Monday, July 21, 2008

Detached Retina (Update #3)

Here is the latest news regarding my detached retina saga. With each doctor visit I become more and more optimistic that I will have a full recovery. Since my last update I have had two doctor appointments and they were both positive.

My first appointment was with Dr. Levy on Wednesday, July 16th. He did the YAG Laser procedure on Friday, July 11th. He felt that my lens membrane looked great and it was totally clear. A good sign if you want vision that isn't blurry. Anyway, the procedure was painless and quick and worth it on this journey to getting my eyesight back.

Then today I saw Dr. Wyant for a check-up on my retina. He was pleased to note that the retina is fully attached and that my vision in that eye is 20/60. It is still a little blurry but at least I can see. He changed the frequency for my eye drops. I am still using the Pred Forte for infammation, but now only need to do them three times a day for five days and then reduce them to two times a day. He also cleared me for work and back to my normal activity level beginning August 4th. This was extremely good news. I will be able to get some hiking in before the summer is over. This still leaves the matter of removing the oil from my eye and replacing my lens. He informed me that he would not do this until at least three months after the last surgery. The last surgery was June 17th and that means that we won't do anything until at least September 17th. But all of this depends on the retina and how well it is healed. I can deal with this. Things are so much better now and I can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. He did give me some other good news. On my next visit (August 18th) we will try a contact in my left eye as a replacement for my lens to see if that helps my vision until we can actually replace the lens. The last few weeks have been good and I have been moving in the direction of more normal activity - I am doing things around the house, driving, running errands and doing light exercise. And the last two doctor visits have given me encouragement and eased my concern. I also want to thank everyone for all the comments, cards, encouragement and visits. It has really helped my recovery and made all of this more tolerable. I will be back in about a month to let you know what is happening.

Detached Retina (Update #4)

1 comment :

Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Oh Mark! Such positive news! Thanks for all the updates. We are really pulling for you to have a full recovery. I'm sure it can't come soon enough for you, but just hang in there. We'll keep sending positive thoughts and vibes and saying prayers.

Remember to still take it easier than you normally would even after the doc releases you.

Take Care,
The Twinville Trekkers5