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ironlung
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Join Date: Jan 2005
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2006-01-26, 20:22

I am usually the type of a guy who has greath faith in the human immune system. I dont go to the doctor for every little thing, but do get the occasional check up.

Anyway, recently I had some problems with my eyes. Everything just seemed too bright, like staring at a bright light for a while- kind of bleaching your eyes temporarily. So I went to an optometrist, and had my retina checked amongst other things. She found a retinal hole! By themselves a retinal hole isnt serious, but it can lead to retinal deattachment that can lead to permanent blindness. According to the optometrist a 24 year old should not get these. Her surprise kind of shocked me. She insisted I see an opthamologist (an MD eye specialist), which I did today. Instead of one, he found two retinal holes.

He recommended laser surgery to close the holes, so that no fluid could leak to the back of the retina and cause retinal deattachment. Normally the procedure is pretty painless, but one of the holes was right on a nerve so it hurt quite a bit.

We are so dependent on eyes that we take them for granted. Although im hoping that I wont get any more problems, I cant ever say that for sure. This whole incident has reminded me of my mortality, so I guess its a good thing. The optometrist said that I was quite lucky, usually a thing like this goes unnoticed because it has no symptoms. But i dont know...
Anyway I just needed a place to put thoughts down without people feeling sorry for me. And go get your eyes checked!
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Banana
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2006-01-26, 20:24

Wow.... That's a good thing you got them checked.

*makes a note to see eye doctor*
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Maciej
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2006-01-26, 20:31

Feeling sorry for you, hardly, in fact I bet someone will flame you before the night's through.

Nice move on the checkup, now you deserve some rest and recovery.

User formally known as Sh0eWax
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atomicbartbeans
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2006-01-26, 20:45

Yeah that's gotta suck... as a little kid I had amblyopia (lazy eye syndrome), and it took a few years of thick glasses to correct. I've never taken my sight for granted. Or hearing either for that matter... I'm always careful not to blast my iPod.

Edit: My mind, on the other hand, I take for granted far too often... like when it misread this thread title...

You ask me for a hamburger.

Last edited by atomicbartbeans : 2006-01-26 at 20:54.
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Artap99
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2006-01-26, 21:42

Quote:
Originally Posted by atomicbartbeans
Edit: My mind, on the other hand, I take for granted far too often... like when it misread this thread title...
Okay, so I wasn't the only one who read it as renal hole.
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BuonRotto
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2006-01-26, 21:46

Wow, my condolences about your troubles, ironlung. I suppose this might seem like an obnoxious statement, but I'm very aware of how important my eyesight is, and I go to the doctor on a regular basis. I can't imagine what I would do if I lost my vision. Good to know that you are well, and that some folks won't take their vision for granted. Thanks for bringing this up for us!

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Kickaha
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2006-01-26, 21:48

I was diagnosed with lattice degeneration a couple of months ago - a few spots of failing retinal cells, but no actual tears or holes yet. Apparently about 1 in 6 has it, and most of the damage is done by age 20.

Glad to hear you got it checked, and keep us updated!
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GSpotter
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2006-01-27, 01:07

Some years ago, on a routine check, we found out that I had the beginning of a retinal detachment. So it was 'welded' with a laser. Didn't hurt much, though. So far, everything is OK (knock on wood)... Losing my eyesight would be one of my worst nightmares, as I'm rather 'eye-centric' (i.e. photography as a hobby ...)

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chucker
 
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2006-01-27, 01:18

Actually, this is becoming an increasing problem amongst younger people as well. My eye doctor had a 18-year old patient who suffered from it. Bottom line: it was diagnosed too late, and the patient will have very weak (and deteriorating) eyesight for the rest of their life.
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Banana
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2006-01-27, 01:31

Is it me or is eyesores and eyeailments on rise, given that we send more time behind a monitor than our precessors?
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chucker
 
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2006-01-27, 01:39

That's certainly part of it, although I see that decreasing again as LCDs (no radiation) become prevalent and pixel density increases (thus causing less eye strain).
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alcimedes
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2006-01-27, 02:09

any idea of the cause?
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Brad
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2006-01-27, 02:18

Geez... and I'm about a year overdue for my optometrist appointment.

*makes note*
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ast3r3x
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2006-01-27, 02:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad
Geez... and I'm about a year overdue for my optometrist appointment.

*makes note*
Yeah really, I haven't been since...I don't know maybe almost 10 years? Maybe a checkup wouldn't hurt heh.

