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Eye/vision post-op complication-update

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  • Eye/vision post-op complication-update

    Hi all,

    I am 6 weeks post-op today and still afflicted by this eye/vision problem since I woke from surgery. Basically, both eyes function normally when one is closed, the other is open. But if I open them together, the right eye lazes over outward ( called strabismus) and I have blurry/kinda double vision ( binocular diplothia). I end up squinting the right eye shut to see and the left eye alone has some blurriness I didn't have before.

    I was able to get in to see a very well-known nuero-opthamologist/researcher Dr. Peter Savino of UCSD yesterday. He knew my case before going in and had done some research. Are you ready for this. There is no documented case ever of my eye problem following spine surgery. I don't meet the criteria for any diagnosis, but he said it is like a "partial" cranial nerve 3 injury. He feels I likely had blood loss to an area in the brain during surgery causing the symptoms. He does not feel I need any imaging because it wouldn't change the treatment plan of wait for recovery. Does he know I will recover? No. But he feels optimistic that this will repair itself over time- maybe 6 weeks or maybe 6 months. He wants me to wear a patch, either eye is fine and come back in 8 weeks. They did a lot of tests and it seemed my eyes looked good. He said if I feel comfortable driving with one eye, I can but it is up to me. I said I absolutely don't feel comfortable at this point.

    He did tell me he attended a meeting/conference of anesthesiologists, scoli surgeons where he was one of three neuro-opthamologists to figure out how to prevent blindness following scoli surgery. He said it was called following a 13 year old having scoliosis surgery and going blind in both eyes. I have no idea when it was but I know he is very well-versed in what happens during surgery.

    My cup can shift from being half empty ("why me??" "Isn't this surgery enough to recover from, but now this? What if I don't get better?") to half full ("I still can see. I have no eye pain. I didn't go blind!! I could have been one of those statistics".) Everyone around me is positive but I just have a dark feeling this vision problem will not improve. It is annoying and my eye tires easily when I try to read or type. I am not home yet but I can already tell the patch is going to drive me crazy. It makes your eye sweaty and the band tugs. And who wants to tell people 300 times a day why your wearing an eye patch?

    Ugh. Enough complaining. It has to get better. It just has to.

    Jana
    Diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at age 11
    Dr. Edgar Dawson of UCLA
    Braced and "stopped" below 50 degrees
    Age 25: 47 degrees, 48 degrees
    Age 38 (3 babies later): 60 degrees, 63 degrees and 2.5 inches shorter
    Age 41: 64 degrees, 70 degrees
    Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr. of Scripps Hospital, La Jolla CA
    June 2015-ALIF on L5-S1 for a slipped and degenerated disk
    June 14, 2016-T4-L4 spinal fusion with instrumentation
    Post-surgery: 16 degrees, 12 degrees and 2 inches taller

  • #2
    Jana I know this isn't the same but years ago I was in a car accident and ended up fracturing multiple facial bones including the bone around my right eye. It left me in a similar way as you describe. Other then repair of the fractures I had no other treatment. The double vision slowly improved. I me a n slowly. I was left with the flashing lights and had a difficult time driving at night but that also slowly improved. Better at a year and then near normal at 2..Slowly ! So there is hope for you also. It is hard to be patient but I hope all turns out ok.
    T10-pelvis fusion 12/08
    C5,6,7 fusion 9/10
    T2--T10 fusion 2/11
    C 4-5 fusion 11/14
    Right scapulectomy 6/15
    Right pectoralis major muscle transfer to scapula
    To replace the action of Serratus Anterior muscle 3/16
    Broken neck 9/28/2018
    Emergency surgery posterior fusion C4- T3
    Repeated 11/2018 because rods pulled apart added T2 fusion
    Removal of partial right thoracic hardware 1/2020
    Removal and replacement of C4-T10 hardware with C7 and T 1
    Osteotomy

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by jackieg412 View Post
      Jana I know this isn't the same but years ago I was in a car accident and ended up fracturing multiple facial bones including the bone around my right eye. It left me in a similar way as you describe. Other then repair of the fractures I had no other treatment. The double vision slowly improved. I me a n slowly. I was left with the flashing lights and had a difficult time driving at night but that also slowly improved. Better at a year and then near normal at 2..Slowly ! So there is hope for you also. It is hard to be patient but I hope all turns out ok.
      That lifted my spirits more than you know! I am so happy you recovered and it gives me hope. Our bodies are really amazing. I keep telling myself my back is very slowly improving and my eye muscle injury (whatever it is) can heal too. Thank you for you note!!
      Diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis at age 11
      Dr. Edgar Dawson of UCLA
      Braced and "stopped" below 50 degrees
      Age 25: 47 degrees, 48 degrees
      Age 38 (3 babies later): 60 degrees, 63 degrees and 2.5 inches shorter
      Age 41: 64 degrees, 70 degrees
      Dr. Gregory Mundis Jr. of Scripps Hospital, La Jolla CA
      June 2015-ALIF on L5-S1 for a slipped and degenerated disk
      June 14, 2016-T4-L4 spinal fusion with instrumentation
      Post-surgery: 16 degrees, 12 degrees and 2 inches taller

      Comment


      • #4
        Jana, It going to be all right....give healing time, it will happen.

        Try to hang in there.

        Ed
        49 yr old male, now 63, the new 64...
        Pre surgery curves T70,L70
        ALIF/PSA T2-Pelvis 01/29/08, 01/31/08 7" pelvic anchors BMP
        Dr Brett Menmuir St Marys Hospital Reno,Nevada

        Bending and twisting pics after full fusion
        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/showt...on.&highlight=

        My x-rays
        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...2&d=1228779214

        http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/attac...3&d=1228779258

        Comment

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