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glaucoma after surgery-My story

Question:

I have a LONG history of eye surgery.  I was born with cataracts. First one was in 1978 when I had the cataract removed from my right eye.  Second one was in 1982 when they did the left eye.  At that time the surgery was VERY different and I was put totally out for it and they removed the entire lense and sac, therefore I can not get any lense implant in the back of my eye today.   I remember being in the hospital for 3 days too!  Now it’s BAM and you’re out of the surgicenter. Well in 2002 I was referred to a surgeon who did cataract surgery and who said I could get an implant put in the ‘front’ of my eye (IOL) which would prevent me from having to wear my +12 contacts anymore. I had the right eye done first.  I thought GREAT..let’s do it!  Well, after only 3 months of having it in my right eye it dislocated itself and had to be removed.  About 3 months later I developed VERY high pressures in that right eye and to the tone of 40-50 and I got EXTREME headaches!  I was put on any drug imaginable to help me…Diamox, travatan, pred forte due to inflamation, etc….and the list went on so much I can’t remember all the meds I was taking.   Since he couldn’t get my pressures down he referred me to a glaucoma specialist here in town (which there is only 2 of them in the entire place!) and she couldn’t get my pressure down either.  In fact one day I had such a bad headache she had me come into her office emergency wise and my IOP was 48 and she gave me a bunch of really sweet stuff to drink which brought it down to about 25 within a couple hours!  Everything we tried didn’t work.   So I had to go in for yet another surgery on the right eye…she inserted a tube to help drain it.   Still to this day my IOP’s are in the mid to high 20’s however I’ll take that to the 40’s anyday!  Now I’m on pred forte once a day and travatan once before bedtime in the right eye.   I do compressions every 2 hrs to help drain it and that seems to help.  I will never let anyone touch my left eye as it is my "better" eye and the IOP’s are fine in that one.   I can’t see in my right eye today and even with a +12 contact in that eye I see about 20/60 and the contact is very uncomfortable due to the tube in my eye. Anybody develope glaucoma on here due to surgery?   I wish I never would have had that IOL implanted to begin with now but I can’t take it back. All I can do is go forward from here and hope for the best. I got back to the Glaucoma Specialist on 8/11 for a IOP check and a visual field exam.  I have been going back every 2-4 months for checks.   So far (crossing my fingers) my nerve is fine and last years visual field exam was normal.   She says I’m tolerating the IOP’s in the 20’s fine but I don’t want to take any chances and neither does she. — Helen

Response:

So sorry, Helen!  You’ve really had it rough. My history is a bit like yours, though not as bad.  I had a cataract removed from my left eye 20+ years ago, although I was an early microsurgery recipient and didn’t have the entire lens removed.  Had good IOPs until about 3 years ago.  I had a lens implanted in that eye, then it slipped and had to be sewn into place. At the time we weren’t sure if I really had glaucoma or if the Pred Forte I was using was raising my pressure.  Yup, it’s a steroid and I’m told steroids can raise IOP.  We finally knew I had glaucoma when my IOP stayed up after I got off the Pred Forte.  Secondary glaucoma can indeed result from trauma.  That’s why I don’t think there’s any such thing as "minor" surgery. I don’t regret having the lens put in.  I think now my IOP had started to rise BEFORE I did that, and I can’t imagine using all those eye drops with a contact lens. Meds controlled my IOP adequately at first, but this year it rose and refused to come down, and I just had a trab done 2 weeks ago. Laura On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 22:26:14 -0400, "Helen" <hkollns…@yahoo.com> wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Anybody develope glaucoma on here due to surgery?   I wish I never would >have had that IOL implanted to begin with now but I can’t take it back. >All I can do is go forward from here and hope for the best.

Response:

Helen, I’ve been through a similar set of surgeries in the 1060s,  except for the implant.  Fortunately, I had myopia with a -6 eye glasses before the surgery and wound up with a +6 eyeglasses after.  However, I was told that the process of pulling the entire lens out of the eye damages the drainage system and many who have had this type of surgery eventually get glaucoma. In regards to the runaway IOP, has your doctor ever suggested Phospholine Iodide (Wyeth).  I take 3 different eyedrops.  Phospholine Iodide, Timilol, and Xalatan).  Without the Phospholine Iodide my pressure soars from 17 to the upper 20s.  The side effect is that it gives you a brow ache until you adjust to it.  This medicine can only be prescribed for those who had their lenses removed "the old fashioned way", or have lost their lenses otherwise, because it can cause cataracts in those who still have their natural lenses. Good luck with your eyes from here on in. "Helen" <hkollns…@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:I6ednYb0aoqpEojcRVn-sQ@comcast.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I have a LONG history of eye surgery.  I was born with cataracts. First one > was in 1978 when I had the cataract removed from my right eye.  Second one > was in 1982 when they did the left eye.  At that time the surgery was VERY > different and I was put totally out for it and they removed the entire lense > and sac, therefore I can not get any lense implant in the back of my eye > today.   I remember being in the hospital for 3 days too!  Now it’s BAM and > you’re out of the surgicenter. > Well in 2002 I was referred to a surgeon who did cataract surgery and who > said I could get an implant put in the ‘front’ of my eye (IOL) which would > prevent me from having to wear my +12 contacts anymore. I had the right eye > done first.  I thought GREAT..let’s do it!  Well, after only 3 months of > having it in my right eye it dislocated itself and had to be removed. About > 3 months later I developed VERY high pressures in that right eye and to the > tone of 40-50 and I got EXTREME headaches!  I was put on any drug imaginable > to help me…Diamox, travatan, pred forte due to inflamation, etc….and the > list went on so much I can’t remember all the meds I was taking.   Since he > couldn’t get my pressures down he referred me to a glaucoma specialist here > in town (which there is only 2 of them in the entire place!) and she > couldn’t get my pressure down either.  In fact one day I had such a bad > headache she had me come into her office emergency wise and my IOP was 48 > and she gave me a bunch of really sweet stuff to drink which brought it down > to about 25 within a couple hours!  Everything we tried didn’t work.   So I > had to go in for yet another surgery on the right eye…she inserted a tube > to help drain it.   Still to this day my IOP’s are in the mid to high 20’s > however I’ll take that to the 40’s anyday!  Now I’m on pred forte once a day > and travatan once before bedtime in the right eye.   I do compressions every > 2 hrs to help drain it and that seems to help.  I will never let anyone > touch my left eye as it is my "better" eye and the IOP’s are fine in that > one.   I can’t see in my right eye today and even with a +12 contact in that > eye I see about 20/60 and the contact is very uncomfortable due to the tube > in my eye. > Anybody develope glaucoma on here due to surgery?   I wish I never would > have had that IOL implanted to begin with no      wbutIcan’ttakeitback. > All I can do is go forward from here and hope for the best. > I got back to the Glaucoma Specialist on 8/11 for a IOP check and a visual > field exam.  I have been going back every 2-4 months for checks.   So far > (crossing my fingers) my nerve is fine and last years visual field exam was > normal.   She says I’m tolerating the IOP’s in the 20’s fine but I don’t > want to take any chances and neither does she. > — > Helen

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