Things with no symptoms freak me out because I have great vision, I was looking at my high school file the other day and my vision was always 20/20 or better when the nurses did the tests. Loosing my vision would be horrible.
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drewprops
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Join Date: May 2004
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2006-01-27, 07:12

Back around '97 or '98 I had something weird going on with my left eye and went to my opthamologist who had me to do a visual field survey test, the results of which established that I had a blind spot. From there I went to a doctor who photographed my eye. We did several other tests and they ended up sending me to a neurological eye doctor for even more tests. At the end of the whole thing I was diagnosed with asymptomatic big blind spot syndrome" ... which basically means that I had a "blind spot and that they couldn't figure out why. They said that it could get well on its own or my brain could map around the blind spot.

It's nice when doctors can diagnose a definitive problem, like on TV, but so often they can't do it.

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T-Man
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2006-01-27, 07:22

Same here, I could never lose my vision. If I had to give up a sense, I'd say hearing, but I want them all. I have glasses now...does the two numbers on the nose bridge (seperated by a square) tell me what my vision is, or what the glasses 'vision' is to make me 20/20? I have 45|_|18..
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Banana
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2006-01-27, 12:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by ast3r3x
Things with no symptoms freak me out because I have great vision, I was looking at my high school file the other day and my vision was always 20/20 or better when the nurses did the tests. Loosing my vision would be horrible.
That's the most troubling aspect here-

There is simply no way to know if you're going blind, espeically if it's deteriotating slowly. Contrary to what many people believe, you simply don't see black or white, or blurry spots if you're going blind. If you did, then you're probably not blind but suffering from some kind of disease. You just don't see it, in same sense that you can't see your hand behind your head.

So if anyone think they'll know when they're going blind, they're either plain wrong or a incredible fool.
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Banana
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2006-01-27, 12:23

Quote:
Originally Posted by T-Man
Same here, I could never lose my vision. If I had to give up a sense, I'd say hearing, but I want them all. I have glasses now...does the two numbers on the nose bridge (seperated by a square) tell me what my vision is, or what the glasses 'vision' is to make me 20/20? I have 45|_|18..
I don't think so. They pretty much custom make whatever lens you need and fit it to whatever frames you. It may be just a style number.
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ironlung
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2006-01-27, 12:33

They dont know exactly what causes retinal holes, but eye stress is a big problem. People who are near sighted and dont wear glasses put stress on their eyes, that can lead to the vitreous humor coming off the retina. This tugging can either result in holes or out right retinal deattachment. The vireous humor comes off the retina with age regardless anyway.. but it depends on how easily it comes off- basically stress is bad!

There are no early signs of retinal holes, but early signs of retinal deattachment includes flashes of light( kind of like electricity), vision suddenly becoming blurry and dark, seeing cobwebs or what people describe as a burst of small specks infront of your eyes, a sudden rush of floaters in your eye. If any of this happens, my doctor said to drop everything you are doing and find a opthamologist as quick as possible. The earlier they can reattach the retina, the more vision you can recover.
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GSpotter
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2006-01-27, 12:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
any idea of the cause?
Maybe it's just good old Darwin. In earlier days, people with bad eyesight might have been less fit for survival (and reproduction). Now it matters less and the "bad genes" get a chance ...

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GSpotter
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2006-01-27, 12:49

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops
or my brain could map around the blind spot.
I once had a strange experience regarding the visual data processing in my brain: On one vision check up, one eye got a little bit better and the other got worse. When I got the test glasses, I suddenly had a kind of blackout: It felt like my vision was shut down - I was only 'seeing' a kind of black&white picture noise (as I was sitting a few inches in front of a TV without a signal). I took down the glasses and my vision came back. When I tried it a second time a few minutes later, everything was OK, so my brain obviously adapted to the new vision. But it felt very strange, kind of like a "blue screen" of my "visual processor".
.

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The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. -- Benjamin Franklin
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murbot
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2006-01-27, 13:01

Holy shit. I haven't had my eyes checked since I was in grade 6.

My oldest daughter turns 5 next month, and she's already had 2.

Be right back, I have a phone call to make.

(yikes)
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WrestleEwe
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2006-01-27, 13:28

Quote:
Originally Posted by Banana
I don't think so. They pretty much custom make whatever lens you need and fit it to whatever frames you. It may be just a style number.

It has to do with the minimal size of the lens that fits in said glasses... the first number is the diameter of the lens in mm's , but the second i'm not sure of...
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åsen
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Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-01-27, 13:31

I would like to add my own experience.

