BS: Going Blind

11 May 02 - 06:45 AM (#708741)
Subject: Going Blind
From: Cllr

I went to the opthamologist nad he told me I was going blind. I usually wear contact lenses and my eyes have become so sensitive to oxygen deprivation that blood vessels in my eyes balls are starting to obscure my vision. Im lucky in that by wearing glasses this process will not get any worse and if I want to were contacts for a few hours at a time I can. It was still one hell of a shock though. anyone else had this problem? Cllr

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11 May 02 - 06:52 AM (#708742)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Skipjack K8

Had a mate at work who wore contacts every day for a couple of decades, and he discovered the selfsame problems. However, he switched to glasses and had no further deterioration. Sorry to hear of your prognosis.

Skipjack

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11 May 02 - 08:01 AM (#708764)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Jim Krause

Been hearly so all my life.
Jim

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11 May 02 - 08:09 AM (#708768)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: GUEST,NH Dave

This is one reason why gas permeable rigid contacts - contacts that allow air to get to that portion of the cornea covered by the contact, are frequently prescribed. Ditto perforated contacts, although these were mostly seen in the old non-permeable rigid contacts.

Anything that covers the surface of the eye for any period of time will cut off oxygen flow to the cornea, and cause some swelling/edema of the corneal surface.

Dave

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11 May 02 - 08:11 AM (#708770)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Celtic Soul

Thank God that any further damage is preventable.

Have you thought about Lasik? That might be another alternative to glasses. Of course, consult with a Doctor who specialises in it to see if you qualify for the procedure.

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11 May 02 - 08:45 AM (#708793)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Pied Piper

Sorry to here about your problems Cllr.I use glasses and have occasionly thought of contacts :not any more. All the best PP

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11 May 02 - 10:21 AM (#708823)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: katlaughing

One of my sisters, who were twins born prematurely, has macular degeneration from too much oxygen in the hospital where they were kept for 3 months before they could come home as newborns. I know she's had some kind of surgery a couple of times to help with it. They and my other sister have worn contacts since the 1960's. From what I remember, they wear the same kind as always which were the small, hard ones. I will ask them, though, if they are the perforated/gas permeable type, though, to make sure this is not a problem compounding her other problem. I had no idea this could happen with contacts. Thanks for letting us know and good luck...makes me glad I've always gone for glasses.:-)

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11 May 02 - 10:23 AM (#708824)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: irishajo

I have never heard that contacts could cause that. I have something similar (but not exactly the same, I don't think) called choroidal neovascularization. It's growth of new blood vessels in the eye to obscure vision. Several doctors told me I would go completely blind (so far I'm mostly blind in only one eye).

I finally found a doctor (Johns Hopkins educated) who knew exactly what the problem was. He told me the likelihood of going blind was there, but it was rare and he gave me the signs to watch for. The point is a good doctor is priceless, your eyesight is too important.

At any rate I know it's a shock, I have been there. It sounds like you are doing ok with it, I wish you the best.

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11 May 02 - 10:43 AM (#708831)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: mack/misophist

A word about laser surgery: I've had laser surgery for glaucoma, not the Lasik mentioned above. It's not true that it's painless. It was no more than I could bear but it WAS very painful. Don't be taken by surprise if you choose this.

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11 May 02 - 11:10 AM (#708845)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Celtic Soul

My honey had Lasik. He says there are a few parts of the procedure that he would describe as painful:

1.) After they applied some numbing drops, they drew on his eye with a special pen. He says his drops had not fully kicked in, and so it was a little painful.

2.) They use a tool to hold the eyelid open. He says this was also a little painful, but he believes it's because he fought it. He relaxed on the second eye, and it hurt nowhere near as bad.

3.) They put a suction ring on your eyeball to hold your eye still. He says this feels like someone putting a cane on your eye and leaning on it. He says this was the most painful part.

The thing he expected to hurt (the actual procedure itself) did not, and nor did he have anything he would consider as more than slight discomfort after all was said and done.

Of course, this is only one mans experience, so take it in that light.

