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Type 1 Retinopathy laser treatment

M

mollymollymolly

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, after having to go to a&e on Saturday because of very blurred vision and floaters in my eye, I now have to get laser treatment to remove blood vessels from behind my eyes, just found out today I've to go in tomorrow and really not sure what to expect - has anyone had this treatment before and how was it? I'm hoping to go straight back to work after it, should that be ok?
 
My husband has had laser treatment, so my comments are second hand, but I would say that there are two potential problems with going straight back to work:
1. You will have blurred vision for a few hours, due to the eye drops and, until the effect wears off, anything bright, may be dazzling. This may, or may not, be a problem, depending on what your work is.
2. Secondly, there is a shock element, an OMG they just did that to me. (I don't mean physical pain). For some people, getting straight back into a busy place may be a good thing, others might want to sit quietly for a while.
Sally
 
It's not painful or even uncomfortable for most but still nice to be driven home afterwards (eye drops given) and potter around at home or have a doze while the eye/s have time to calm down. They might like to take a bit of a rest! You might see things in pinkish hues for a few minutes just after the treatment.
 
Had lots of laser. Worst affect are the drops which take a few hours to work off. Next day you will be fine. Good luck. It is a very quick procedure.
 
I have had quite a lot of laser. Drops are applied to your eyes so that the doctor can see the retina and these drops make your eyes over-sensitive to light for an hour or two ( in my case anyway) and I am unable to drive afterwards and have to arrange a lift. Like others have said, it's likely you may prefer to rest a while before returning to work.
 
Hi mollymolly, I had laser treatment a few weeks ago. It was completely painless and very quick,I had no after effects at all, just wondered why I had worried so much. Good luck, I am sure that you will be fine xx
 
Had loads of laser and hope it went well for you. You probably know by now that you will have stinging eye drops put in and will be unable to drive for a few hours. Other than that you can take a mild painkiller but it was only mildly uncomfy! You may need to go back too so be prepared for that.
 
Hi, completely forgot about this post.. However months later I have found myself completely battling with the NHS. I am only 23, have driven a car since age 17 and never had any issues. Since my laser surgery my eyesight has decreased majorly and has been a complete nightmare, I was unable to see more than about the end of my nose for 5 weeks after surgery (surgery was In May!) and was told this week my sight is now too far below legal driving requirements and I have to give up my car. all for a bit of laser that the dr told me I would be fine the next day, fine to go to work and to drive the next day is what I was told pre surgery. Really disappointed, no one from the hospital will see me because my local opthamology hospital time are the worst I've ever met, no help to anyone what so ever. The next they have said they can see me is October... So untill then I'm stuck not knowing a thing! Has anyone else has this reaction!? Or is my doctor just an absolute fraud who should get done for theft of my flippin eyesight? Please help! X
 
I wonder if you live near us? We were distinctly unimpressed by our local NHS opthalmology department and now go strictly private. A single consultation with a consultant opthalmologist at our local Nuffield Hospital costs £100, including eye drops and inspection. Actual treatment, laser or injections, would be on top of this. You would need to get a GP's referral, this too can be done through the private GPs at the Nuffield if your own NHS GP is unhelpful.
Seeing a consultant privately, even if just to talk things through, can be very reassuring and calming. You get lots of time and polite attention and should come out at least knowing what is going on.
Sally
 

Thank you sally!

Glad to know I'm not the only one having bother, no I'm in Dundee, attending ninewells hospital currently but I think I have no option now but to look into private care as the way their opthamology dept have been is sickening! I genuinely believe they have majorly damaged my eyes and done the surgery wrong! Very worrying X
 
I'm very sorry to hear about your predicament. Although it is possible that an ophthalmologist could have made an error during the treatment, it is more likely that you are having an unfortunate reaction to the treatment itself.

Did the ophthalmologist mention macula oedema? Some people develop this following laser surgery for new vessels. It can cause blurred central vision which often recovers by 3 months following surgery. If it hasn't recovered after 3 months, further treated may be needed - did the ophthalmologist mention this?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3526904/

Presumably, the advice about being below legal driving requirements is based on your central vision (as you haven't mentioned taking a field test). If so, and if the central vision improved (either following treatment or spontaneously), the driving restriction might only be temporary.

I understand that you feel very angry about your situation and certainly, if there had been any errors made by the ophthalmologist applying the treatment, you should be due some compensation. However, do bear in mind that there are inherent risks with any treatment and these have to be balanced against the risks of not having treatment. In general the risk of sight-loss due to treatment is much lower than the risk of sight-loss from not having treatment but there are no guarantees, unfortunately. Although your eyesight seemed fine before you had the laser, the fact is that those new vessels could have bled at any time and made your vision much worse than it currently is.

I suggest you go and see your GP and talk it over with them - they should have had a detailed feedback letter from the hospital eye service which may make things clearer.

Out of interest, were you already under the care of the ophthalmology department when you had to go to A + E? If not, there may need to be an investigation as to whether the new vessels were missed at your last eye screening.
 

Thank you so much for your help!

I genuinely have had more help and information from you than from any doctor I've spoke to so far! I think your right, it is my central vision, but I never ever had a problem with that before surgery and have had it ever since. I must of taken a reaction of some sort because my sight was horrendous (couldn't leave the house!) for around 5 weeks after surgery and eyes were very sore and swollen up too. I was not pre warned of any of this at all! So yeah pretty angry, not just at that but just that no one will talk to me or tell me what's actually wrong or if it's fixable or not! Went to an optician this week who photographed the back of my eye and she has said there still lots of haemorrhages too and I think they were supposed to of benne removed too but to be honest I'm unsure as to what they actually done. I also worry it may not of been done by the dr they have said as I didn't see him once on day of surgery, maybe I'm just overthinking though! The optician has also said she has referred me now to the macula clinic, but I didn't know what that was until now haha! Thanks again
 
When you signed the consent form for the laser, it's supposed to be 'informed' consent - in other words, it should have been explained to you what the risks were. If that didn't happen, you could make a complaint to PALS - that way, the procedures might be improved to prevent someone else going through the same shock and worry that you have.

Often, the ophthalmologists are actually doing all the right things, in the right time scales but they're not always good at explaining that. The referral from your optician is likely to be 'routine' which is usually in about 13 weeks. To be honest, your October appointment may be sooner. The other thing to consider is that some hospitals have macula clinics which are aimed at people who only have retinopathy in the macula area, i.e. maculopathy. In these clinics, patients have a special test for the macula (OCT) but may not be seen by a doctor at that time and will not have the rest of their retinas examined . As you've already had retinopathy outside the macula, you need to be seen in a clinic that looks at the whole of the retina - normally called a medical retina clinic. They would also do the same tests as the macula clinic.
 
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