Retinal Detachment Surgery - What To Expect During Recovery 

i was watching this and brushing my teeth....u showed u eyeballlllls? i spitout my toothpaste on my keyboard!😂😂😂

I went from flashes to the curtain in the span of a day or two, and my macular detached. Surgery is scheduled tomorrow and hope I can get some vision back.

if you are concerned about a retinal detachment it is always best to see an ophthalmologist (a medical doctor) vs an optometrist (does contacts and glasses) this would save time in making sure you have the correct diagnosis early to get treatment early.

Thank you for the video. I am currently going through the bubble senario and was concerned by it. I was not informed of this beforehand. Full disclosure is a good thing.

The cat in the back enjoying its self to much 😂😂😂

I just had surgery four days ago. First two days, couldnt see anything out of that eye. Today, i can see things but im worried i lost some peripheral vision. Trying to stay positive but really scared. There are a lot of risk associated with surgery too. I guess it’s better than taking the chance of going blind but now my one good eye is more precious than ever.

with correction do u achieve the same level of vision as before or do u not achieve the say 20/20 with glasses anymore? having this done myself soon and i was 20/20 with glasses or contacts and its been a few weeks since they caught it. no tears just the detachment. thanks

HI - I was well-aware of the threat of this problem (since I was nearsighted at the time.) For those reading this, you can see a "burst" of floaters, you can see little dark spots. You can see, "curved" lines - that you know are straight. If this is "caught" early, they can use a Laser, on your retina and "stitch" it back on (before it pulls away). You get "sharp, point pain" when this is done. Difficult to judge - but this saved my retina.

Can you go back to work after this procedure?

Thanks for the informative video, hope your vision returns as well as possible. Thumbs up!

Its been a year after my retinal tear and everything is still going well but i'm so paranoid now! Sometimes drives me grazy. Still sometimes I think my vision is better one day and then like going blurry the next. I do go for regular checkups like every 6 month's now so scared of loosing sight. How do you find your day to day now? Do you have some "side" effects if you can call it that. For me its sometimes blurriness or in evenings its kinda blurry on the peripheral side..

Hello, everybody! It has now been 5 years since I made this video, and I'm very happy to report that my retina is still fine and my vision as well. For those of you going through this, please just remember to follow your doctor's orders following the surgery to make sure your healing goes well. I was very blessed to have a great surgeon who did a great job of reattaching the retina, but a big part of getting long-term success is following your doctor's orders post-surgery. It might seem like 2 to 3 weeks is a long time to keep your head down, but considering a lifetime of good vision is at stake, it is definitely worth it! Good luck and God bless to all those going through this!

The inserting of the gas and the laser does not hurt. What hurts is the examination where they poke your eye with their instrument. It lasts several minutes. When it is hurting, just repeat "It is worth it. It is worth it".

Optometrist shouldve referred you to an ophthalmologist the first time

Thanks for making such a matter-of-fact, calm, fairly positive video about this! I worry a lot about having a retinal detachment. (I'm highly near-sighted, which is a risk factor). I try to remember that if it happens, as long as I get to an ophthalmologist ASAP, successful surgery is likely. Glad your recovery was so easy- I hope mine is similar if I ever have to go through it.

Thank you so much for this video. I noticed this black spot last week, today i did some research on internet and tomorrow the first thing i am gonna do is to consult the doctor. I hope i dont have to go through surgery as i have exams in three weeks time.

Encouraging video.

Cat people. LOL. Detached retina has been a whirlwind for me! Day 87 for me, and the buckle surgery.....I had a dead spot too, and waited (after 2 er visits and an optometry visit) 10 weeks went to ER again and had er surgery on my L eye right away. If you have concerns, go right away! My surgery was right away too! Go with your instincts though, and DON'T BE AWAKE! Ask them to put you out. It's a 3 hour process. Then use ice, artificial tears, and REST! Avoid fatigue, crying (yes crying), allergies if you can, and do what the doctors tell you to do. I do like this video though, I had a great surgeon, I just live in a dry climate. Best of luck to you!

