Cataract surgery complication

[Reeceregan]

Anyone else had issues with cataract surgery after taking pred for PMR and GCA? Now have a new thing called Blepharitis in one eye after cataract removed and new lens and stent put in (to relieve the pressure from glaucoma). This is a nasty nasty little complication often seen in people with compromised immune systems I’m now told. It’s is causing serious eye issues and from what I’ve read is another thing that goes in remission with treatment but never goes away. Trying to get on top of it but not having any success 🙇‍♀️.

[SheffieldJane]

So sorry Reeceregan, you are really going through a bad time. I felt sure that I’d had blepharitis in the past and it got better. I haven’t had your surgery though. It all sounds miserable. Get well soon! 🌼

[Reeceregan in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you, doing everything I’m told to combat this latest setback. Was so pertried at first that something had gone terribly wrong with the actual surgery! Sure didn’t help that the nurse doing my hospital admission confirmed the surgery was for the left eye but they had sent the lens for the right eye instead. ...

[whitefishbay]

I had it and I remember using baby shampoo to clear it. Best of luck.

[Reeceregan in reply to whitefishbay]

Eek. I would never have thought of that. I now have a special sterile wash to do the cleansing. X fingers it works. There is no evidence on the outside of the eye, apparently there is inflammation on the inside...of course there is...sigh

[Suetum]

I got it in my left eye, use a lotion available from Boots daily but it seems to be clearing up

[Reeceregan in reply to Suetum]

I have a special wash from our chemist as well. Steni Lid is the name of it. Hoping that and the heat pads work soon.

[Rose54]

I have it on and off

Hot compresses on eyes help and good eye hygiene

You can buy heated eye pads but compresses work just as good

[Reeceregan in reply to Rose54]

Thanks Rose, doing that now. I had left it go 5 days post op before I rang the Opthomologist office as I thought it was the scratchy feeling that was a common thing for the first 24-48 hours. They just said increase the lubricatung drops. Wasn’t until I was being admitted for the second op that I asked to speak to him first. Once he looked through the equipment into the eye he knew what it was, so it was actually two weeks of it gradually getting worse before I got onto the correct treatment. The other antibiotic drops etc just weren’t working.

[Marijo1951]

I had my cataracts dealt with about 7 years ago, a long time before the dreaded PMR/GCA set in. I had no problems at the time. However in the last 2 or 3 months I've had recurring blepharitis, especially in my left eye. I've tended to assume that it's a side effect of pred, but maybe it's the weakened immune system. I had a thorough check by an optometrist who reassured me there was nothing seriously wrong with the eyes. On her advice, I use an eye wipe every morning and eye drops a few times a day, plus occasionally using an eye mask which I heat in the microwave. It all helps to keep it at bay, but it hasn't eradicated it completely.

[Reeceregan in reply to Marijo1951]

Sadly I’ve been told it only goes into remission, never actually goes away. That”s a nasty thought.

[Marijo1951 in reply to Reeceregan]

Yes, unfortunately I think that must be true. Last month I neglected my routine for about a week and that resulted in a very red sore eye again. The weather wasn't very good but for a few days I wouldn't go out without my sunglasses.

[Reeceregan in reply to Marijo1951]

Yes! The photophobia is deadly, I’m using my sunglasses just to speak to people in rooms with lights on. I’m winking and squinting.Goodness what they think I’m doing. Everything is way too bright.

[Marijo1951 in reply to Reeceregan]

I'm afraid it was more vanity than photophobia with me. I was fed up with people sympathising with my nasty sore eye!

