What a horrendous morning

@Asylum (47893)

Manchester, England

October 29, 2015 2:48pm CST

After the staff at Withington Hospital had discovered a tear in the retina of my right eye, they referred me to the Royal Eye Hospital. This morning I arrived there for laser treatment to seal the area around the tear. The Doctor did warn me that it would probably be painful because the cataract in my right eye is fairly severe so she would need to use a higher power setting to penetrate the lens and reach the retina. Some sensations were minor, but every second or third one seemed like a stabbing cramp like pain in the muscle behind the eye. The whole procedure took maybe 15 to 20 minutes, but seemed like an eternity. My journey home was fortunate because all buses passing that main road head to the city centre, which is just as well because I was unable to read any numbers. From there I took the Metrolink, which was easier than trying to read a bus number. Arriving home I lasted about 20 minutes before giving up and going to bed. Eventually I fell asleep and now the discomfort has mostly subsided, but I would certainly not want another day like today.

17 people like this

19 responses

@garymarsh6 (23978)

• United Kingdom

29 Oct 15

OH dear sorry to hear about your eye surgery. Hopefully when they do your cataracts it will be a completely different experience.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

I was grateful to the Doctor for forewarning me that it would be painful because I then simply tolerated it, whereas had I believed it should not hurt I would have become concerned that something was wrong.

3 people like this

@garymarsh6 (23978)

• United Kingdom

30 Oct 15

@Asylum yes but honestly the cataract surgery does not hurt one little bit. The only pain is the water that trickles down when they are irrigating it and it goes down your neck! Absolutely amazing and the results are that you can see immediately.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

@garymarsh6 I have heard this from many people Gary, including yourself on several occasions. Of course I shall still be apprehensive because there is something about the eyes that makes us all squeamish to some degree.

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@Rollo1 (16676)

• Boston, Massachusetts

30 Oct 15

I didn't realize that laser surgery would hurt. But the people I know who had it done it was for cataracts or vision correction.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

Ordinarily it would not be a painful process, but the Doctor explained the reason to me before she began. The cataract in the right eye is severe and thus very opaque, so she had to use a higher power setting on the laser in order to pass through the lens to the retina.

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@rebelann (117206)

• El Paso, Texas

31 Oct 15

That sounds so painful, I hope your eye will heal really fast.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

The tear is not likely to heal, but the actual discomfort from the laser was short lived.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

@rebelann Oh yes, I can see out of the eye nut the sight is poor due to the cataract. The idea was to secure the retina so that they could then carry on and perform a cataract procedure. As for the ghost, it seems to crop up every Halloween. I have no idea what I have done to deserve it, but it will not leave me alone.

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@rebelann (117206)

• El Paso, Texas

31 Oct 15

Hey, kool ghost @Asylum ummm, will you be able to see out of it?

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@sofssu (23660)

•

30 Oct 15

Aww.. that does sound painful to me.. Hope you feel much better soon.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

The whole sensation had totally subsided by this morning.

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@sofssu (23660)

•

30 Oct 15

@Asylum Glad to know that you are totally pain free.

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@LadyDuck (502208)

• Italy

31 Oct 15

I am so sorry Barry, I know how painful laser treatment is,both my eyes had laser surgery to correct a narrow angle glaucoma. It was painful. Now take care and rest. I hope the worst is over. I like your little Halloween avatar.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

It should be less painful if the lens is clear, but mine required a high laser setting to reach the rear of the eye. As for the avatar, I have no idea how that got there. Maybe it will go away tomorrow and leave me alone.

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@LadyDuck (502208)

• Italy

31 Oct 15

@Asylum For the glaucoma they need to make a small "hole" to help to lower the intraocular pressure. I do not know how really works and I know that this causes an increased risk of cataracts. Wait and see.

@jaboUK (64346)

• United Kingdom

29 Oct 15

That does sound painful, but I'm pleased that it feels a bit better now. The eye seems to be such a vulnerable area, doesn't it?

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

29 Oct 15

When the Doctor informed me that the higher intensity of laser would prove to be painful I simply decided to persevere and look forward to the end of the procedure, but it was worse than I anticipated. Of course it is now in the past so I am pleased that I went through with it.

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@jaboUK (64346)

• United Kingdom

29 Oct 15

@Asylum Let's hope it's done the job.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

29 Oct 15

@jaboUK I have an appointment for 16th November to have the result checked.

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@slund2041 (3314)

• United States

30 Oct 15

Do you know what you did to tear your retina? I am so sorry you had to go through all of that. I hope the recovery is fast. I bet it looks like you have a black eye today? My husband had Cataract surgery a few years ago, and when the bandage came off he looked as if he had been beat in the eye.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

I have no idea how the tear appeared in the retina, but it seems that it probably happened a long while ago and simply remained undetected until recently.

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

31 Oct 15

sounds grim - hope your eyes are ok now for you. Don't strain them trying to see more than they can handle

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

With my current level of eyesight it is necessary to try to make out more.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

3 Nov 15

@arthurchappell Hopefully the procedure will prove to have been a success and I will be scheduled for cataract surgery.

