Anyone got any experience with eye muscle surgery? Apparently, it is my only option to try to eliminate my double vision (which is apparently stemming from a 4th Nerve (AKA: Trochlear Nerve) palsy that has caused a 'torsion' disturbance in one of the muscles (the Superior Oblique Muscle) on top of the eyes).
Not too keen on anyone doing surgery on my eyes but I'm debating it because of the chance to resolve the horrificness of having double vision. The opthamologist is suppose to be among one of the best and has performed many of these surgeries before (with good success & also with 'no change' in the double vision - of course, we know everyone responds differently) and I do not think she's 'under qualified/unskilled'. The surgery would be 'outpatient' and I'd experienced redness (in eyes) & some itchy discomfort during the first week. (Was also told that one had to be extremely careful not to get an infection during recovery time and not to rub my eyes during that first week after surgery. Um, itchy eyes...no rubbing them (not even for tiredness?) = idk. LOL)
I am looking for any tips on resolving any of those 'possible issues' that the doctors don't tell you about (but yeah, would be great if they did so you'd have a 'plan of attack' ready for 'just in case it does happen'), what it feels like, etc.
ANY and ALL tips, suggestions, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated!
We have had three surgeries in three years, including the eye muscle surgery earlier this month. I do hope there will be a day soon when it's not the focus of our lives and when we can relax.
Cindy, my daughter had this surgery a few weeks ago. We walked into the hospital, surgery took an hour, we were in recovery for a couple hours, then left. My daughter walked out without a patch or anything. Pretty bloody looking eyes for a good week or two. We keep reminding her to NOT scratch or rub that eye. But physically she's done pretty well. We worried a bit about the swelling of the white part of her eye, but that was just part of the recovery. It didn't slow her down, just something we watched.
The first couple days were a bit tiring. We gave her Tylenol 3 with Codeine every 4 hours for the first 3 days because doctors wanted her to NOT be in any pain. They had her on oral antibiotics and eye drops that were anti-inflammatory and antiobiotics for 4 days.
My daughter's surgery also was to repair double vision and exotropia. They clipped and re-stitched the right and left muscles in the right eye.
Hope this helps. Feel free to fire off any questions. Good luck!!
Thank you, Tina. Knowing some of what to expect helps ease the anxiety of the 'unknown'.
Was she able to see (even if it wasn't clear) right after the surgery (during her hospital recovery period)? She had the surgery on one eye, correct? (My surgeon's plan is to do both of mine that day so I'm really curious to know about what one can/can't see out of the eye that had the surgery.)
Was she sensitive to light at all after the surgery? Did the surgery correct her double vision?
Was there anything 'special' the anaestiologist had to do (=any special precautions, changes in his meds. used, etc.) because of the AVM issue?
The doctor told me yesterday about possible eye itching (& can't rub it)... did your daughter's itch? (If so, do you know what helps to alleviate it?)
Thank you sooooooo much for the insightful information! (It helps calm the nerves.)
Tina White said:
Cindy, my daughter had this surgery a few weeks ago. We walked into the hospital, surgery took an hour, we were in recovery for a couple hours, then left. My daughter walked out without a patch or anything. Pretty bloody looking eyes for a good week or two. We keep reminding her to NOT scratch or rub that eye. But physically she's done pretty well. We worried a bit about the swelling of the white part of her eye, but that was just part of the recovery. It didn't slow her down, just something we watched.
The first couple days were a bit tiring. We gave her Tylenol 3 with Codeine every 4 hours for the first 3 days because doctors wanted her to NOT be in any pain. They had her on oral antibiotics and eye drops that were anti-inflammatory and antiobiotics for 4 days.
My daughter's surgery also was to repair double vision and exotropia. They clipped and re-stitched the right and left muscles in the right eye.
Hope this helps. Feel free to fire off any questions. Good luck!!
My daughter was able to see just fine as she left the hospital. In fact, we kind of relaxed in the hotel room a bit, then went over to the nearby mall so she could pick out a new Webkinz for being so brave. We asked her for at least a week how much double vision she had, she consistently said none, although she's said she had some this week.
