Anyone have experience with "Posterior Vitreous Detachment"?

[temery]

Apparently it sounds a lot worse than it is. New floaters and flashing lines at the outside of vision.

 

[whaler11]

Apparently it sounds a lot worse than it is. New floaters and flashing lines at the outside of vision.

I had two detached retinas in the last 12 months. get thyself to a good retina guy now.

@8893

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I have floaters and flashes - every time I get my eyes checked (most recently a couple months back) they say everything looks fine and that floaters and flashes can be quite normal. As @whaler11 mentioned, @8893 and him gave a lot of great insight into it.

P.S. if anyone has ophthalmologist rec in NYC/North NJ please let me know. I've been flying blind (no pun intended) and just going off of ZocDoc with the highest rated listings.

 

[temery]

I had two detached retinas in the last 12 months. get thyself to a good retina guy now.

@8893

Had just gone to the ophthalmologist. Call this morning and was told it sounded like posterior Vitreous Detachment, "a normal part of aging." Have an appointment tomorrow. Scary as hell though.

 

[Vancat]

Yeah I have that crap, too.

 

[Klipper]

You should really check this out. I had enormous amount of “floaters” suddenly. Would not go away. Went to an excellent opthomologist. He told me it was part of aging.
I live in CT. Other symptoms started to appear.
In the long run I found out “floaters” are very common in late stage Lyme disease.
I wound having late stage Lyme which was treated at length with antibiotics.
All the floaters disappeared.

 

[TRest]

Had just gone to the ophthalmologist. Call this morning and was told it sounded like posterior Vitreous Detachment, "a normal part of aging." Have an appointment tomorrow. Scary as hell though.

I had one last year, suddenly had a black half circle in my vision for a couple of days. Big increase in my usual flock of floaters, too. The one good thing the doc said was that if this happens with no retina detachment, odds are less that you will get detachment in the future.

 

[Linekin Bay]

You need to take this very, very seriously. Trust me because I am now completely sightless in my right eye and it all began with PVD. It can morph into a host of retinal problems. I went to one of the finest eye hospitals in the world, Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, and even they could not save my sight, although they do for 98% of their patients that suffer this condition. Go to the best doctor you can, not just the local retina specialist.

At first, I was told "it is a typical part of aging," as temery posted above. It soon became something much worse.

PS: Welcome to the Big East from a Villanova fan.

 

[sledog]

I have floaters and flashes - every time I get my eyes checked (most recently a couple months back) they say everything looks fine and that floaters and flashes can be quite normal. As @whaler11 mentioned, @8893 and him gave a lot of great insight into it.

P.S. if anyone has ophthalmologist rec in NYC/North NJ please let me know. I've been flying blind (no pun intended) and just going off of ZocDoc with the highest rated listings.

PM me. Not sure how that works on here anymore.

 

[BlueDolphin]

Do not screw around with this. I had major floaters and flashes caused by repeated retina tears and then detachments in my left eye. I had numerous cryogenic procedures (injecting cryogenic material into area of tear), then a bunch of laser procedures. Kept tearing & detaching. Thought I would lose sight in that eye. They finally fixed the problem by doing a vitrectomy - draining the vitreous fluid from the eye & replacing it with saline solution. All this messing around with eye necessitated a later cataract operation. I was also left with double vision, which is corrected somewhat with prisms in my glasses.

My eyesight is not what it used to be but I can see and I can do normal things like read, watch TV, pilot a boat and drive. I am grateful for the vision I have left.

Get thee to a retina specialist.

 

[8893]

Do not screw around with this. I had major floaters and flashes caused by repeated retina tears and then detachments in my left eye. I had numerous cryogenic procedures (injecting cryogenic material into area of tear), then a bunch of laser procedures. Kept tearing & detaching. Thought I would lose sight in that eye. They finally fixed the problem by doing a vitrectomy - draining the vitreous fluid from the eye & replacing it with saline solution. All this messing around with eye necessitated a later cataract operation. I was also left with double vision, which is corrected somewhat with prisms in my glasses.

My eyesight is not what it used to be but I can see and I can do normal things like read, watch TV, pilot a boat and drive. I am grateful for the vision I have left.

Get thee to a retina specialist.