I had surgery 20 days ago, and the only pain I've had is from my eye being tired, or headaches occasionally. I still have a small bubble floating around, but things have been comfortable. Can't see very well, but I never could! My eye does seem to have been more red in the past few days, but I have a follow up next week and hopefully good news continues! Thanks for posting this!

Hello! What caused the Rd? Are you myopic? Do you have lattice? Im -6.5 in both eyes with atrophic holes in my lattice. No rd yet. But I fear it everyday :( tons of floaters!

Thanks for the video and that kick of positivity badly needed it... How's your vision now.. My dad is about to go through it this Saturday

Lol I looked in the back and I was like what the hell is my cat doing there in the back hahhahaha. I got so shocked because it looks just like our cat.

I'm so glad that your recovery went well. It gives me some encouragement. I'm 21 years old and had a complex retinal detachment 3 months ago. I didn't notice any flashes of light or have any floaters,only a line in my vision . I had heard about retinal detachment before so I was already suspicious of it before I saw the ophthalmologist. The day after I noticed the line, I made an emergency appointment at my local retina specialist. They scheduled me surgery for the next day, I was very anxious and didn't know what to expect but I knew it had to be done. After the surgery they decided to put silicone oil in my eye. I am worried that I will have proliferative vitreoretinopathy due to the amount of scarring in my eye from the detachment. We can only hope that is not the case haha. The doctor says I will need oil for the full 6 months, and after that my vision should be very good. The one saving grace is that my vision was still very good before the surgery despite 40% of the retina being detached. Anyways, it's nice to hear stories from people who's outcomes were very positive, thank you for sharing.

Thanks for sharing. My son just had the surgery 6 days ago. Healing fine with no headaches or eye pain. Today was his second post-op and the retina is flat. They took one of the meds away and said he could stop "face dowm" on Sat but well give it an extra day. Thanks for the video❤

i've been in recovery right now..i got operation last sunday...same problem but the doctor put in my silicon oil not a gas bubble..i hope my vision will get better...

Thank you for the video. Yesterday my girlfriend was diagnosed with a retinal detachment in her left eye. She will be going in for a Scleral buckle in 2 weeks. She's quite worried that it may get worse during the wait but the doctors have told her that scarring has occurred which will stop any further tearing so long as she's sensible about what she does. I thought I should get an idea of what she will be going through post op. Very informative. Thanks again

Thank you for taking the time for this testimony. You are correct. There are a lot of terrible testimonies out on the internet. Makes you freak out, I had the same situation where never had loss but had a change in the peripheral of my vision. I wish I would have insisted on a referral earlier. I am two days post-op and your encouragement was needed. Thank you

I just had surgery 3 days ago. ty for sharing your experiences. How Long did you wait to shower and let water run on your face???

My name is Steve. I live in SW Florida and I had retunal re-attachment surgery 3.5 days ago and according it my surgeon I am right in track for healing ok. I now fullynunderstand the importance of what I experienced regarding the peripheral flashes and floaters I experiences approx 2 days before my vision in my right eye went completely cloudy(like looking through a window). It was recommended I have the surgery ASAP which I did upon returning home. 3.5 days out and getting better each day

Thank you for this video. I. Got so much information from you. 🙏👍. I just got my eye surgery three weeks ago.

i have the surgery few days ago..i'm at home resting doing what the doctor advice me to do same from what you are explaining..i hope i recovery same as with you...

Thank you so much for your video, I had my surgery 1/7/13. I wish had seen it before my surgery. I'm still recovering because I had a macular hole. I learned more from you than my Dr., who I will not recommend to anyone. He didn't have time for the unimportant things, like explaining things & telling me what to expect. I'll know better next time to check out the Dr. first & make sure he has some sort of bedside manner!!

my experience: i had my procedures done last week for a detached retnia in my left eye. Friday: Gas Bubble, Saturday: Laser to close tears, Sun: Laser to close tears, Monday: Laser to close tears, Tuesday: Laser to close tears, Thursday: final Laser to close tears and get rid of remainder of fluid. the procedure was hella invasive, the laser hurt more than the gas bubble, come to think of it the examination where they poke your eye with the utencil was slightly painful as well. it wasnt that bad but i wish it on no one though....

can lutein supplement 20mg daily help with retinal or vitreous detachment ?? Or can make it worse?

nicely explained, good feedback.. I saw sparks and dark spots on the peripheral vision just like you, I went immediately and was scheduled to the same surgery. the earlier you go the better. really great advice.