Definitely sensitive to light. We ended up getting a pair of clip-on sunglasses from the Mayo Clinic optometry store the next day. My daughter wore them all day and even at night for the first 2-3 days. My daughter is pretty sensitive to light anyway, but she really hasn't worn the sunglasses in at leas a week.
No special anthesiologists because of the AVM — and she has a titanium plate in her head as well. They just handled everything like they did before she had the plate. Surgery doesn't take long. We were in recovery much longer than the surgery itself.
Eye itching could be a bit of an issue. Probably depends on the person. I would guess they would offer Benadryl or more eye drops for a bit to alleviate the itching.
Hope that helps, Cindy. Please keep us updated how yours goes!!
Cindy Phillips said:
Thank you, Tina. Knowing some of what to expect helps ease the anxiety of the 'unknown'.
Was she able to see (even if it wasn't clear) right after the surgery (during her hospital recovery period)? She had the surgery on one eye, correct? (My surgeon's plan is to do both of mine that day so I'm really curious to know about what one can/can't see out of the eye that had the surgery.)
Was she sensitive to light at all after the surgery? Did the surgery correct her double vision?
Was there anything 'special' the anaestiologist had to do (=any special precautions, changes in his meds. used, etc.) because of the AVM issue?
The doctor told me yesterday about possible eye itching (& can't rub it)... did your daughter's itch? (If so, do you know what helps to alleviate it?)
Thank you sooooooo much for the insightful information! (It helps calm the nerves.)
Tina White said:
Cindy, my daughter had this surgery a few weeks ago. We walked into the hospital, surgery took an hour, we were in recovery for a couple hours, then left. My daughter walked out without a patch or anything. Pretty bloody looking eyes for a good week or two. We keep reminding her to NOT scratch or rub that eye. But physically she's done pretty well. We worried a bit about the swelling of the white part of her eye, but that was just part of the recovery. It didn't slow her down, just something we watched.
The first couple days were a bit tiring. We gave her Tylenol 3 with Codeine every 4 hours for the first 3 days because doctors wanted her to NOT be in any pain. They had her on oral antibiotics and eye drops that were anti-inflammatory and antiobiotics for 4 days.
My daughter's surgery also was to repair double vision and exotropia. They clipped and re-stitched the right and left muscles in the right eye.
Hope this helps. Feel free to fire off any questions. Good luck!!
Thank you so much, Tina! So glad it gave her some relief & so sorry that she is having double vision again. Did she experience nausea & dizziness (vertigo) with her vision problem (before her surgery)? May I ask what the eye doctor stated as the reason (the culprit why) she was experiening double vision? (Mine has to do with the 4th Nerve either ‘misfiring’ or has a weak firing.)
Tina White said:
Cindy,
My daughter was able to see just fine as she left the hospital. In fact, we kind of relaxed in the hotel room a bit, then went over to the nearby mall so she could pick out a new Webkinz for being so brave. We asked her for at least a week how much double vision she had, she consistently said none, although she's said she had some this week.
Definitely sensitive to light. We ended up getting a pair of clip-on sunglasses from the Mayo Clinic optometry store the next day. My daughter wore them all day and even at night for the first 2-3 days. My daughter is pretty sensitive to light anyway, but she really hasn't worn the sunglasses in at leas a week.
No special anthesiologists because of the AVM — and she has a titanium plate in her head as well. They just handled everything like they did before she had the plate. Surgery doesn't take long. We were in recovery much longer than the surgery itself.
Eye itching could be a bit of an issue. Probably depends on the person. I would guess they would offer Benadryl or more eye drops for a bit to alleviate the itching.
Hope that helps, Cindy. Please keep us updated how yours goes!!
Cindy Phillips said:
Thank you, Tina. Knowing some of what to expect helps ease the anxiety of the 'unknown'.
Was she able to see (even if it wasn't clear) right after the surgery (during her hospital recovery period)? She had the surgery on one eye, correct? (My surgeon's plan is to do both of mine that day so I'm really curious to know about what one can/can't see out of the eye that had the surgery.)
Was she sensitive to light at all after the surgery? Did the surgery correct her double vision?
Was there anything 'special' the anaestiologist had to do (=any special precautions, changes in his meds. used, etc.) because of the AVM issue?