Sorry @temery , I was out of pocket yesterday, but this is very serious and you should get to a top retinal specialist immediately. I've had two detachments and would recommend not screwing around with laser procedures or other half-measures because time is of the essence and the only thing that fixed each was a vitrectomy with retinal repair. I could provide a lot more detail and recs but I see you have an appointment today so hopefully you will have some more clarity on your situation soon. I can't stress time or a quality retinal specialist enough. Good luck.

 

[gtcam]

I have consulted on this floater only issue with a host of ophthalmologists over the past 6 years that I have been experiencing floaters. It is especially noticeable in the winter when looking at the white snow. All have said the same thing - if it's floaters only there is no real issue - it increases as we get older. I haven't experienced flashing or blackening areas - if that does happen, yes I would be a bit concerned and pursuing treatment BEST OF LUCK TOM - the eyes are nothing to play games with

 

[temery]

If one more doctor says to me, "well at your age ..." I'm going postal.

On my way to the doctor's office, it happened again - eye filled with black stuff like a squid squinting ink. Doctor said, again, "it's a normal sign of aging." Are you freakin' kidding me? What the hell else do I have to look forward to?

Bottom line: Retina was fine (it's a posterior vitreous detachment), but I was told to look out for changes... "Not more of the same. You're just going to have to get used to that, but it should get better over time. Mostly you'll just get used to it, and it will bother you less and less. The changes I'm talking about aren't things you'll wonder whether or not they're important. I'm talking about change that'll immediately make you think, 'Oh, this is scalitoing bad," and you'll go to the ER."

On a positive note: I spent a 1/2 hour before my appointment watching old people with dilated pupils trying to navigate the parking lot. Hilarious. Made me think of the South Park episode, "Grey Down."

Oh, and to those well under 60, it's gonna happen to you, so s t f u. (I'll have to delete this later)

 

[RichZ]

Do not screw around with this. I had major floaters and flashes caused by repeated retina tears and then detachments in my left eye. I had numerous cryogenic procedures (injecting cryogenic material into area of tear), then a bunch of laser procedures. Kept tearing & detaching. Thought I would lose sight in that eye. They finally fixed the problem by doing a vitrectomy - draining the vitreous fluid from the eye & replacing it with saline solution. All this messing around with eye necessitated a later cataract operation. I was also left with double vision, which is corrected somewhat with prisms in my glasses.

My eyesight is not what it used to be but I can see and I can do normal things like read, watch TV, pilot a boat and drive. I am grateful for the vision I have left.

Get thee to a retina specialist.

My retina specialists went right for the vitrectomy when I had a detachment. Didn't work. They tried a Schleral buckle. Didn't work. Took 5 more vitrectomies before the retina actually stuck. One time, the retrobulbar block they put into the optical nerve to lock your eyeball in place for retina surgery went into my brain stem and stopped all motor function. They had me on life support for an hour before that started to wear off. The neuro surgeons got involved and insisted I'd had a stroke on the operating table, and wanted to give me tPA, RIGHT NOW. I came to to hearing my wife argue with them. Bad arteries run in my family. My father and his brother both died of cerebral hemorrhage, and I have peripheral artery disease and a couple anueurisms. tPA could well have killed me. Eventually, I had to have strabismus surgery to correct the mis-aimed eyeball the schleral buckle left me with. I have vision in my right eye water all of that, but no peripheral vision at all. 20 degree field of vision.

 

[8893]

If one more doctor says to me, "well at your age ..." I'm going postal.

On my way to the doctor's office, it happened again - eye filled with black stuff like a squid squinting ink. Doctor said, again, "it's a normal sign of aging." Are you freakin' kidding me? What the hell else do I have to look forward to?

Bottom line: Retina was fine (it's a posterior vitreous detachment), but I was told to look out for changes... "Not more of the same. You're just going to have to get used to that, but it should get better over time. Mostly you'll just get used to it, and it will bother you less and less. The changes I'm talking about aren't things you'll wonder whether or not they're important. I'm talking about change that'll immediately make you think, 'Oh, this is scalitoing bad," and you'll go to the ER."

On a positive note: I spent a 1/2 hour before my appointment watching old people with dilated pupils trying navigate the parking lot. Hilarious. Made me think of the South Park episode, "Grey Down."

