Severe Retinopathy - Long Term?

[garethdavies]

Hi All

After a traumatic evening running through woods to drag a boy racer out of his written-off car my insulin pump became detached. Hours later I got home quite ill, while being sick I noticed an 'ink blot' in my right eye. It was after midnight so I hoped after a good nights sleep it wouldn't be there in the morning however it wasn't.

I went to my optician who immediately referred me to the hospital that day. I went to the eye surgery who asked me to return in one week to see a specialist.

1 week later I returned, still with the 'ink-blot' in my right eye they confirmed that I had severe proliferative retinopathy in both eyes. I was taken for laser treatment in both eyes in a matter of hours.

My last Hba1c was 7.2 and I do not smoke and I am average build. I am 28 years old and a T1 for 15 years. Since breaking my femur 8 months ago I have had a high blood pressure which can't have helped.

So the questions...

There is loads about this on the internet and indeed in this forum but I can't specifically find what the eventual likely-hood of my vision maybe. I would like to hear from other members who have experience with this.

My eyes hurt since they were lasered 2 weeks ago and I am due another session in January.

Will my eyesight get worse? Can/Will I go blind?

Are there any specific questions I should ask the specialist when I go back for my second session?

Thanks everyone.

Regards

Gareth

 

[cugila]

Hi Gareth.

There is as you say much information about Retinopathy out there.

This particular website is very good and has a lot of information including the likely prognosis for someone with Proliferative Retinopathy. It is UK sourced. Hope it is of some help to you in getting a better understanding of what you can do to help control things.

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/easdec/proliferative.html

CONCLUSIONS:
As previously reported, the mortality rate of patients with diabetic retinopathy is much higher than that of the general population. For those who survived, aggressive follow-up, with treatment when indicated, seems to be associated with maintenance of good long-term visual acuity for most patients. The need for laser scatter photocoagulation with long-term follow-up seems to be high.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1312 ... t=Abstract

 

[clairecanning]

Hi.
The same happened to me last year. I woke up with what i thought mascara in my eye. Tried washing it out but couldnt seem to touch it. Went to the opticians who immediately sent me to the hospital. had laser treatment on both eyes for 6 months every week when the consultant told me they were struggling to repair my eye and sent me to another hosptial. Saw the the consultant on tuesday and was in hospital for surgery on thursday. Basically the first hospital made a complete mess of my one eye and am now permanetly blind in the eye. my other eye is completely filled with floaters but i can see really good out of it. this happened a year ago and can throw you. I am 31 and had diabetes 30 yrs and my HBC1 was 8.2. even had my eyes checked days before for problems but they were all clear. (the pictures taken behind the eyes!!!!) My consultant says that the longer you have diabetes even if you are perfectly controlled it will affect your eyes!!!
Your story how ever sounds like they are repairing it and you will keep your sight. Laser does hurt for a while cause the eye is repairing and getting rid of the blood.
Losing yoiur sight in your one eye (if it does come to that) wont be too bad. I can still do all the things i could before and have also had the all clear from the DVLA to drive.

There are however no support groups in especially in my area.

Let me know how you get on but you sound like they have caught it in time. One question to ask is has it affected your retina!!! mine turned to mush cause of the laser!!!

Good luck and keep strong!

 

[diabetes51]

I was diagnosed with proliferative retinopathy in the 1970s, I had lots of laser over the next couple of years and have had no problems since. I do have the floaters clairecanning mentioned, they can be really annoying at first, but eventually I found I could ignore them.

Some people do find the laser causes discomfort, rather than pain, it maybe you are one of those. However the pressure of the blood in your eye will be pressing on nerve endings, which is what is proably causing you pain.

What you feel is common, however the ache/pain does go. You could take some pain killers if it disturbs your concentration, Ibuprofen is best if you can take them, as they help reduce inflammation.

Liz

Liz

 

[tolabur11]

Re: Severe Retinopathy - Long Term?Floaters

Take my word for it , Floaters can be a sign that you have serious problems in that eye.
I know as I have been there. I was having a routine eye test and it streched out to 4 yes four hours.
All because they discovered a Retine detachement.

]They then rushed me to my local hospital and fortunately for me the head specialist in eye was on holiday.
One of the other doctors phoned round after he had confirmed the detachement and got me an appointment for the next day at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. I had to be there at 08-00 hrs,
By this time I had lost 80% of the vision in that eye.
They operated at approx 17-00 hrs that evening, 2 Hour operation which you are awake for.
3 months recovery time and it gradually got better. Its still not perfect but its wonderful to have the sight back.
My history was Diabetic type 2, 2 Cataract ops.. Angina.Prostate Cancer, Diverticulosis.
The sight in that eye still has a very slight deformity in it but it is taking over again as the dominant eye.
So my advice is: IFYOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS GO TO A VERY GOOD OPTICIAN OR THE EYE DEPT AT YOUR LOCAL HOSPITAL AND GO THERE QUICKLY!
I was very lucky as it is very frightening when the vision goes so quickly.
tolabur11[/b][/b]

 

[tolabur11]

Laser treatment is not the way to go.
Moorfield in London use the Cryo system where by they use a really cold probe, probably using liquid nitrogen and stick the bits of the retina together using the scar tissue to join up the tears in the retina.
This sytem really works, I know `cos its what they did for me. Its taken over a year for my eye to recover but now its stated to reafirm itself as the major, i.e. stronger eye again. As it was before I had the detached retina.
After the Cryo treatment they fill the eye with a fluid and initially you think that you will never be able to see again.
Its takes a good three months for the fluid to be absorbed bu the body and you will find the "Bubble" in that eye getting smaller and find that you can see more.
The guys at Moorfields Hospital in London really do know what they are doing believe me.
I was under the clinic of Mr Sullivan and his team. You couldnt find a more dedicated bunch of guys than they are.

They are I believe some of the leading experts in the world in this field...

If you have any doubts and can make it ,go along there as they do run an emergency clinic.

Good luck and best wishes to all.
tolabur

 

[tolabur11]

F.A.O. Gareth Davies.

Gareth, dont wait go to Moorfields Hospital in London.
They are the top of the tree when it comes to eye care.

Read my earlier post tonight.