I had a detached retina had 4 ops but couldn’t get it back on so been blind for 11 years now

Lol, your kitty in the background. Thanks for the info

@Kent.merritt Can you please share your current eye situation is everything ok after 12 years

Thank you 🙏 I’m going through this right now. And I’m having a hard time with this, my whole my body aches ,just from keeping my head down. This happen a month to the day after a pituitary tumor removal m this feels worst. Thank you for the info.

I had emergency surgery Friday. Keeping my head down and having very few problems. Nice job of cat grooming!!!

Thank you very much for making this video. My mother is going in for surgery tomorrow for a detached retina and it has help put her anxiety at ease. You have been a big help and we appreciate it!

I was lucky not to have to follow the face down protocol. I just have to sleep on my side.

My biggest thing is pain. For anyone who had retinal detachment surgery, was it painful? Did they do anything to ease or eliminate the pain?

great video short and to the point I am recovery right now and doing great thank you

To help anyone who is also suffering from my problem after retinal surgery, I found some more terms and explanations. It is called retinally-induced aniseikonia, (and is a form of metamorphopsia), and after retinal surgery those who suffer from this, like me, usually have micropsia, which means in the operated eye in parts of the visual field the image appears small and distorted. It is usually caused by the receptors in the fovea stretching or moving further apart due to detachment or surgery or both. It is difficult to correct because it is field dependent, but articles suggest that in some cases it may be partially corrected by glasses which may provide some relief. However, they say not enough doctors know about this remedy. I hope this helps anyone going through the same problem.

Going through this nightmare following surgery to reattach 48 hours ago. This is such a good video. No fuss, no drama, no hypotheses. Just told as it was and is. Thank you.

Just add the surgery a couple days ago and face down Since. So dam board

i have same problem in my right eye and i gett oprated in 2013 and after my second operation on 2014 for oil removel and now i am fine but thanks

I also had a spontaneous detachment. Age under 50 but my optometrist told me I was at higher, though still low risk for a detachment due to being narrow sighted and having some 'lattice degeneration'. Had my emergency surgery almost weeks ago - retinal detachment with a single break. I had a lone floater for about a week then a spot at the top of eye that also seemed to make my eye feel "full". I still have gas bubble at day 12 but I think it can last up to a few weeks. Early intervention is key and following positioning of head/eye and using drops will make it better.

Hey brother thanks 4 the info in ur vid.I'm 43 n jus being diagnosed with a retinal detachment yesterday n going in Monday to get this surgery done. I'm very VERY FRIGHTENED (as a mans man attitude lol if u knew me u'd understand the LOL) but I'm very thankful to u to at least have a little (what to expect) information. Thanks again Godspeed n please pray for me. I noticed this vid is old but hopefully u get this message.

Just under 2 weeks since my vitrectomy surgery. Had 10 days face down 24/7 which was not easy. I did rent face down equipment. Still have the gas bubble, they used C3F8 which is the longest lasting so waiting for the bubble to get small enough to use my eye and do local driving again.

I go for my surgery a few hours from now, thanks for the encouragement.

thank you so much for your video, I've just gone through surgery yesterday and thanks to you I know what to expect for the next 2-3 weeks.

the cat is a genius

my point is u need to reattach the retina even if vision is bad or never return. phthisis bulbi is no joke. my gf feel pain everyday, then disfigured because the eye shrunk. i got her coral eye implants and said i'm sorry u have to lose sight in that eye. she said she already lost sight in that eye 7 years ago

thanks just home from emergency surgery so am following surgeon's instruction don't need to lie flat but on my right side 24 hours on my front in hospital which for me was really hard but your videos is useful thanks:-)

Had problems on Monday and im seeing a surgeon on next Monday. Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you-- but mine is OLD- happened in 2017.. and was told it would require MULTIPLE surgeries and may even then not work.. so I'm NOT doing mine.. I've been without sight in that eye for 4 years now-- NOT going to risk multiple surgeries, the pain, aggravation, and lifestyle upset to go through something that most likely willNOT work for me.. I'm going to have the cataract removed from my good healthy eye- and just wear a patch on this one so it doesn't make the other one hurt trying to "compensate" for the loss.. but thank you.. Wish I could have caught mine early.