[Thelmarina]

Hi, very familiar with this! If it’s bad and needs controlling go to your optician and buy an eye mask you can heat in the microwave. Follow the instructions - this helps loosen the oil and secretions. Then I use Blephaclean wipes, take one in your hand and wipe it towards the inner eye three times then use it to wipe the upper and lower inside lid. Repeat with the other eye. Then I have drops to keep the eyes moist - loads on the market. Repeat in the evening. Once under control I just use Blephaclean wipes - half one wipe for each eye as they are expensive. Baby shampoo wasn’t as effective in my case. Hope this helps and the best of luck xx

[Reeceregan in reply to Thelmarina]

Thanks for that, sounds like it’s more common than I thought. I’d never heard of it before this. I’ll definitly get onto the heat pads , it seems to soothe it just with the hot washer compresses as well.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi,

This just confirms advice already given -

nhs.uk/conditions/blepharitis/

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Over the years I have heard a lot of people complain of it but it is something that is not uncommon in people of all ages with or without pred. I don't think it can be cured but good eye hygiene can keep it in bounds. But how post-surgery considerations mess that up I don't know.

[Reeceregan in reply to PMRpro]

Yes, once again with me, surgery went well, I actually have 20/20 vision now in both eyes and glaucoma down from over 20 to 13 and 15 thanks to the stents. It’s always post surgery that things go wrong with me, it has happened my whole life, whenever I’ve had surgery. Surgeries are a breeze, then post op complications set in. So here I go again. Apparently because the eyelids are inflamed on the inside, it just feels like I’ve got broken glass in my eye. There’s no build up on the outside at all, no crustiness or stys, which is why I thought something had gone wrong with the actual op. Two weeks later before finding out the true problem and it’s well and truly throwing me another curve ball. Trying to tame this beast is a challenge now. Damnit.

[clieder]

Well, well, another gem learned from this forum. I have had this since a follow up to my second cataract surgery which included a stent. (The other eye was done four years prior, pre-PMR, no stent and no grit feeling problem with that one.) He had to do a second surgery to remove a portion of the original lens left behind in the first surgery. I complained of it as soon as post-surgical drops ended and the drops were not the combined one, so he said I could continue the Nsaid drop for a week after follow-up appointment. When I complained about its continuing, they told me to just use moisturizing drops frequently throughout the day, especially if I am going to read (like that's optional???) and keep my hands away from my eyes. That did not do it. So he refilled Rx and I am still using Ketorolac first thing in the morning every day and that keeps it at bay. Without it, no matter how many moisturizing drops I use, it hurts and runs all day long. Sometimes goes on a roll even when using the drop. I am going to try the wipes you all have discussed and see if that helps. It is nice to know what I am dealing with. Thanks for posting. He never gave it a name and certainly did not tell me it will likely go on forever. Acted like it was a mild, nuisance thing. Well, yes, I guess if you don't have ten other mild, nuisance things to address. Yikes, another can't-really-get-rid-of-it!

[clieder]

Just looked at things that influence or set off Blepharitis and Rosacea is among them. This last year, I dropped the dosage of doxycycline hyclate by 2/3 to keep oral thrush at bay while on higher doses of pred and that may also have had some impact on this "wounded" eye acting up. Quite a balancing act we do...

[Longtimer]

Have got Blepharitis....very dry eyes, have tried many drops to no avail, even those suggested by hospital...only thing that helps me is...first thing in the morning I bathe my eyes with water as hot as I can bear....it seems to help...

good luck

[Ciar in reply to Longtimer]

I’m similar to you I think. Of all the crazy things I’m doing for this, the only one I can actually tell is helping much is the very hot packs I put on my eye (similar to very hot water). They do release some oil, and afterward my eye feels better for awhile.

[Ciar]

I had cataract surgery along with a partial corneal transplant 2 1/2 months ago. The transplant has been doing great, but the surgery messed up my eye. Like you, I wound up with post surgery complications. Dry eye and a type of blepharitis, mine is meibomian gland disfunction. Sounds like this could be like you also. My doctors have not said I need to clean my outer eye because the problem is inside the eyelid, where the glands that make the oily part of the tears are blocked and not working. They have me heating my eye for 10 minutes twice daily (they make a microwaveable heating pad for this), putting in drops for dry eye and ointment at night, taking doxycycline long term (oh joy another drug), and taking omega three oil. I also got a punctual plug that keeps tears from draining out of the eye.

