Vitrectomy Recovery Fears

[AlisterCat]

TLDR: Surgery didn't work. I don't feel like I'm strong enough to keep going anymore.

Many months after posting about my fears about laser, I have had a vitrectomy. Aside from the horrible experience I was holding out hope that this would help.

After laser a membrane grew over my retina, making everything in my left eye look stretched out (like a 4:3 movie stretched to widescreen). They said they would drain the eye and cut out the membrane.

I am still recovering and today is the first day that I've been able to see anything. It's still blurry and everything as expected but the distortion is the same but... wider. As far as I know my recovery will not change this. My vision will clear up and refocus, but this distortion will not improve.

I have lost all hope. Having lived for months with my vision stretched out I could barely stand to carry on. Now I feel like there is nothing left. I don't want to live like this. What can I do? I couldn't even go outside without feeling sick before. How am I supposed to carry on? I feel devastated.

 

[MrsA2]

Please be patient. I too had membranes regrowing after but more laser helped, second time of trying. Eyes are incredibly slow to heal, so much so it's easy to think there's no progress but there often is, just too slow to spot immediately.
I remember the frustration of constantly trying to see but at some point it must have changed round as I've just driven 300 miles with no sight problems at all, yet a couple of years ago I thought I never would drive again.
Make sure you keep using any medication
I feel your frustration, but it can get better

 

[AlisterCat]

Please be patient. I too had membranes regrowing after but more laser helped, second time of trying.

Thank you for your reply. Can the membrane be removed with laser as you say? The distortion I have as a result of the membrane appears untouched despite the operation to remove it, and they haven't told me that they left it there. My vision is terrible in both eyes which I have gotten used to, but the distortion is something I have no idea how to get over.

The membrane formed after my laser treatment earlier this year, and every time I get treatment things seem to get worse. I don't blame the surgeon, she is wonderful. I'm just sad and I don't know what to do.

 

[MrsA2]

I'm no doctor and only put my own experiences in my own words so you really need to speak with your surgeon to get her view as to what is happening with your eyes.
All I know is that it takes time. I'm still recovering after my op in 2015. It certainly wasn't an instant improvement and from memory it was many months if not years. I might be at the best now, but there's always hope isn't there? Some days I feel my distortion is better than others. My surgeon says that because our brains are clever and overcompensate or try to make up what they think should be there.
I hate walking a woodland path in the autumn as the fallen leaves create too many patterns and my brain and eye can't sort them out. I have to look at my feet instead. It's a really weird sensation that's so difficult to explain.
So maybe I do understand your sadness a little but I still think that there's room for hope and improvement. It's just so slow and difficult to measure.
My heart goes out to you
Do contact the surgeon though, to ask the questions. Don't assume anything