In 2003 I was diagnosed with detached retinas. I had surgery within a couple of weeks, and I was off work for 3 months. When I returned to work, I wrote about my experiences and passed them to my colleagues.

This is what I said:

Quote:
Delete this message if you are not interested in not going blind.

All,

I have just returned from several weeks of unexpected scrutiny from my new best friend, a consultant vitreo retinal surgeon. In that time I’ve learned a lot about retinal detachment, and I’d like to pass on some of that knowledge to you. Most importantly, will it happen to you? Unlikely. If you take our whole workforce of 800 or so, there should be one occurrence here every 4 years or so; and this year it was me. I can discuss surgery if you’re interested, but I won’t do so here in writing, because the surgical procedures are certainly not for the squeamish. (My 3½ hour operation did not involve lasers).

I was treated by a surgeon who specialises in the retina and the viteous gel that fills the eye, and all his unfortunate victims congregate at the Eye Department at *** Hospital. During my 4 days there I met 14 other patients, and they were representative of the type of people who have retinal detachment – ie totally random. Although the probability of retinal detachment is very low anyway, it is slightly increased if you are either short-sighted, or old, or diabetic. If you are all three, too bad. Of the 15 patients, around 7 were short-sighted (I have been short-sighted for 25 years). I was by far the youngest patient (I am 36), and the second youngest was 47. Only 2 were diabetic. Many people believe that playing contact sports can cause retinal detachment. Although this does happen, it is even more unlikely that naturally occurring retinal detachment. Not one of the 15 patients at Hospital had suffered retinal detachment as a result of a blow to the head, and the staff said it was extremely rare for a patient to be admitted after an injury. Instead, patients are admitted after symptoms are detected by either themselves or by an Optician. The question of who detects the problem splits patients into 2 categories, because this determines the severity of the detachment; the urgency of hospital admission and surgery; and (usually) the procedure(s) carried out on the operating table.

Detachment diagnosed by the victim.
People in this category suddenly find there is a major problem with their central vision. People with near or total loss of central vision must have surgery within hours of diagnosis. Although retinal detachment is never life-threatening, loss of central vision is an absolute medical emergency, because a detached retina is usually separated from its blood vessels, so every hour that passes with the central part of the retina detached reduces the likelihood of a successful re-attachment. For example:
1. A fellow patient at Hospital was a 48-year old car mechanic. He was extremely fit and active, and was not short-sighted or diabetic. On a Monday he sensed partial loss of vision. On Tuesday he saw his Doctor. On Wednesday he saw an Optician (for the first time in his life). On Thursday he saw the Consultant, and was admitted to Hospital that afternoon, by then nearly blind in one eye. He had surgery on Friday (jumping my place in the queue for the operating theatre). On Sunday he was discharged.
2. Another patient was a 47-year old housewife. She was slightly short-sighted anyway, but on a Thursday lunchtime she experienced almost total loss of vision in one eye. She was admitted to Hospital at 2100 hrs the same day and examined by one of the house doctors. The surgeon was briefed at home over the telephone. At 0630 on Friday the surgeon examined her for the first time. He operated at 0800 (also jumping my place in the queue). She was discharged on Sunday.
3. Another patient was a 68-year old grandmother. She was neither short-sighted nor diabetic. She was admitted at 2300 on Friday night after suddenly going blind in one eye a few hours earlier. After surgery barely 12 hours later, the surgeon said he ‘lost count of the number of tears in the retina – there were at least a dozen’. She was extremely anxious that she ‘was doing something wrong’ with her lifestyle. The surgeon reassured her that she had done nothing wrong at all, but ‘these things can just happen’. She was discharged the next day.

