I stent and cataract surgery 🥲

[Crafty-gran]

my consultant has now said I have the start of cataracts bin both eyes 🥲my NTG is progressing despite being in maximum eye drops for3 months

Visual field tests have shown progression

So I’m due to have i stent and cataract surgery in next few weeks

I’m trying to stay positive but also worried that this is progressing at quite a fast rate

I was diagnosed a year ago , so probably thought it would be managed by drops

I’m getting anxious about how the glaucoma is progressing and worried about the surgery

[Beecalmed]

Hi Crafty-gran! Sorry to hear that. I haven’t had an I-stent or cataract op but hopefully someone will be along to reassure you and give you practical advice.

I just want to say hang in there! It’s hard but if you can take it all one hour and one day at a time. Try not to do the “what ifs”. Keep focussed on the here and now. I know it’s hard. Im a worrier at heart but i’m training myself out of worrying.

Progressing fast is scary but it can be paused. It’s just finding the thing that pauses it for you. This operation may well be the solution for you. Any change is scary. 🤞🏻🙂

As your pseudonym is Crafty-gran do you knit?

[Crafty-gran in reply to Beecalmed]

Thank you 😍

Yes I do

I’m at a knit group now

Good to have a distraction 🧶🧶🧶

[Beecalmed in reply to Crafty-gran]

👍🏻 oh great. Me too! Knitting has been proved to be a great stress buster. They’ve done tests on people with depression and it really helped them. Something about needing to count stitches and focus but at the same time drifting into a meditative headspace. The fact you create something too, so it’s a productive meditative activity makes it very therapeutic. That’ll help you have a break from worrying then. 🙂

[KieranGlaucomaUK Administrator]

Hello. Unfortunately NTG can be difficult to treat and the idea is still to get the pressure lower, so this surgery can certainly help to slow down glaucoma progression. The combined stent + cataract surgery seems to be more common recently and we are hearing of it more and more. The reason being is that it is easy and convenient for them to insert the istent while they are doing the cataract surgery, so it can further lower the pressure. This is due to them being able to insert the stent through the same micro-incisions which are created for cataract surgery, so no further incisions are needed. I have provided a link below to the Hydrus stent, and there is some information on this page about how it works alongside cataract surgery. I think you will find it a useful read.

migs.org/hydrus/

[Crafty-gran in reply to KieranGlaucomaUK]

Thank you so much

[Sorshup]

Me:- 10 years ago Rt cat 2 istents, 3 years ago Lt cat + Hydrus stent. Nuffink to it, mate.

Your recent diagnosis (and not early stage condition?) and progressing is worrying. A lot of posts here refer to worry - understandable, but I am reminded of the lead character in the movie "Bridge of Lies" who, when in prison with serious charges of spying, when asked "are you worrying?" replied "Would it help?". Worry is difficult to shake off and the danger is that it distarcts us from what is actually useful. With our condition the key thing is to follow medication instructions, keep well informed, make sure we have our appointments when due (chase the hospital). And, glaucoma can be exacerbated by stress and worry ! Have a nice day, instead !

[Bess21 in reply to Sorshup]

Which stent worked best at lowering pressures

[Sorshup in reply to Bess21]

The istents were ten years ago, the Hydrus about three (I think). both were in conjunction with cataract extraction. Difficult therefore to know whether the chamge of the bulk of the lens from the ntural o the artificial had made any change to the IOPs. However, the benefit is difficult to remember, I don't think either type of stent made much difference for me. My consultant told me a few years ago that the istent had been modified later. Sorry I can't be more elpful.neither lasted more than

[ODTAA]

I have had Xen implants in both eyes and also cataract surgery. After trying a whole range of eye drops to lower pressures, most of which produced intolerable side effets, my consultant said we must now resort to surgery. That was when I had the stent implants. Had I known how easy it was, I would have asked for this sooner. I was awake during the surgery, which was done under local anaesthetic, and was able to talk to the surgeon and the nurse. There was slight pressure at one stage, but no pain. Afterwards, I had to wear a clear plastic eye shield at night for 7 nights so as not to accidentally put pressure on my eye against the pillow. Also I had to use eye drops for 7 days, but afterwards, my eye pressures were OK. Don't be scared about the surgery. I had no problem with it, and after the first 7 days, I was very pleased with the result.

[Crafty-gran in reply to ODTAA]

Thank you that’s reassuring to read

[LHRpilot]

Hi Crafty-gran, I had drops at first to bring my eye pressures down and because of slow deterioration of visual fields had the Hydrus stent fitted in one eye. I do take drops as well in the morning and afternoon. I had new lens replacements as well and now my condition is stable.

The thinking I believe is the optic nerve is susceptible to changes in eye pressure as much as it is to too high a pressure. The stent enables a more constant eye pressure to be maintained than with just drops alone. You might even be able to remain drops free, everyone is different.

The operation was a piece of cake, with no pain felt. The aftercare was more hassle than the operation but the required recovery time soon passes and looking back seems no time at all really. Hope this helps and good luck.

[Bess21 in reply to LHRpilot]

How long ago did you have stents and are they still keeping pressures down thanks

[Crafty-gran in reply to Bess21]

Hi

My right eye was was fine in November and my left one was 8 weeks ago

Saw the optican last week and pressures were up to 13 both eyes . Previously dine at hospital on day of op and was 9and 20

Did question optican and said it’s probably due to different methods of checking pressure

I will see consultant in a few weeks so will go by their readings .

I have normal tension tension glaucoma

[Crafty-gran in reply to Crafty-gran]

Should say 9 and 10 ( not 20 😳)

[Bess21]

Thankyou hope all goes well