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11 May 02 - 12:00 PM (#708882)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: GUEST

Cllr, as an optometrist, I suspect what you are referring to is what is called corneal neovascularization. Contact lenses can indeed cause this invasion of blood vessels into the normally clear front surface of the eyeball. Scar tissue can develop from the blood vessels, causing the cornea to become opaque, and loss of vision can result. Often, this is seen when people misuse their contacts, like leaving them on all day and night for weeks or months at a time, not cleaning them regularly, or overextending the useful life of disposable contacts. If this type of vision loss does occur, a corneal transplant can restore useful vision. Much better to avoid it though, and if your condition was showing signs of worsening, I would suggest no further use of contacts. Incidentally, choroidal neovascularization, which causes macular degeneration, happens at the level of the retina, at the back of the eye, and has nothing to do with corneal neovascularization. Also, Lasik and other refractive procedures are an option, but not all patients do well. Sometimes doctors who do a lot of lasik get into sales pitch mode. Get a second opinion before going that route. Glasses are your safest option, if you can tolerate them. Good luck, Al

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11 May 02 - 01:12 PM (#708921)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Liz the Squeak

Hey, Cllr, sorry to hear that, if you need a rant, you know where I am.... PM me and whinge if you want. I can't help any other way, but letting off steam to an interested party is always better than bottling it up.

Take care.

LTS

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11 May 02 - 06:07 PM (#709107)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Cllr

Thanks everybody for the kind comments.Cllr

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11 May 02 - 07:43 PM (#709154)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Mark Cohen

Guest O.D.'s comments are right on. I've been wearing contact lenses for over 30 years and love them. I'm currently using "extended wear" soft lenses, which I use with a "daily wear" regimen--I NEVER sleep with my lenses. (Of course, I'm not sleeping with anyone else, either, but that's another story entirely...)

One other caution I might add is that people with very high degrees of myopia (nearsightedness) are at increased risk for retinal detachment, which if untreated can lead to permanent loss of vision but which can be successfully treated if caught early enough. Those people should have their retinas checked by a specialist at least every five years. See an ophthalmologist IMMEDIATELY if you notice any irregularity at the edges of your visual field, such as dark spots, haziness, or bright flashes of light. (Note that this should not be confused with "floaters", little black or "clear" bits that float in and out of your vision and are benign remnants of fetal eye tissue.) The risk of retinal detachment does not depend on whether your vision is corrected with glasses, contacts, or surgery. Which reminds me, I'm overdue for MY retina exam!

Aloha,
Mark

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11 May 02 - 11:56 PM (#709297)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: GUEST,Al

Just a followup note to Mark's excellent advice. Those who are very nearsighted should get a periodic retinal exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. These days, most optometrists and ophthalmologists in the U.S. are proficient at dilated retinal exams using a technique called scleral depression, necessary to see the outermost parts of the retina where tears tend to occur. In any event, if a retinal tear or detachment is found, you will be sent promptly to a retinal specialist, who does nothing but repair retinas for a living. Regular optometrists and ophthalmologists don't do that type of procedure. Al

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12 May 02 - 12:07 AM (#709301)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Genie

Cllr,
Sorry to hear about your vision loss. I hope you can avoid it getting worse.

Thanks for the heads up about soft contacts. Looks like a 'problem' I've had for a few years may have turned out to be a blessing. My presbyopia has gotten bad enough that I hate to wear contacts, because I can't focus on anything closer than about 3 or 4 feet with them in. (With glasses, I can, and do, keep putting them on for distance vision and taking them off for everything else.) It's good to know that I shouldn't try to wear my contacts except occasionally for a few hours at a time.

I wish you the best in treating your vision.

Genie

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12 May 02 - 10:26 PM (#709860)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: harpgirl

...I went blind from early cataracts in the nineties. I am thinkful that medical technology has advanced so much and that I have lense implants that allow me to see so well again.

I do have a problem now with the back of my inner eye lining coming off and I see with what seems like windshield wipers, but I am hoping my new eye surgeon will have some treatment for this, such as lasering the tissue so it breaks up more.

