reduce the pressure. So it looks like one of those situations where the outcome varies according to individual reactions. Good luck.
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