Are my current vision problems caused by my retinal surgery?!


Question: Are my current vision problems caused by my retinal surgery!?
About 13 years ago my eye doc discovered that I had numerous retinal tears and the very next day I was admitted into the hospital for surgery!. Since I was only about 14 at the time, I never thought to ask what type of surgery they were performing, but I vaguely remember something about "cryo" something!. Since the surgery the surface of my eye is covered in large, ropy scars that are not visible unless I look to the extreme edges of my vision, but the white of that eye has stayed pink this whole time and it's impossible to "track" my vision when something is speeding toward me (my vision does this stop-motion thing where it's like what I'm seeing is a flip-book of images coming closer instead of a continuous feed)!. It's actually kind of scary, since I have no idea if my depth perception is working at the time and how delayed my eyes are in processing what's hurtling toward my face!. Is this a result of the scars!? And exactly what surgery was it that they did to cause such huge scars and permanent discoloration to my eye!? Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
Retinal tears are one of the first signs of an impending retinal detachment!. The retina is a thin light-sensitive membrane across the back of the eye!. Detachment can lead to vision loss!.

I suspect that you are very myopic (nearsighted/shortsighted)!. Myopia is commonly caused by the eye being longer than normal!. Unfortunately the retina is not similarly enlarged!. This puts a lot of stress on the retina and can contribute to retinal detachment!.

The procedure you had is very likely cryotherapy (freezing), to seal the retina to the back wall of the eye again!. Normally cryotherapy will be with little discomfort!. Cryotherapy can reduce progression to a retinal detachment!.

Cryotherapy is less popular now that lasers can provide similar benefit with greater ease and accuracy!. If you had retinal tears today, it is more likely that they would be treated with a laser than with freezing!.

The areas that were frozen are no longer able to transmit light into nerve signals for the brain to intrepret as vision!. These spots are essentially blind!. Depending upon where the spots are located and their quantity, this can cause no disruption in vision to significant vision loss!.

The loss of depth perception is undoubtedly because only one eye can clearly see images!. With one eye a person has virtually no depth perception (although training can help determine distances) and with one eye providing poor vision it is reasonable to expect poor depth perception!.

I suspect the flip-book vision is because your eye affected by the retinal tears is moving slightly as you watch an object come near, adjusting and readjusting in an attempt to find a good spot on the retina where it can see the object!. Combined with the image from the good eye you could have a muted flip-book effect!. The movement may be tiny, but you may be able to have a friend observe your eyes as you watch an object coming toward you!.

It is also possible that you are starting to have symptoms of amblyopia!. If the brain continues to get bad information from an eye, it will stop paying attention that all information from that eye!. Essentially, the brain shuts down signals from that eye!. This is amblyopia!.

Amblyopia is usually more problematic if vision problems present at a much younger age than 14, but can affect vision quality degradation into adulthood!.

As the brain shuts down signals from an eye, the need - and thereby the ability = to align the two eyes may be negatively affected!. Without proper eye alignment, depth perception can be negatively affected!.

I reviewed published articles through the US National Library of Medicine and could not find a reference to cryotherapy and eye discoloration!.

Anyone who has had such an experience with retinal problems should see a retinal specialist on a very regular basis!. Unless the underlying cause of the original retinal tears has vanished, there continues to be an elevated probability of additional tears and detachment!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Cryo therapy is when they burn the areas around the tears to prevent detatchment or bleeding!. Unfortunatly it kills that part of the retina!. Now imagine your retina to be a screen with wholes, at the theater!. If you were to project a image onto the screen there would be parts that are missing!. That is how your eye sees things!.

The discoloration is do to the scars and surgery!. But on the positive side without the doctor catching it and treating it, you may not have what vision you have now!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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