I can certainly understand the feelings over losing eyesight and I hope you get better my friend...harpgirl

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13 May 02 - 07:22 AM (#710078)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Morticia

God, glad they found out in time to sort it....hope you are over the shock and I'm sure you will be a vision of loveliness in specs *BG*.

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13 May 02 - 08:22 AM (#710122)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Mary in Kentucky

Al, you mentioned choroidal neovascularization at the level of the retina. This sounds like what a dear friend of mine is going through now. She had histoplasmosis as a child, then as an adult, started losing vision (it was explained that this was a complication of the disease). After laser surgery 20 years ago it was arrested, but is now resuming. There are no results from the most recent surgery last Tuesday, but a previous one helped very little. She felt like an optometrist should have noticed this earlier or at least explained it to her instead of just saying, "Looks like you've had histo." It may not have made a difference though; she got prompt care when her vision started deteriorating.

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13 May 02 - 09:26 AM (#710162)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Fibula Mattock

Cllr - sorry to hear about your eyesight problems.

Mark - I'm intrigued by you treating your extended wear lenses as daily lenses. Is there something I should know (she asks worriedly)? I have extended wear lenses and they're supposed to be worn for up to a month, both day and night. They're fantastic, and I love them - it's amazing waking up with perfect vision (and even more amazing going to bed and being able to see...well..never mind...). Anyway, I never have trouble with these, except when I have hayfever and have to switch to daily disposables for a couple of weeks. I had wondered how my eyes might be affected by constant wearing of lenses, but my optician (or optometrist or ophthalmologist - sorry, but in the UK they all seem to get referred to as "opticians" even when they do more than fit glasses) said there shouldn't be a problem. Should there? Anyone heard otherwise?

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13 May 02 - 12:32 PM (#710293)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: GUEST,Al

Mary, ideally, your friend should have been told that histo can reactivate years later and cause problems. However, in some areas of the country, histo is endemic, and doctors may get weary of going through the whole explanation for all patients with retinal signs of histo when only a small percentage of them will go on to have visually threatening complications. From an outcome standpoint, it is probably useful for histo patients to know about it, since treatment with laser at the earliest point in the progression of the disease will likely result in the least loss of vision. I have a patient who, when he first consulted me, was completely unaware that the vision in one of his eyes was markedly reduced from an active histo lesion. With both eyes open, he couldn't tell!

Fibula, in the context of your question, I'm not sure what is meant by someone saying that there "shouldn't" be problems with continuous, or extended wear of contacts. The fact of the matter is that problems do develop sometimes, occasionally severe. Whether or not they "should" is a philosophical question. The risk of severe corneal complications (infection and scarring) is about 15 times greater when one sleeps overnight in contacts compared to when one removes them at night to give the eyes a rest. I tell all my patients that a nap during the day with contacts on is OK, but no overnight wear. Mark's advice is right on.

One more thing contact lens wearers should know is to try to avoid swimming with contacts on, especially in places like public swimming pools, hot tubs, and water parks. There is a nasty bug called acanthamoeba that can get in your cornea and cause a painful infection and scar. It is an uncommon infection, but much more likely to occur while wearing contact lenses. I have a patient who got this bug and required treatment for almost a year before the infection was cured. A permanent scar remains.

Al

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13 May 02 - 01:04 PM (#710325)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Mary in Kentucky

That makes sense about the histo. Here in the Ohio River Valley it's assumed that everyone has had it. When I went to college we had to line up in two lines for a histo test (scratch, like a TB test). Everyone in my line (the KY residents) did not have to have the test. My Ohio roommate in the other line had to have it.

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13 May 02 - 01:38 PM (#710352)
Subject: RE: BS: Going Blind
From: Paul from Hull

So sorry to read about this, Councillor (& everyone else who has posted regarding having eye probltms).

There are some very positive postings regarding the prognoses though, which is pleasing to hear.

Good luck to you & everyone else suffering.

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