Detachment diagnosed by an Optician.
For some people with near or total loss of central vision, the condition of the retina can change from fully attached to almost fully detached in just a few panic-stricken hours. Unfortunately, there really is nothing that can be done to pre-empt this. However, for other people, there may be tell-tale symptoms that the retina is partially detached. If the symptoms are ignored, then the detachment will get steadily worse. (Eventually, it really does become ‘blindingly obvious’). However, if diagnosed correctly and early enough, then surgery will be carried out to stop the retina from detaching completely. This will save your precious central vision, and this is what happened to me. In my case, it was diagnosed by my Optician at a routine checkup. I have been short-sighted for many years, and I have a full eye examination every 6 months. I now know that my retinas became detached sometime between eye examinations in Sep 02 and May 03. I was not aware the retina had detached until the Optician saw it in May. I was in hospital one hour later. The Surgeon’s assessment was that my problem needed fairly urgent treatment (ie surgery within a couple of weeks). But surgery was not a choice or an option. I had detached retinas in both eyes, and without any surgery, the Surgeon promised me I would become blind in both eyes before the end of this year. In the event, my admission to hospital, and the time of surgery, were repeatedly delayed because of queue-jumping by more urgent cases.
Symptoms:
1. Painless. Each eye has 125 million light-sensitive cells in the retina, so there is no space for any pain-sensitive cells. This means pain is never a symptom of retinal detachment. This is actually a bad thing, because it would otherwise mean that many cases of retinal detachment would be detected by the patient.
2. Flashing Lights. As parts of the retina become partially detached or torn, they float in the vitreous gel. Tiny movements can stimulate the light-sensitive cells, causing flashing lights (eg a shower of sparks, or a shaft of light sweeping across the eye). However, a flashing light does not necessarily mean you have a detached retina. It may mean nothing at all. In my case, in the days before surgery, I was experiencing a light of 4-5 seconds duration once every hour.
3. Floating Objects. Tiny bits of retina can float around in the vitreous gel, which can be seen as small grey shapes or shadows. Again, these may not mean anything at all, because they could be tiny, natural, blemishes in the vitreous gel of healthy eyes. However, a sudden increase in the number of floating objects (or flashing lights) should be investigated.
4. Partially-Obscured Vision. This can have 2 forms, a ‘black curtain’ or a ‘grey shadow’. A ‘black curtain’ is when part of the retina in the peripheral vision becomes detached. Vision is lost in this part of the periphery – hence ‘black curtain’. If the detached area is in the upper or lower part of the peripheral vision, then it may be possible to self-diagnose the problem by comparing differences in the field of view by closing alternate eyes. Of course, if both retinas are detached in the same place, then the fields of view will still be identical. A ‘grey shadow’ is when part of the retina is detached and hangs in the vitreous gel, and blocks the light path to the rest of the retina. An Optician will be able to see all of this.

Causes.
I mentioned that short-sighted/old/diabetic people have a higher risk of retinal detachment. This is because the retina tends to get thinner and weaker in these people. This can lead to tiny tears or holes in the retina. This allows some of the vitreous gel to get behind the retina, which then starts to detach. My Surgeon explained that peeling wallpaper is a good analogy – once the peeling starts, it will worse if you ignore it. Another potential cause is when the vitreous gel shrinks, and the retina is pulled away as a result of traction from the gel. This is not yet fully medically understood, and in-between operating on people like me my Surgeon carries out a lot of research in this area. In response to my questions, the Surgeon said that staring at a monitor all day is not a cause. Mainly, he explained, retinal detachment is not caused by some health/lifestyle/working environment issue. ‘It just happens’ he said.

And Finally.
The aim of surgery is to get the retina back in place and stick it there. The longer the retina has been detached, the less chance there is of regaining vision. In my case, I have permanently lost 30% of my right retina and 10% of my left retina. But regular eye examinations and prompt surgery mean I have saved the rest.

When was the last time you had an eye examination?
Today, my eyes have recovered sufficiently such that the corrective lenses are almost the same as I had before the surgery.
However, the detached parts of my retinas have been lost forever.
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Banana
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2006-01-27, 13:34

Asen,

nice story there.

Thanks for sharing.
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ironlung
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2006-01-27, 14:34

Thanks asen. Did you get your surgery done in Norway?
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åsen
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2006-01-27, 14:44

No.

Surgery took place here. It isn't my local, but my surgeon told me to meet him there.

Last edited by åsen : 2006-01-27 at 14:52.
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ast3r3x
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2006-01-27, 15:01

This thread especially freaked me out because a couple weeks ago (maybe a month) I didn't remember looking at anything bright and I got the 'spots' that appear after a flash for a camera or something. Well they lasted, probably almost half an hour, and I couldn't read anything really because they were directly at the center of the eye where you'd focus. Then when they finally did go away maybe an hour after they started, I had almost tunnel vision where my peripheral vision was horrible. It went away then but it did have me freaked out.
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Banana
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Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-01-27, 15:05

Someone once flashed a camera flash like, 2 inches away from my eye.

I went blind for two hours; saw nothing but blue in right eye. One of my scariest moment; it faded away and there was no permanent damage.

But still, scary as shit.
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Dorian Gray
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2006-01-27, 15:23

Addenbrookes is one of the UK's better hospitals. It also has some nice art on the walls from time to time if I remember right.
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