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Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44941)

• Preston, England

3 Nov 15

@Asylum pretty scary - I can only begin to imagine how I'd feel if my eyesight suffered so much. Good luck.

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Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61463)

• United States

30 Oct 15

I am so sorry that you are having this discomfort. The positive thing is now you will be set to have your cataract taken care of. Getting older is not easy.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

I expected the cataracts to be done by now, but the schedule seems to change daily. I was assessed at Withington Hospital in September and expected the date to be set for November. Now I have an assessment for the laser surgery on November 16th and expect a second check later on, after which I will return to Withington Hospital to be assessed for the cataracts again. This seems likely to drag on to 2016.

1 person likes this

@wiLLmaH (8801)

• Singapore, Singapore

1 Nov 15

I think you need a good rest. My dad undergone cataract removal and doctor asked him to stay at home and do not do any heavy chores. Moat specially do not watch too match tv

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

1 Nov 15

I would not need to be advised to avoid heavy chores.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

1 Nov 15

@wiLLmaH I was fine by the following day, but would still be reluctant to repeat the procedure.

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@wiLLmaH (8801)

• Singapore, Singapore

1 Nov 15

@Asylum oh ok. 3 days passed. How's your feeling today?

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@pgntwo (22405)

• Derry, Northern Ireland

31 Oct 15

Retinal repair surgery is quite something, but depending on the way it is performed, cataracts often follow. I hope the repair work on the retina is a success, and that your cataract surgery is not delayed too much by it.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

Even assuming that the laser surgery was a complete success, it looks as though the schedule will be 2016 by the time the cataract operations are due.

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

@pgntwo Removing the cataract first would have made the retinal work much simpler, but the idea was to secure the retinas first so that the cataract operation would not cause the retina to dislodge.

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@pgntwo (22405)

• Derry, Northern Ireland

31 Oct 15

@Asylum I assume there is no chance the cataract and any further retinal work required can be combined into the same procedure...? Sounds like clearing the vision by removing the cataract would help the consultant to see the retina more clearly. But then perhaps they only want to perform one procedure at a time.

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@pgntwo (22405)

• Derry, Northern Ireland

2 Nov 15

Sounds like the repair was not invasive. Having a gas bubble put into the eye to reattach the retina is a lot more protracted, including the posturing required after the op to allow the bubble to work its magic, while the eye itself heals from the surgical procedure.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

2 Nov 15

I fully agree, having a cut of any magnitude in the eye would be painful for a fairly long while.

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@Marilynda1225 (91035)

• United States

29 Oct 15

I feel bad that you had to travel home by public transportation and didn't have someone to drive you home. Hope your rest gave you some relief. It certainly sounds like it was a painful experience

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@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

29 Oct 15

A very unpleasant experience, but in the past now and all over with.

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ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12069)

• United States

31 Oct 15

I am so sorry about this. I hope the pain goes away entirely soon. Do you know how the damage happened? Or was it the usual, "age"?

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

Apparently the consultant seems to think that it is related to an eye infection I had, but that was around 30 years ago.

1 person likes this

ElizabethWallace

@ElizabethWallace (12069)

• United States

31 Oct 15

@Asylum Damage can lead to issues decades later. My broth smoked for 20 years, but did not develop lung cancer until 20 years after he had stopped.

Your Highness Emperor Albert Whisker

@CaptAlbertWhisker (32760)

• Calgary, Alberta

1 Nov 15

My dad just got a surgery on his eye too. He loves reading, you can imagine how painful it was for him that the doctor dont allow him too read for 8 days. He will have another surgery for another eye. The doctor dont want to operate on both of his eyes.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

2 Nov 15

They would rarely consider doing both eyes at once because of the inconvenience it will cause.

@cherigucchi (15934)

• Philippines

2 Nov 15

Hope you are better by now. Have all the needed rest you can get.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

2 Nov 15

It was only uncomfortable for the day and was fine by the following morning.

@marlina (154103)

• Canada

29 Oct 15

Just reading about it gives me goose bumps! So sorry that you had to come back by public transit.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

30 Oct 15

I bought a coffee in the hospital and simply took my time on the homeward journey. My major concern was crossing the road, but I found a zebra crossing that beeped when the Green Man was flashing.

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@Fleura (34935)

• United Kingdom

1 Nov 15

Oh that sounds horrible, I hope it works because you certainly don't want to repeat that experience.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

1 Nov 15

Exactly my flings on the matte. I am due to return in 2 weeks to have the result assessed, after which I am expecting to be referred back for cataract assessment again.

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@Phoenixmaid (129)

• United Kingdom

31 Oct 15

oh poor you that sounds horrible. I hope it's worked and that you are feeling better now.

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

31 Oct 15

The discomfort was short lived. I now have to return on 16th November to have the result assessed, which hopefully will be a formality.