loads of floaters.. bright lights .. RETINAL TEAR

[531colin]

On Saturday I learned another of the unsung delights of getting older.
My optician phoned to tell me they had some lenses for me to pick up, when I complained of a shower of floaters I was instructed to go see them.
A shower of floaters and seeing "bright lights" that aren't there are apparently signs of a retinal tear, which they duly found.....the floaters seem to mean changes in the jelly in the eye (vitreous humor) and those changes can include pulling a bit of retina off.
So they sent me to the local hospital where after much poking me in the eyes they agreed I had a small retinal tear. (I had seen the photos the optician took!) Nobody there on Saturday to laser it, so they sent me to York, where after much poking me in the eyes, they agreed too. So they lasered my retinal tear, even more poking me in the eye. This is to make a scar, which sticks down the edges of the damaged bit of retina.

So, the question is, anybody been through this before?
Somebody wanted me to stay off the bike in case I came off and banged my head.....and to be honest I don't feel like riding just yet.
But will I be flying to Slovenia for a tour at the end of April?
Am I more likely to have repeat episodes, or no more at risk than anybody else? I'm 66, if it helps.

[thirdcrank]

Sorry to hear about this and I'll wish you good luck with it. I can't help with direct personal experience but a contemporary at school, who was eventually obliged to retire early from her career as a music teacher through severe tinnitus, was then diagnosed with this eye problem. I lat saw her at a funeral - just the occasion when you meet everybody you haven't seen for ages - and she was just keeping hetr fingers crossed it didn't get worse.

[horizon]

I had what is called a PVD or Posterior Vitreous Detachment last year (nothing to do with saddles and one's posterior!). Lots of flashes and floaters. I initially feared a full retinal detachment (same symptoms) but a hospital inspection revealed only the PVD. A further doctor's appointment and then an optician's appointment a couple of months later still showed only a PVD and, AFAIK, no tear. I still have the flashes and floaters. They are not particularly intrusive (the flashes need darkness and the floaters need bright light to show up). The main worry is indeed the worry - could it all get worse and why did it happen. What I read up is that the floaters are only supposed to last a few weeks or months but people on eyesight forums say that it is often a lot more. I do keep a mental look out and if anything worsened significantly then I would be off to an eye hospital like a shot in case of full detachment - that's an emergency to avoid loss of sight in the affected eye. I do understand though that a PVD is unaffected by exercise, headstands and the like. But what do you believe? What I find strange is that this was the first I had ever heard of vitreous detachment, although everyone has the odd small floater of course. I had never heard from older relatives or parents about this but now I read that it is a very common consequence of ageing (about 60% after age 60). But if a tear is a consequence of detachment there is, it seems, no knowing where it all leads. The optician said come back in two years' time, but that was for an eye test. He certainly wasn't unduly concerned.

Colin: let us know how you get on.

[Tigerbiten]

About 6 years ago I picked up a new pair of glasses and noticed there was something wrong with the vision in my right eye.
Took the glasses back in to check that they were correct.
The optician ran a series of test of my eyes and found I had lost the vision top right in my right eye.
I was told to go that day to the Northampton eye clinic with the results and get it checked out.
I went and the ran some more test on my eyes, they found a tear in the retina which was detaching.
I was then book in the next day to the eye department of Oxford hospital where they could fix the tear in the detaching retina.
Had the op under a general, while I was out they also fixed a small tear in my left eye as well.
After the eyes recovered from the op, I've had no further trouble with then.

[531colin]

Thanks chaps, that's reassuring.
So far I have had laser treatment to stick down the edges, there is a bit they can't reach with the laser, I have to go back for that to be done ( under the eyelid) by freezing....they have promised me a local anaesthetic for that.

[ferrit worrier]

good luck Colin hope all goes well

Malc

[toontra]

Setting off on an early morning ride 3 years ago before sunrise I had very bright flashes in my peripheral vision and several very large floaters. Googling suggested detached retina so I got myself to Moorfields Eye Hospital (just down the road) PDQ. After a lot of poking the chap said it was posterior vitreous detachment and therefore nothing to worry about. As you say most "older" people will develop this to a greater or lesser extent.

3 years later and the floaters are just as bad and block/badly blurr much of my peripheral vision in my right eye, but nothing has gotten worse, luckily. It's problematic that the symptoms for PVD and retinal detachment are so similar - nothing but a full examination will determine which you are suffering from.

[Starfire]

Fifteen years ago at the age of 41, during a routine eye examination a large tear was found in the retina of my left eye. I was sent to the eye hospital the next day and had it repaired by laser. I haven't had any problems at all since with my eye. I no longer have to go back to hospital for routine check ups.

[garybaldy]

I came off my bike on ice three months ago and hit my head on the road with some force. Got a cut on my eyebrow that bled for over a day. (should have got it stitched, but sitting in A&E for three hours did not appeal) For the next few days my eye was completely closed and all sorts of colours. When it opened my vision from it was very poor. I had bright lights flashing in it and had no peripheral vision to the right. When it was no better after a month I went to the doctors who sent me up the eye hospital. They said it sounded like a torn or detached retina "but thats no problem as it can easily be fixed". After two hours of tests they said "its bad news, your retina is fine, which is a pity because we can fix that. What you have done is severely damaged a nerve which is restricting the amount of light entering the eye. That can't be fixed. I'm afraid that there is very little chance that your sight will get any better than it is now". Bit of a bummer!