Has anyone had to deal with low pressure after trabeculecyomy? I had the fourth of my weekly post- trabeculectomy follow ups today. The pressure was 5. Before the operation the pressure was consistently around 15. Week one after surgery it was 15, week two, 17 ( then stitch removed) Week 3 was 20. Stitch was adjusted and 11 at end of appointment. The consultant has told me to come off steroids for 2 days ( on 8 drops a day. Then reduce to 3 a day. Also continue on atropine drops.
I'm also to be extra careful about touching the eye, bending, lifting heavy items etc.
I realise a pressure of 5 is the border if the danger zone for low pressure, with the risk of retinal problems and more vision loss. Also risk of further surgery
I'd really like to hear other people's experiences of this, what treatment was given, what were you told to do ir not do. and if it inevitably led to further surgery. Thank you.
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Iona57
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I don't think it was long after the surgery that mine went down to zero. I knew something wasn't right as my eye felt sunken so I went back and had gel injected.
I think that sorted the problem, though my memory of it is a bit vague now.
My pressure dropped to 4 after my trab last September and is now 2 . My vision isn’t great and having taken a second opinion I’m due corrective surgery in a few weeks time Not great but there is no real alternative .
What corrective surgery are you having, I had a trabe 2 years ago. Then a repair and cataract done. But eye still waters and vision not good. Surgeon talks about a mono for other eye but as first eye is not good was wondering what options are available.
Hi Mangobrain, I'm sorry you are still having trouble with your eyes. No specific additional surgery has been suggested as yet. I assumed it might be to add extra stitches to the bleb to reduce the drainage.
mine also dropped to 5 after treb. Consultant was happy with that! She is more concerned now it has risen to 9. Appointment today, will let you know results
I had stent and mine went to 5 for probably 6 weeks at least. Had to take atropine. It is now 12 and vision is better. I was really worried about the low pressure but it came back.
mine dropped to 4 with blurred vision. I had atropine for a few months and also a gel injection but nothing changed. A year later my pressure in that eye is 5 and still blurred but feels comfortable and I have adapted to the blurred vision and got new glasses. My consultant doesn’t seem to concerned about the low pressure and pointed out that lower pressure can slow down the progress of the glaucoma so may be advantageous in that respect. I’m hoping the pressure might increase over time and make my eye less blurry but I suppose that’s a bit of an unknown.
Hi Littletreasures, it's a shame your vision is still blurry. Was that after a trabeculectomy? Did they give you the option of having the bleb adjusted wirh surgery?
Hi, had trab surgery on 5th June. Pressure was 3, then 5, and on last check 7. Was put on Atropine for 2 weeks. Finished drops on 16th July. Pupil still very dilated and vision blurred. Now drop free. Don't go back to eye unit until 1st Aug. Whole Trab process has been quite frustrating. Feeling very much in limbo at moment!
Hi there, I just wanted to say how much I can relate to your final sentences. I feel the frustration building up in me before and after appointments. I'm only 5 weeks post-trab and today my consultant could tell I was frustrated. My pressure was down to 2, so I'm now on atrophine x2 a day and he's reduced my anti scarring drops to x2 a day (was x6). I've only done x1 atrophine so far and my vision is already worse, it's quite unsettling and worrying. I hate the idea of more damage being done. I'm in my 30s and got an injury which caused this.
Hi Roundearther. I see you have found your way onto my post of 6 months ago regarding fluctuating and low pressure after trabeculectomy. Yes, the recovery process can be very variable, even after a trab where there has been no injury. My consultant told me that the atropine protects the structures of the eye when the pressure is low. But it does dilate your pupil so you can't focus properly, and your eyesight is temporarily worse. I found it took about two and a half weeks for the pupil to function normally, even after the atropine e was stopped. It was really hard to cope with as the vision in my other eye is very poor and blurred anyway. However, after about three months, much to my amazement, my vision was pretty much back to where it was before the trab. So please don't lose hope. 5 weeks can be 'early days' and there is plenty of time for improvement.
I'm so pleased to hear about your progress over three months. Every time I go back to the eye clinic it's like climbing a hill when you think you've seen the top, but actually you get there and there is more to go. There's always something new around the corner isn't there? I'm starting to understand the process more, although it is frustrating - I'm unfortunately someone who likes to understand exactly what is happening and try to plan as much as possible! I hope you continue to do well, very best wishes - Rich
Hi Iona, When I had two stitches taken out after Trab my pressure dropped to 0, they injected the eye with steroids and waited and week (no improvement) then they injected the eye twice with gel (still no improvement) eventually after about a month I had to have corrective surgery, which increased the pressure to 7 , this they were happy with as on the scans they could see that structure of the eye had returned to normal (previously it was like a deflated ball). That was over a year ago and the pressure has held at 7 with no issues. In your case as long as the eye looks good on the scans then 5 maybe good for for, and will also mean no Glaucoma drops in that eye are needed. Trab surgery is a lot of guess work, there is no guarantee what pressure you end up with, but if you are on the low side with the eye holding up well and no Glaucoma drops; that's a good result. Hopefully that's you, all the best.
Hi frankthebank, thanks very much for sharing your experience. It's encouraging to know that a trabeculectomy can end up with a good result, in spite of a scary start! Have you experienced any long term blurry vision because of the initial low pressure?
No problem Iona, I know how stressful it can all be, so happy to share my experience. I did lose alot of vision in my eye but it's hard to say how much was the high pressure I had for a few weeks pre trab/ how much was low pressure after, but what I do know is that with the pressure holding at 7 the eye is comfortable with no more vision loss, and pre corrective surgery, you can just tell if the low pressure is an issue as the eye just feels soft and deflated (combined with very blurry vision) also I hope you don't need corrective surgery but if you do don't panic because it's much easier for them to get the size of the bleb just right the second time, but hopefully your eye is holding up OK and 5 is good, which could also increase a little in time. I wish you all the best.
Thank you very muchfrankthebank.. The pressure was 4 at my check up today- down from 5 last week- but the consultant wasn't too concerned as there was no sign of any problem with the back of the eye. I'm stopping all eye drops apart from atropine once a day. Check ip in 2 weeks. Fingers crossed! All the best to you.
Every situation is unique! I am surprised you had surgery with a pressure of 15! It' been many years, lost track since my trab, also have a stent, both eyes. Left eye is shot after 2 detached retinas, countless laser surgeries a cornea transplant and two infections. Right eye pressure remained at 2-4 for years after all the same procedures. I had no vision issues, no more drops after 30+ years. The vision has remained stable and has remained around 6-7, occasional blurriness. My Dr is fine with the low pressure since all is stable. Good luck to you.
Hi USME, Thank you fir sharing your experience. You certainly gave had a lot going on wirh your eyes. It's good to hear that yoy have been OK with low pressure over the years. The pressure was 4 at my last two appointments, but Doctor said no sign of retinal damage, which can happen if pressures too low. Next check up in two weeks. The eye does feel a bit squidgy and weird when I blink over it, so I'm hoping this doesn't mean the pressure has dropped further!
Yes, sadly , having normal tension glaucoma was resulting in deterioration even with pressure at 15.
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