Please please someone tell me ! If this cross-eyed after this surgery with gas IS IT TEMPORARY? Im so scared .. please feedback.. MY OTHER EYE LOOKS AT THE OTHER DIRECTION..please help..

Just had my laser surgery after being diagnosed with 2 holes in my retina causing a detachment, prayed so hard as it is not a pleasant experience to not have operation. Thankfully they feel the laser might be enough to heal the holes. God is good hope your eye feels better and thank you for the video 🙏

Everything looks like vaseline peoples faces are distorted with right eye only. the left drops then disappears. I have had 2 vitrectomies and scleral buckle with debridement of scar tissue and finally cataract. Nightmare vision is bad and affects the quality of the good eye. Are you having the same problem?. The graft lines don't exist in surgical eye sight.

BTW: here some sign to go to the opthtmatologist. First I had a PVD 3 months ago. I saw lots of flashes and floaters. Went immediately to opthm. and she said my retina was in excellent condition. 3 months later I worked in the field (weatherstation) and suddenly saw 1000 small floaters. Dissapated 2 hours later. Saw a grey area on the top side, like a very large floater. That becamse bvery slowly a bit bigger. That is because the vitr. was pulling on the retina.

sorry for bothering you again,but how much time it took to get your vision restored completely. .....my vision is 20/80..... what was yours just after operation. .please do reply. ....

last friday i was watching youtube videos when i saw my vision go dark all of a sudden. i slept for about 30 minutes then woke up and walked my dog. i havent had that dark vision since then but at school i saw some bright lightening flashes about every 2 days. they were kind of outlined with black and blue and were white on the inside. can you tell me what this is because im only 15 and scared that i might lose my vision

As luck would have it, I had it in the downside of the eye gravity had little to pull on. HAd some small weakers spots at the bottom side of the left eye too. They sealed them (just in case) too. That was absolutely painless although I had used paracetamol and ibuprofen. The doc was convinced I would feel pain because she was hitting hard in the beginning. No such thing: bsolutely nothing. 176 shots and 90 seconds later than was done. So do not fear, it can cause pain but it does not have to.

I had my husband drive me to the ER and as it turns out I had a retinal tear in my right eye which the did an emergency laser surgery on. I have to tell you that all of the poking and proding along with 3 ultrasounds in the past 24 hours and I"m exhausted. Kind of depressed too. I'm feeling pretty worthless right now. I had my thyroid removed last september, they made a big deal ouf of a lump in my breast which turned out to be nothing... and now this. All in about a 6 month time frame. Sigh...

That you so much for this video. Having this done Friday and I am freaking..lol.

i dont think u can at least in the next 3 months, my mom is going to have a retinal detachment surgery on Wed and the doctor said she is not allowed lift up any heavy stuff for at least 3 months.

I just had the cataract and oil removed today.......How long before i get my vison back in that eye? Currently I can see water in it.

thanks for the helpful video. how much did the surgery cost? DR said 90 to 95% success rate.....is the rate usually around that for average people and surgeries? and if it fails that means you go blind? I see yellow dark lights at the corners of both my eyes. If I don't use pc/tv that much they won't occur...but yesterday I think I see some lightning flashes....twice

I had a detachment ( a huge tear slowly pealing off low in the eye). Waited a week before I went to the doc. Now, exc. 1 month after my surgery (gas bubble and 3000 lasershots) my viosis almost 100%, still getting better. Never had pain, heavy fog with 3 cm sight lifted after 5 days within 12 hours. Had to lay on my back 5 days btw. I now take melatonin 0.5 mg a night and today recieved 1,0% NAC eyedrops both to prevent cataract. Not proven but encouraging recent research (2012) & cheap.