My eye is extremely dry and very often it’s very blurry. Most drops for dry eye aren’t helping. I also began to have recurrent corneal erosion, I think caused by the extreme dryness. That adds to the blurriness and creates glare and starbursts.

This is a very frustrating problem and I’m just not getting much out of the treatments so far. I hope you’re doing better than me!

[Longtimer in reply to Ciar]

I have had little yellow cysts grow on bottom lid....after a few days of bathing they seem to go away....worse in the summer....don`t think anything works really except bathing...well, for me anyway....

[Reeceregan]

Blimey, this sounds so similar. The glare and starbursts..,perfect way to describe those glaring rings around all lights. And no, none of the drops seems to be working, nor the Steni Lid wash, as it’s all on the inside. The hot compresses are soothing, but not healing. Not sure what to do nesxt to be honest. I fear it’s back to the Opthomologist I go,

[Ciar in reply to Reeceregan]

My ophthalmologist/surgeon told me the compress has to very warm/hot (not to the point of burning) and left on for 10 minutes. After this squeeze your eyes shut really hard several times, then massage the eyelids with gentle pressure, rolling your finger down or up to the lash line. Twice daily. I have to reheat my hot compress midway to keep hot that long.

[Reeceregan in reply to Ciar]

Thanks Ciar. I’ve been doing all that 4 x daily, but it’s still no better I’m afraid. I do like hot things, so I tend to have it quiet hot as well. I think I will have to go back to him again, this is quite painful and debilitating at the moment, and because it’s on the inside I fear it may be causing damage to the eye.

[Ciar in reply to Reeceregan]

That is truly disheartening to hear. Did your doc say anything about you having corneal erosions? I’m sure that those are making my trouble more difficult. The compresses are no panacea for me either, but they have helped better than anything else. The only drops that feel good in my eye are Refresh Celuvisc, which are so thick that they cause increased blurry vision for more than an hour sometimes. Add to my misery about 3 weeks ago I had a posterior vitreous detachment, which made my eye even more blurry. Another post surgical issue. With this, most people get a bunch of new floaters and then have to get used to them. I got those plus I can now see my loose vitreous floating around always taking up a big part of my field of vision. It is moving constantly, blurry and hazy and just completely depressing. There is no good treatment for this. I have been reducing my expectations continually since having this surgery. I wish I had waited until my vision was more impaired.

[Reeceregan]

The more you tell me about what is happening to you the more similar this becomes. The floaters...I had them in each eye before the cataracts were removed and expected them gone with the new lenses. Nope..the right eye which has no post surgery complication at all, has no more floaters but oh boy, this left eye with the Blepharitis has more spidery black cobweb floaters than prior surgery. I had put it down to the thick drops i have for both inflammation and antibiotics and was hoping once I stop those the cobwebs would disapppear.

[rejuvaaesthetica]

These complications can include infection, retinal detachment, inflammation inside the eye, swelling in certain parts of the eye, retention of a piece of the cataract inside the eye, glaucoma, haemorrhage (bleeding), possible worsening of certain eye conditions (such as diabetic retinopathy), and failure to improve ...

[Reeceregan in reply to rejuvaaesthetica]

Blimey, I had no idea! I have now controlled the blepharitis but I’m left with more black spots and cobwebs than before, and smudgy vision. I had multifocal lenses put in and it feels like it’s “slipped” out of place as my eyesight isn’t clear. There is a possibility also that it is the wrong lens for that eye, which would make sense. On admisssion to hospital the nurse originally said they were operating on the left eye but had the right lens( I had them both done two weeks apart). I told them to just operate on the eye they had the lens for, but after she spoke to the surgeon she changed her mind and said she has the left lens for the left eye. Hhhhmmmm.

[prunus]

I too have been diagnosed with blepharitis. I have it in both eyes. Did not know it never goes away.

[Reeceregan in reply to prunus]

Yes I did hear that. Not the best news.