The doctor told me yesterday about possible eye itching (& can't rub it)... did your daughter's itch? (If so, do you know what helps to alleviate it?)
Thank you sooooooo much for the insightful information! (It helps calm the nerves.)
Tina White said:
Cindy, my daughter had this surgery a few weeks ago. We walked into the hospital, surgery took an hour, we were in recovery for a couple hours, then left. My daughter walked out without a patch or anything. Pretty bloody looking eyes for a good week or two. We keep reminding her to NOT scratch or rub that eye. But physically she's done pretty well. We worried a bit about the swelling of the white part of her eye, but that was just part of the recovery. It didn't slow her down, just something we watched.
The first couple days were a bit tiring. We gave her Tylenol 3 with Codeine every 4 hours for the first 3 days because doctors wanted her to NOT be in any pain. They had her on oral antibiotics and eye drops that were anti-inflammatory and antiobiotics for 4 days.
My daughter's surgery also was to repair double vision and exotropia. They clipped and re-stitched the right and left muscles in the right eye.
Hope this helps. Feel free to fire off any questions. Good luck!!
Rose may have had a few vertigo type symptoms before, but not a lot. Mostly hers was double vision because of the exotropia. Doctors told us it would take 2 months to let the eye heal before we would know how successful, so they warned us not to worry about double vision and things because they’re common during this healing phase. The double vision and exotropia before eye surgery were due to the AVM. My daughter suffered a massive hemorrhage when her AVM ruptured. The exotropia and diplopia are just a few of the visual deficits left behind from the AVM’s wrath. I’m sure it didn’t help when doctors had to operate again on the AVM last year.
Cindy Phillips said:
Thank you so much, Tina! So glad it gave her some relief & so sorry that she is having double vision again. Did she experience nausea & dizziness (vertigo) with her vision problem (before her surgery)? May I ask what the eye doctor stated as the reason (the culprit why) she was experiening double vision? (Mine has to do with the 4th Nerve either 'misfiring' or has a weak firing.)
Tina White said:
Cindy,
My daughter was able to see just fine as she left the hospital. In fact, we kind of relaxed in the hotel room a bit, then went over to the nearby mall so she could pick out a new Webkinz for being so brave. We asked her for at least a week how much double vision she had, she consistently said none, although she's said she had some this week.
Definitely sensitive to light. We ended up getting a pair of clip-on sunglasses from the Mayo Clinic optometry store the next day. My daughter wore them all day and even at night for the first 2-3 days. My daughter is pretty sensitive to light anyway, but she really hasn't worn the sunglasses in at leas a week.
No special anthesiologists because of the AVM — and she has a titanium plate in her head as well. They just handled everything like they did before she had the plate. Surgery doesn't take long. We were in recovery much longer than the surgery itself.
Eye itching could be a bit of an issue. Probably depends on the person. I would guess they would offer Benadryl or more eye drops for a bit to alleviate the itching.
Hope that helps, Cindy. Please keep us updated how yours goes!!
Cindy Phillips said:
Thank you, Tina. Knowing some of what to expect helps ease the anxiety of the 'unknown'.
Was she able to see (even if it wasn't clear) right after the surgery (during her hospital recovery period)? She had the surgery on one eye, correct? (My surgeon's plan is to do both of mine that day so I'm really curious to know about what one can/can't see out of the eye that had the surgery.)
Was she sensitive to light at all after the surgery? Did the surgery correct her double vision?
Was there anything 'special' the anaestiologist had to do (=any special precautions, changes in his meds. used, etc.) because of the AVM issue?
The doctor told me yesterday about possible eye itching (& can't rub it)... did your daughter's itch? (If so, do you know what helps to alleviate it?)
Thank you sooooooo much for the insightful information! (It helps calm the nerves.)
Tina White said:
Cindy, my daughter had this surgery a few weeks ago. We walked into the hospital, surgery took an hour, we were in recovery for a couple hours, then left. My daughter walked out without a patch or anything. Pretty bloody looking eyes for a good week or two. We keep reminding her to NOT scratch or rub that eye. But physically she's done pretty well. We worried a bit about the swelling of the white part of her eye, but that was just part of the recovery. It didn't slow her down, just something we watched.
