i have aggressive open angle glaucoma in both eyes .An emergency trab was performed March 23
after sudden vision loss and very high IOP . July 23 Jan 24 bleb needlings .Feb24 steroid induced cataract occluded the vision IOP 26 .March 24 cataract removed and further bleb needling and mitomycin C . 2 weeks later IOP raised further bleb needling and avastin .2 weeks later this was repeated . Now 2 weeks on late June … more scar tissue .Surgeon will not remove any more scar tissue as it is too painful and distressing for me .
He suggests aqueous shunt surgery very soon … pressure is now 38 and I must make a quick decision . My body will probably heal shunt surgery in same way as it did trap door of trab .I have had very large amounts of dexamethasone for more than a year . I will go blind without the op .
My right eye also has a trab .( May 23 …only 1 needling Jan24 IOP 12 ) .It has beginnings of cataract …use x2 dex per day ) .It has very good vision .
Is it worth going thru the pain and discomfort of shunt surgery and follow up …perhaps with a poor outcome .I am depressed as I am not able to travel far away from my eye clinic and feel I am spoiling my husband’s retirement .
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Alfiwestie
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We're all different so I can only relate my own experience.
I'd already lost vision which was discovered after a cataract op. Uveitis complicated everything my consultant tried but diode laser healed over & my trab failed so I had an Ahmed valve shunt put in.
That was successful but I still need 2 lots of drops as well. Pressures now stable though I have lost a lot of vision. Mostly, in my case, due to the uveitis.
Glaucoma only affects one eye for me and is secondary so, as I say, everyone's case is different. I'd always follow my consultant's guidance tbh. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
The shunt was put in about 12 years ago. No recovery complications - the valve also prevents pressures slipping to zero which happened after my trab.
The consultant always says it's in a great position. Not sure why it doesn't keep the pressures down on its own but I'm always told I'm a complex case so I just go along with whatever's recommended I need! 😀
Hello. You have had a lot to cope with and only you can make that decision with the advice of your eye specialist, to whether or not to have the shunt surgery. They have obviously suggested it is done very soon to save you losing any sight. It makes it harder to decide when you are told there can be complications. It is about thinking of what will happen to your sight if the operation isn't performed. If you feel you would like another appointment to discuss further with your eye specialist before making your decision, do call the eye secretary at the hospital to arrange this.
Whitedog has given wonderful advice and if you decide to have the operation, we do have our buddy service, where someone who has had shunt surgery, would be able to talk through their experience, with you. If this is something you would like to do, please call us on 01233 64 81 70.
Thank you so much for your thought provoking advice . I continue to consider all the options and have a wonderful , kind surgeon who only wants the best for me so I am very lucky . Unfortunately I have had many consecutive very painful attempts to remove scar tissue and my thinking is very much coloured by this .I have 2 more days to weigh up the options .❤️
Hi, I had a Baerveldt tube implant in 2019. This was carried out after a failed Sclerectomy in 2017 caused by aggressive scarring, followed by an unsuccessful needling. I've also had surgery since for a cataract caused by the previous treatments. Since the tube implant my pressures have stabilised in the mid-teens (although I'm also still on 2 types of eye drop). My sight loss has slowed down significantly and I haven't needed any further procedures apart from laser treatment for PCO after the cataract surgery.
I found it all really stressful too, but I decided I wanted to do everything my consultant recommended so that if I ended up losing my sight, I would know that I'd tried everything possible to prevent it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do, I really hope it all goes well for you.
Hi - I just wanted to say hello as a fellow uveitis suffer with glaucoma also brought on by steroids. Tube and shunt surgery is uncomfortable but my pressures are stable. My surgery was in 2020, took a while to heal and I had to take oral steroids as had a uveitis flare afterwards. I had a bad psychological reaction to them and became depressed and anxious. Didn't realise it was a side effect for ages. Just to let you know this in case it's helpful. Don't put your husband's retirement first. Becoming blind would be very sad.
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