Embolization

Symptoms & Treatment
1

Hello it’s me again. Has anyone had any issues with their eyes after embolization. I had my embolization in May and started to notice some floaters .
Well now it’s December and I went to the eye drnthe other day with some flashes in my right eye. I was told the gel is starting to detach from my retina.
I’m going back tomorrow because I have some new floater and they want to make sure my retina did not rip.
Has anyone had issues with eyes afterwards. My avm is on the right side . ???

2

Hey, you! All of my vision probs have actually been resolved with my embolization - I didn’t even notice that the peripheral vision in my right eye was going bad(my dAVF is on the left hand side).

After the procedure, I had very intense vision probs - I seen auroras & stars for days after the procedure - they’d come in/out - along with some things I can’t exactly even describe. But, everything subsided prior to being released from ICU

I am trying to understand exactly what you’re experiencing - is it all over? Or? Gel, separate from?

Is your vision blurry? One eye, or both?

3

My right eye has the gel detaching from the retina and I’m seeing floater and streaks. I never had any vision problems before embolization. I was just asking if anyone has had any issues

4

Gotcha! Now I get what potion of the eye you’re speaking of.(had to look it up actually)

I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere, on here or else - I’d suggest talking to your neurosurgeon team - It seems quite odd, to say the least.

Sorry to hear lady:/ Hope you’re alright :pray:

5

I had an initial diagnosis from my optician of possible macular degeneration in 2016, as my occipital DAVF was starting to be audible, and I’ve had floaters for years.

Proper examination by an eye doctor showed a tiny bit of lift of the retina but he was convinced it was not macular degeneration and unlikely to progress.

All of this was prior to my embolisation which was April 2017.

Following my embolisation and for perhaps a month, maybe 6 weeks afterwards, I got scintillating scotomas in my vision from time to time. They would randomly appear and grow to fill my vision for about 20 minutes, then fade away again. This sort of behaviour is typical of scotomas and migraine aura. After a few weeks post embolisation, the frequency died away to nil. I got a repeat of it following my checkup angiogram and in discussion with others here, ascribed the scotomas to irritation by the contrast material used in the operations. They haven’t returned since.

One other way in which visual disturbances like this can occur is like little tiny silver flashes in your vision.

The other thing I think is that if it is a physical thing amiss with your eye, it will be apparent only in the one eye, so closing one eye at a time will show you if it is eye-specific. If you’ve got something like migraine aura affecting your vision interpretation, it will be apparent with either eye open or shut: not specific to the eye. It was this which confirmed for me that I was having scotomas as part of migraine-like aura.

Hope anything in this might help.

Very best wishes,

Richard

6

Hi yes I have spoken with them and they said it had nothing to do with it . I was just putting it out there. Must be old age :blush: . If I need surgery it’s a quick laser surgery and all fixed . Thanks again :blush:

7

Yes when they looked at my right eye they said the gel in the back of my eye eye was puking on the retina . I’m going today to see if it tore the retina . The glades are only in one eye the other is perfect.

1 Like
8

Old age :roll_eyes: you’re not even old(imo) - I’m just a decade behind

But, yeah - we def get more probs as we age

GL :pray: I really mean it - it’s all we got way more times than we think

9

Hi Chloe,

I started to notice floaters when I first got out of the hospital in July. They haven’t become a problem for me because I limit the amount of exposure I have to light. My AVM was on the left side, so I’m assuming it’s normal for you to have some vision problem/issues.

1 Like
10

My avm was rt temporal/occipital. Before crani in 2018 I had already lost some upper left peripheral vision. I had occasional intense, colorful rt eye flashes. Since surgery, I have floaters and occasional flashes but not nearly as intense or colorful. I see eye doc annually and eyes are healthy.

1 Like
11

Hi Chloe

Sorry to hear you are having vision problems

I’m chiming in a little late here but I noticed your post and can relate so hopefully it helps. I have had macular degeneration and worsening astigmatism prior to my embolisation but…

My eyes are actually much worse post embolisation with floaters and blurry and vision getting worse and all sorts but I have had my check up angiogram and all is well there and I had an eye test a few days ago which confirmed my eyes are getting worse but both the neuros and the optometrist say it’s not related to the embolisation at all etc

Always best to check in with the medical experts but it might just be naturally occurring as mine is

Wishing you the best

1 Like
12

I decided today I’m having cyber knife on the 2 percent I have left of my avm. My neurologist highly recommends it .
I’m so nervous because I don’t want anything bad to happen. Any positive outcomes would be appreciated.

1 Like
13

For me, if the neuro is really keen, it’s a good idea. The time when it seems like a bad idea is when you’re pushing one way and the neuro is putting the brakes on.

Be positive.

Nothing in life is risk free. You cross the road every day but that isn’t risk free. Indeed, there’s probably a better chance of “bad things” happening crossing the road than having an operation. Equally, driving the car is a dangerous activity that we do practically every day, too. The difference is simply trust. In this circumstance, you’re needing to look to the interventional radiologist to look both ways and listen all across the road. We all recognise that “lack of control” as discomforting but we pay these guys a ton to look after us.

Sounds like a good move. Best wishes,

Richard

1 Like
14

Thank you :blush:

15

Where, if I may ask?

Def agreed - it’s all at a risk. When my rupture happened I had no clue what was gonna happen. I put my faith in the neurological team - I didn’t have much of a choice

After everything I been through, it’s really something to say the least of how the neurosurgeons act - at least the ones that gave me another chance. Be optimistic, but be realistic is what they told me.

I wish you luck lady, you’re in my prayers - as we all are. :pray:

16

Definitely have to listen to my Dr. like he told me because he embolized 98 percent of it the avm has to be completely gone for no risk .
I just hope Cyber Knife doesn’t change my life for the worse . I have heard so many bad stories . But thank you all for the positive thoughts

1 Like
17

Sorry I just saw that you asked where do you mean my avm it’s in the front top right side . 2 very small veins are left and that’s what they want to use the cyber knife on .

18

Nah, I meant what hospital or MD

How r u feelin, anyway?

1 Like
19

Crouse Hospital in Syracuse NY.
And honestly I feel great I never have headaches anymore like I used to before embolization. I am really praying that the last two veins went away in their own. My Nero said they may I had embolization done in May and an angiogram done in August and they were still there.
But I hope when I get my cat scan before radiation they are gone . One can hope :blush:

2 Likes