Oh, and to those well under 60, it's gonna happen to you, so s t . (I'll have to delete this later)

Is the doctor a retinal specialist? If not, get one. If so, make sure you research him and every other doctor in his office because when you need to the surgery you will not have time to shop around. Know which one you want doing the surgery and who your second and third choices are because it is frequently the case that one or more of them are away or unavailable.

It is generally true--but not always--that the changes will be shocking when/if you actually experience a retinal detachment; bottom line: be vigilant and don't hesitate to be seen asap for any significant change. In my experience the types of changes you are describing have been precursors of the retinal detachment. One time the actual detachment was preceded by something akin to a swarm of bees and totally blurred vision; another time it was only a few major floaters, but it was accompanied by "veiling" and flashes of light. The latter turned out to be the far more serious of the two, and the one that left lasting damage. If you don't know what veiling is, look it up. It's like a curtain slowly closing in one corner of your vision.

I've been the youngest person in the waiting room for my retinal doctor by at least 20 years--for almost 15 years now. The vast majority of their patients are there for macular degeneration shots, which is a huge money maker and where they spend most of their time for that reason. They sit in the waiting room for hours and don't make a peep, so they are perfect patients. I walked out the door of my last retinal doctor with my file because I couldn't take the racket or the interminable waits.

 

[temery]

Is the doctor a retinal specialist? If not, get one. If so, make sure you research him and every other doctor in his office because when you need to the surgery you will not have time to shop around. Know which one you want doing the surgery and who your second and third choices are because it is frequently the case that one or more of them are away or unavailable.

It is generally true--but not always--that the changes will be shocking when/if you actually experience a retinal detachment; bottom line: be vigilant and don't hesitate to be seen asap for any significant change. In my experience the types of changes you are describing have been precursors of the retinal detachment. One time the actual detachment was preceded by something akin to a swarm of bees and totally blurred vision; another time it was only a few major floaters, but it was accompanied by "veiling" and flashes of light. The latter turned out to be the far more serious of the two, and the one that left lasting damage. If you don't know what veiling is, look it up. It's like a curtain slowly closing in one corner of your vision.

I've been the youngest person in the waiting room for my retinal doctor by at least 20 years--for almost 15 years now. The vast majority of their patients are there for macular degeneration shots, which is a huge money maker and where they spend most of their time for that reason. They sit in the waiting room for hours and don't make a peep, so they are perfect patients. I walked out the door of my last retinal doctor with my file because I couldn't take the racket or the interminable waits.

He's head of the dept at one of the largest hospitals in New England. I'm assuming he knows what he's doing.

 

[8893]

He's head of the dept at one of the largest hospitals in New England. I'm assuming he knows what he's doing.

Good. The one I had initially was literally world-renowned and one of the top retinal specialists in the country. Unfortunately he was also a bit of a cowboy and thought he could prevent a detachment with some prophylactic laser surgery, which to this day I believe only hastened it. When I needed the vitrectomy he was out of the country teaching a seminar so I had to choose one of the other doctors in his office who were available, and I ended up with the youngest member of the practice. That first surgery turned out fine and I stuck with that doctor for the second surgery, as the world-renowned guy left the practice and chased some young thing down south. Unfortunately the second surgery was a little trickier and didn't turn out as well because I was left with a macular pucker that basically puts a crease in everything in my fine central vision for that eye.

 

[whaler11]

Good. The one I had initially was literally world-renowned and one of the top retinal specialists in the country. Unfortunately he was also a bit of a cowboy and thought he could prevent a detachment with some prophylactic laser surgery, which to this day I believe only hastened it. When I needed the vitrectomy he was out of the country teaching a seminar so I had to choose one of the other doctors in his office who were available, and I ended up with the youngest member of the practice. That first surgery turned out fine and I stuck with that doctor for the second surgery, as the world-renowned guy left the practice and chased some young thing down south. Unfortunately the second surgery was a little trickier and didn't turn out as well because I was left with a macular pucker that basically puts a crease in everything in my fine central vision for that eye.

After my second surgery (buckle) I had some leaking fluid. They lasered that off and seems to have stuck but man is that eye screwed up.

Swear both of my eyes have changed last two months as they ‘heal’.

This stuff sucks - i have a cataract in my right eye created by the surgery that they can’t do anything with yet because they are afraid it might detach my retina.

