Diabetes Talking

Question:

I have had laser retinal surgery on both eyes twice.  I also had a vitrectomy on my right eye.  My vision has improved some but is nothing like it once was. I cannot read small print (like the newspaper and phone books).  It is very frustrating and is a handicap.  Good luck Joe Reardon    

Response:

I had many laser treatments about 20 years ago.  I was told then that the older one is, the longer the recovery period.  I was 30 at the time and within a few months the spots and blurry vision disappeared.   But then I had another problem, and had more laser treatments until all of my vessels have now been seared.  I do not have "good" vision, but I can drive.  No night vision at all.   I had cataract surgery 2 years ago and am very sensitive to the light and cannot read small print.  Hopefully, your friend will get all the help available to him.  I feekl fortunate to still have my sight. You need to find a doctor that specializes in diabetic retinopathy.  I found an excellent one when I moved by callng around and asking. Good luck to you and your friend. Judy T1 – 47 yrs

Response:

"Angus Repper" writes: Has anyone  out there recovered from the laser retinal surgery?

Yes.  I have had over 6000 laser spots per eye and a left vitrectomy.  I’m 20/20 now, knock on wood.  Mine was a direct result of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.  While under control, it is still prone to acting up..read: bleeding at the drop of a hat.   Does anyone know a great eye doctor who specializes in caring for diabetic patients?

If your in Missouri, then yes I do.  a couple of them, actually.  Be glad to help all I can. Will his eyesight ever get better?

Hard to predict.  Some recover nicely, some do not.  There are many of us on this NG who can offer varying experiences.   Mike <a href="http://members.aol.com/OneQuikV6/gnpage2.html"Mike’s Page</a

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Angus – I have been a diabetic for 17 years. I am 30 now and up until the last few years I haven’t had any problems.  In 1996 I found out that I was pregnant at my first check-up the doctor said I had early signs of damage in my eyes.  I had another visit and things were the same no worse but we had to keep a close watch.  I missed my next visit because I was in the hospital having my daugther.  My husband and I had our hands full and I hadn’t thought much about my eyes the damage that was there had no effect on my vision yet!  It wasn’t until one day in Aug. 1997 that I started seeing something that I thought was a bug in my eye.  Turned out to be bleeding vessels.  Had laser surgery, helped a little.  I was scheduled for a vitrectomy ( they go in and completely drain the fluids out of your eye, do laser, then fill with an artificial fluid).  A few days before the surgery my other eye went all I could see at this point were shadows.  I can’t even describe how scary that was especially having a child who was  not even 1 yet.  So, I had the surgery in both eyes a few months apart.  Each surgery was around 4 to 4 1/2 hours.  I have had some laser and a cataract lens removal/implant and I am happy to say that although ny vision is not perfect I can drive and see very well out of one eye and doctors are still working on the other.  My doctors are I feel the best.  However, they are in New Jersey.  There is hope and I hope everything works out for you and your friend.             good luck!

Response:

Hello My name is Angus and I am very new to this newsgroup. I felt compelled to write this letter for the person who I am caring for who is diabetic. He is 75 years old, takes insulin 2X a day and seems to have a very good handle on his blood glucose levels. I have been caring for him for a total of 6 years. The problems he is having are related mostly to his eye sight. In the six years since I have known him , his complaints have increased steadily. He used to have high blodd pressure, but this is now under control thanks to some medicine he is taking. About three years ago he had laser retinal surgery to relieve some of the pressure in the capillaries of his eyes. He is been back about three to four times for subsequent visits. Although the doctor claimed his eyesight should not get  worse, this has proven to be untrue. My friend still has difficulty focusing on anything  his eyes are extremely sensitive  to changes in light. Last year, I moved to from NY to Wisconsin and because of his lingering eye problems I moved him out with me.  Wisconsin is reknown for it ’s excellent Medical care and we saw an optometrist immediately. The Dr. said he had cateracts that needed to be removed. Due to the complications from diabetes, the Dr. decided to do one eye at a time. He also said his eye should start healing immediaely after the surgery and be almost fully healed after 30 days. 13 months later, vision problems are still apparent and worsening. My friend has become quite displeased with his ongoing condition and appears to be resigned to the fact he will be blind very soon. He is hopeless and depressed. He won’t have he cateract surgery on his other eye because of how rocky the recovery (or lack of) from his first cateract surgery. His condition has also depressed me and I want to do what I can to help him enjoy life a little more. I will end with some questions which answers will help me decide on a path forward. Please feel free to e-mail me at  Has anyone  out there recovered from the laser retinal surgery? Does anyone know a great eye doctor who specializes in caring for diabetic patients? Will his eyesight ever get better? Any new treatments for this condtion which will reverse some of the negative effects from the retinal surgery? Thanks for all your help, Angus

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