These laser surgeries will cause cataracts. My husband has one now that he has to have taken out. He's been dealing with detached retinas for two years with no improvement. He's had numerous laser done, eye buckle, gas, silicone, fluid drained, imagine seeing the Dr coming at you with a syringe getting ready to drain your eye. My husband is about to throw in the towel. He is leaning towards not having the cataract surgery. He's had constant pain and the Dr doesn't prescribe anything. My husband hasn't missed any work other than recovery time from surgery. He's a meat cutter. I don't know how to help him.

Hi my mother recently had this surgery done as well. And they have her on 3 different kinds of eye drops. A purple top, Pink top, and tan top. Did you have to take 3 different kind of eye drops after you had this surgery?

Hey bro how long did it take for the vaseline like blurriness to clear up for you? I've never needed glasses or had any trauma to either eye. I exercise, eat very well and don't smoke or drink so this caught me totally by surprise. For the sclera buckle surgery I was completely under so it was as painless as it gets; I worried for nothing...now I try not to worry over regaining total sight in that eye...

story sounds just like mine. I saw floaters and then a black curtain last Thursday 7/19/2012. My optometrist sent me to an Opthamologist specializing in retinal surgery. I had immmediate surgery that night. I still have the "bubble" both between my retina and lense and between my lense and cornea. I am hoping I caught it in time - I had fluid behind my retina and the tear was approaching the macular.

I had the same thing happen and same procedure, did you initially get some distortion in vision as the bubble was getting smaller, I was told me this would happen as the bubble got smaller but should clear up as bubble goes away.

how is your vision now? anything fuzzy, distort, straight line not straight?

Where did you get your surgery?? My boyfriend got shot and I'm looking for an surgeon! Part of his retina is damaged but it is detached please contact as soon as possible. Much appreciated.

I'm going in the morning. I had cataracts 6 years ago; no glasses. (did where contacts for 30 years prior). I have a dark spot in the left corner. I have had tons of floaters for five years and have complained a bunch. The surgeon told me it was a crap shoot, however, on whether I would have caught anything or not, as the floaters were age related as well. There was a tiny tear he said might have been caught, but the detachment happened. So, when were you able to read or see faily clearly again? Only 3 weeks? Or longer?

I just had surgery and I was wondering how long it took your eye to become white again? Right now my eye is really red and I need to go back to work.

Have a simlar story. Had my first surgery for cataract in early November and now the macular hole repair here in December. The whole face down thing was the worst of it. My bubble is still with me in all its shifting, bobbing, swishing glory. If I know of a way to make it go away faster I would do it...it's enough already. Won't know it the surgery to repair the hole will have worked for months so I can safely say there is no immediate gratification in getting this done. I did it to hedge my bet that while it may not improve the vision it would likely help to keep it from getting any larger...I guess we will see

I've had this surgery a week back, I'm 21. I keep sneezing and stuff and Im afraid...how much stress can this put on my eyes? Also...what should one look for while in recovery? Anything weird besides bubble?

hi i have FEVR, i have a retina detachment in , it happened in about two hours, my eye is intake, i have a surgery next friday

Like so many others thank you .....I had a Dr who told me I had a gas bubble ...like it was unusual- instead of part of the regular procedure now I have hope that the bubble will dissolve or be absorbed in a week or so.. Congrats on your 5 year anniversary of eyesight after retinal detachment.

Just this morning, my opthalmologist diagnosed me w/ detached retina. Another test will be done tomorrow, to find out what treatment will be done. Praying for good treatment. I am afraid, I'm just 23, :(

the googly eyes are everything

Hello sir if you don't mind me asking few questions as I had the procedure with silicon oil which I was only able up bear in my right eye for 3 weeks(original plan was for 3 months but eye pressure was so high all the time that for over 2 weeks I was in constant pain so the doctor decided instead of leaving oil in there and cause damage via high pressure he wanted to remove it after 2nd week but I pushed for another week as from what I understand the longer it stays the less chance of retina detaching in future) I had surgery this past Thursday and he wasn't able to put the gas bubble on because it was causing pressure issues so he lasered it. I saw him day after surgery and again Today he said to continue to pray that retina stays attached other than that he is hopeful for recovery Sorry about the long message I have question after you had your oil removed aboit how long did it take for you to get ypor vision back to a point where you could see somewhat clearly. Right right now I can make out objects and see my fingers close by but overall it's blurry with few floaters He said with time it should improve especially as swelling goes down in Cornia I am very hopeful that in 2-3 weeks I can get somewhat clear vision and I know it's something that suppose to improve overtime My pressure is good now but the eye itself hurts a bit which I am guessing is due to 2nd surgery in 3 weeks and Cornia being a bit irritated Anyway any helpful information will have greatly Thank you