Going in and out of shadows is brutal. It’s like constantly coming out of a matinee into the bright sun.

 

[temery]

@8893 I have enough doctors in my family to know even the best can't fix everyone. My uncle was chief of surgery, so my name still gets me an appointment with whoever is considered the best in his/her field. That doesn't mean they're always right, and it doesn't mean when their treatment doesn't work, that they made a mistake.

With that said, I'm likely to get a second opinion if nothing gets better.

 

[whaler11]

Is the doctor a retinal specialist? If not, get one. If so, make sure you research him and every other doctor in his office because when you need to the surgery you will not have time to shop around. Know which one you want doing the surgery and who your second and third choices are because it is frequently the case that one or more of them are away or unavailable.

It is generally true--but not always--that the changes will be shocking when/if you actually experience a retinal detachment; bottom line: be vigilant and don't hesitate to be seen asap for any significant change. In my experience the types of changes you are describing have been precursors of the retinal detachment. One time the actual detachment was preceded by something akin to a swarm of bees and totally blurred vision; another time it was only a few major floaters, but it was accompanied by "veiling" and flashes of light. The latter turned out to be the far more serious of the two, and the one that left lasting damage. If you don't know what veiling is, look it up. It's like a curtain slowly closing in one corner of your vision.

I've been the youngest person in the waiting room for my retinal doctor by at least 20 years--for almost 15 years now. The vast majority of their patients are there for macular degeneration shots, which is a huge money maker and where they spend most of their time for that reason. They sit in the waiting room for hours and don't make a peep, so they are perfect patients. I walked out the door of my last retinal doctor with my file because I couldn't take the racket or the interminable waits.

i’m always the youngest by decades. It’s like cheers for me at this point. I know everyone.

 

[8893]

@8893 I have enough doctors in my family to know even the best can't fix everyone. My uncle was chief of surgery, so my name still gets me an appointment with whoever is considered the best in his/her field. That doesn't mean they're always right, and it doesn't mean when their treatment doesn't work, that they made a mistake.

With that said, I'm likely to get a second opinion if nothing gets better.

No question. Likewise lots of medical professionals in my family and among our good friends. It is more of an art than a science and I believe that the biggest factor in the permanent damage I have in one eye was the time that passed between the detachment and the surgery. I was literally on an island when it happened and didn't have the surgery until three days later; and that detachment moved much more quickly than my first one did. I don't blame that doctor and he is still my retinal specialist.

Perhaps the biggest difference for me among the doctors was their "bedside manner," and it took me a while to separate that from the quality of the doctor. The famous doctor I had was probably great in his day, but I caught him towards the end when he was more bluster than anything. Always confident and told you what you wanted to hear, even when it was totally without basis. The young guy is a very skilled doctor but also very shy and not big on giving any clear guidance, but he has gotten much better at that now with some more years under his belt. The brightest doc in the practice was also the worst at delivering any type of information, always a downer and very negative in his outlook.

The doctors I've learned to appreciate the most are the ones who know how to admit when they don't know something.

 

[temery]

No question. Likewise lots of medical professionals in my family and among our good friends. It is more of an art than a science and I believe that the biggest factor in the permanent damage I have in one eye was the time that passed between the detachment and the surgery. I was literally on an island when it happened and didn't have the surgery until three days later; and that detachment moved much more quickly than my first one did. I don't blame that doctor and he is still my retinal specialist.

Perhaps the biggest difference for me among the doctors was their "bedside manner," and it took me a while to separate that from the quality of the doctor. The famous doctor I had was probably great in his day, but I caught him towards the end when he was more bluster than anything. Always confident and told you what you wanted to hear, even when it was totally without basis. The young guy is a very skilled doctor but also very shy and not big on giving any clear guidance, but he has gotten much better at that now with some more years under his belt. The brightest doc in the practice was also the worst at delivering any type of information, always a downer and very negative in his outlook.

The doctors I've learned to appreciate the most are the ones who know how to admit when they don't know something.

I've found dept chairs aren't better doctors, necessarily, but any needed tests are moved to the front of the line. I'm likely biased, but my uncle was an exception to most when it came to bedside manner, and time delivering information. He was still making house calls until the day he died. Most of the doctors in my family have the same philosophy.