The first couple days were a bit tiring. We gave her Tylenol 3 with Codeine every 4 hours for the first 3 days because doctors wanted her to NOT be in any pain. They had her on oral antibiotics and eye drops that were anti-inflammatory and antiobiotics for 4 days.
My daughter's surgery also was to repair double vision and exotropia. They clipped and re-stitched the right and left muscles in the right eye.
Hope this helps. Feel free to fire off any questions. Good luck!!
I don't have any experience with this topic, but since you seem to have confidence in your dr. (a GOOD thing as we all know!!:), maybe ask to speak with some of her patients who've undergone this surgery for feedback??
Sorry you're facing possible surgery, but hoping this procedure will help regain better vision & quality of life. :)
Take care & please keep us updated on your progress.
I don't have any experience with this topic, but since you seem to have confidence in your dr. (a GOOD thing as we all know!!:), maybe ask to speak with some of her patients who've undergone this surgery for feedback??
Sorry you're facing possible surgery, but hoping this procedure will help regain better vision & quality of life. :)
Take care & please keep us updated on your progress.
It sounds like we suffer from the same condition. I too, have a "4th nerve palsy", which I believe comes from my neuro-opthamoligist. I see him in a couple of weeks and will try to nail him down on what his thoughts are.
Anyway, I've had this condition, post-surgery, for only 4.5 months but it's not something I've lived with and it beats me down. I'm beginning to think this 4th nerve thing is more permanent. I also see a neuro-optometrist. Not sure I like him either. Not too many around. Thoughts on your condition?
Surgery was to remove an AVM in my cerebellum. Yikes! Be well.
Cindy, You know I want to hear all about your eye surgery. When, where, who, how, etc. Especially the doctor who's doing it. I have medicare now so I'm contemplating it to correct this double vision. Need to find one just like that doc. I'll find one kind of near me, but what do you suggest I ask? I wish there was something I could to correct this clumsiness though... wait... I've always been that way. Dang! Hope you're doing well. :)
Wow! Thanks for making me have a light bulb moment. My daughter Dylan also has 4th nerve palsy. We've known this for almost 2 years but neuro-ophthalmologist has been pushing us to first and foremost deal with the dang AVM. A year ago she had a craniotomy to remove the AVM (right cerebellar hemisphere). During her one year post-op angio they discovered that they got all of it but there is some AVM shunting near her brain stem (aka... inoperable junk, dang it). She also suffered from hydrocephalus a couple months after the crani, but had an ETV surgery to fix that. She just had one of her neuro-ophthalmologist checks today and everything lined up for her needing this torsion surgery or whatever it is. She will be having this 1 hour procedure (Harada-Ito, they called it) at some point but we still have to take the poor kiddo back for an MRI to see if we can track her AV shunting through MRIs instead of strictly angios. I'm happy we have some answers, but honestly I'm ready to be done with all of this crap years ago. Just want my 6 year old to live her life. It's nice to read all of the info in the replies though, puts me a little more at peace. Hoping this will help some with her imbalance as well, although the doc said it most likely wouldn't. Still crossing my fingers, hoping, wishing, and praying.
I had one eye surgery; it was to correct my cross-eyedness in my left eye. They cut the “inside” muscle and “outside” muscle in hopes of it straightening out. It did for the most part; I have situations where it still pulls in though. I thought that having the surgery would “cure” any of my vision issues, including double vision; even though my vision has improved a lot, it’s not perfect…I’ve pretty much learned to accommodate it. It’s now just more of a vanity-thing for me.
Hi, Cindy. I had two surgeries to correct double vision. My issue was complicated because the 2nd image was above, to the right and tilted by about 30 degrees. Try to explain that to a doctor! Anyway, both surgeries failed to fully correct the problem. They got the images a little closer but couldn't fix the tilt at all.
Regarding your concerns, I never had any issues. I had to stay away from the eye for 2 days, then use antibiotic drops. There was no pain or discomfort. I wouldn't worry about that at all.
Wow I thought I was alone with the double vision. Usually botox injections in the eye muscle dictate if your suitable for an eye operation, hence with the botox injections, your eye muscles fail to correct
themselves. I’m avoiding eye muscle surgery, it hold no guarantees to fix the issue!