Thank you for your post in response. I did go back and he performed more laser surgery; this time in the office rather than the surgery center. There is scarring, and he was afraid the retina might detach again. I was pain free for about a day; now the pain is back again. Since the first surgery, vertical lines are bent in, including print lines; the people on the TV have shrunken heads, and I can't see yellow and all the other colors are faded (which is the least of my problems; the distorted vertical lines makes me nauseated). He said this is normal. I found a blog by others who suffer from these problems after retinal surgery. Some have had them for over a year with no relief. I can't find any website that suggests any aids to cope. You are lucky your surgery went so well.

I had retinal detachment with macula off 6 month ago but the vision now is still blurry, anyone has similar experiences?

I had retinal detachment I had 2 laser treatment to close off holes & hoping for good results I went to dr before he told me floaters would go away I m glad I caught it in time

Thanks for the encouragement. Going for my surgery tomorrow and am a bit nervous

Still all distorted, but I can see yellow again. It doesn't look white like it used to. Happy for that.

Priscilla go see an ophthalmologist just to make sure. Early intervention is the key.

Greetings from Australia. I started seeing spots, floaters and occassionally flashes of light in the outside corner of my left eye. For about a month they came and went, the floaters and spots only lasting for a minute or so. This was last February. I was buying parts for my lawn mower when I started to get veiling across my eye. Within about 10 minutes it was like looking through soup with a slight red tinge (blood). My GP sent me straight to an Opthamologist, where he dianosed a ruptured blood vessel at the back of the eye. Through an ultrasound, he didn't notice any retinal tears or detachment. After twice weekly visits my vision began to improve dramatically. We were both very confident about my recovery. I awoke on a Monday morning with terribly impaired vision, even worse than the Vitreous Veiling I had experienced a few weeks before. Luckily, I had already made an appointment to my Opthamologist for 10.30 that morning. My Opthamologist then confirmed a retinal detachment had occured overnight and gave me a referal straight to the Sydney Eye Hospital 120 kilometres away. With my wife, I raced home, got my stuff together, boarded a train and presented myself at the Sydney Eye Hospital a couple of hours later. After many tests I was scheduled for surgery that afternoon. An overnight stay in hospital where I had to remain face down. My eye was so bad it was filled with synthetic oil, not gas, to keep the retina in place while it heals. Vision in my left eye is still 'soupy' and will remain so until the oil is extracted. I've had numerous vistits to the Eye Hospital and to my Opthamologist and the retina has healed nicely but cataracts are already starting to form. Hopefully they'll remove the cataracts when they extract the oil, as my Opthamologist recommends. I'm also experiencing elevated eye pressure in my left eye which is due to the oil in my eye. I'm on drops to control this. I'm 60 years of age, just recently retired early and have never had any health issues. Also,, all surgery and specialist visits are covered under universal healthcare (Medicare) so I'm not out of pocket.

I have had 2 surgeries my vision is blurred and distorted unable to judge stairs or curbs.

Before the surgery, did your central vision on your right eye detach as well?

im going through this rn and im only 15 + im only 16. this is so scary. what did your bubble look like may i ask? mine is Black, Moves alot etc. and did it disappear after a while ?

very helpful; i am recovering from the procedure for he last three days. my doc said i can anticipate a cataract after it heals.

Thanks for the video I'm having the surgery on 12-13-16, This Helps Me a lot.again thank u and God Bless

II was very resistant to the the anesthesia and woke up during the operation and i started clinching my fist in pain while he was cutting me up haha, they just turned up the gas and knocked me out again hahaha