Cataracts and Glaucoma, ugh

swg

I was having weird eye symptoms for the past month..got my eyes dilated today. I have early stage glaucoma and cataracts!!

A friend asked if my warranty expired when I turned 50 or something. It sure seems that way.

I'm only 50!! I feel old now.

The eye dr wants to take a wait and see approach, probably because eye drops for glaucoma have so many dangerous side effects. So I guess I just have to deal with halos/starbursts/ghost images, blurr vision..on top of breast cancer.

BellasMomToo

So sorry to hear about your eye problems. Do you have a family history of glaucoma?

Chemo gave me vision problems. My vision has improved, but it's still not back to how it was pre-chemo.

You really deserve a break. It's so unfair.

Meow13

I developed severe dry eye from AI drug exemestane cleared up after I discontinued.

chef127

My vision has been compromised for about 8 years due to a neuro condition (double vision and nystagmus) that was corrected w/prism lenses in my glasses. remarkable correction. About 5 years ago I got my new corrective lenses but small print and distance was a problem and I blamed the optho for not correcting my vision and insisted on a refund. The next dr said I had the beginning of cataracts and the glasses he gave me did not correct my vision so i thought it was something I had to live with due to my neuro problem. It was the cataracts, not bad enough to remove so I suffered with the glare, halos, blind spot, photo phobia, night blindness, ETC.

WHY do we have to wait til they are 'ripe' for surgery? Does the glaucoma make a difference? I will ask at my next surgery.

I had my right eye cataract removed less that 2 wks ago, the worse of the two, and next Tues the left eye will be done. So far I have a 75% improvement. It dosen't make sense that I HAD TO WAIT 4 years. Is it insurance, or they cannot be removed til your almost blind?

swg, so sorry your suffering with this! I thought I was too young @62 but 50! If possible, Insist on a removal of the cataracts asap.

Herculesmulligan

I am an optometrist so I actually have some info on this.

First off, we wait for cataract surgery because the benefits should outweigh the risks when approaching any surgery. If you've got very early cataracts the risk of surgical complications may outweigh what we could gain for you. Surgical complications with cataract surgery are rare but they do happen, just like with any surgery.

As far as glaucoma, the paradigm for treatment is changing. When I graduated 25 years ago glaucoma surgery was usually a Hail Mary attempt at the end stage of disease. Nowadays we are doing it at the beginning of the disease process, to save the patient years of drops. Find someone skilled in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), including micro pulse laser and the iStent. I don't want to sound ageist but in my experience doctors who are out of fellowship 7 years or less have learned all the new techniques.

Oh and also there are techniques a glaucoma specialist can do to lower eye pressure while he or she is in there taking out your cataract. Kind of a two birds with one stone thing.

swg

Thanks for the replies, everybody.

1. I'm not on chemo. But with everything I'm dealing with, oh boy, I can't wait for those Tamoxifen side effects to start /sarcasm

2. You all have def made me want to get a 2nd opinion and fortunately we have a good eye center here..Wills Eye Center. I will call them today.

The eye dr did several tests including a peripheral vision check. I can still read the last line on the eye chart. And she may have decided my pressure was low enough to keep an eye on it. But I still want to get more info abut treatments.

I wish they could just fix my eyes while I'm knocked out for my mastectomy!

chef127

Hurculesmulligan,

Thanx for your professional response. Do cataracts always progress to a level where you must have the surgery to regain eyesight? I have had the symptoms for over 3 years which compromised my eyesight from the start. I am thrilled that i finally will be able to drive at night, I hope, to visit my kids who both live in a city and the lights totally blinded my vision. Like an unwelcomed LSD trip.

I am a diabetic but no sign of glaucoma, yet. I had no idea there is a surgical option, good to know. Thanx again.

xoxoMaureen

swg

chef127..I too have nystagmus..it's congenital and genetic. Boy does it make taking the eye chart test difficult

Oh and btw my dad also had both cataracts and glaucoma. I have a lot of bad genetic stuff in my family, including Alzheimers.

chef127

swg, My nystagmus isn't as bad the double vision which is thankfully corrected by the prisms in my glasses but there is nothing to correct the shake in our sight. Mine is mostly obvious in my side to side vision, effects my balance and when I read I frequently lose my place. I was star gazing one night staring at the north star when it started to move. Was it a UFO, shooting star? NO! It took me 5 min to realize it was my eye. Freaked me out. When my cataract surgeon said he will try to get rid of my slight astigmatism I offered him 4 times the cost of the surgery to rid me of the nystagmus. no can do. clueless.

edwards750

Good grief you must feel like there is no end to these medical hurdles. So sorry you have yet another one to deal with. I would get s second opinion.

I have annual eye exams. My tests show a slight change in pressure. I have no family history of glaucoma but we all know first hand that doesn’t mean a lot in terms of whether you get it or not.

I have night vision issues sometimes. Not blurry but the flashes from lights. I have a very strong stigmatism. My DH has had cataract surgery in one eye. He said his vision is so much better. He also has a stigmatism.

When it rains it pours. Hoping you get a break after this.

Diane

Herculesmulligan

Maureen: yes cataracts only ever get denser. So given that you're living long enough to notice the blur , yes, everyone will get cataracts that are considered visually significant abd need to be removed. And sadly there is no treatment for nystagmus.

swg

Herculesmulligan,

After chatting with my brother, he thinks I might have Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy, misdiagnosed. He has it.

Many of my symptoms fit. I am still trying to get into WillsEye Hospital for an appt. I'm realizing my opthamologist gave me NO info, really, and I didn't know what questions to ask.

Herculesmulligan

swg: Fuchs corneal dystrophy is a genetic disorder that is passed as An autosomal dominant trait, which means if your brother has it there's a good chance you have it too. It is a breakdown in the pumping function of the cornea which is the clear outermost part of the eye. It pumps less efficiently and in a small minority of patients with Fuchs it progresses to foggy blurry vision. Then the faulty skin inside the cornea can be peeled off and a donor skin transplanted.

swg

Thanks, Herculesmulligan.

Is it typical of Fuchs to be misdiagnosed as glaucoma? My brother said it took him 20 yrs to find a good eye dr who could recognize it and treat it.

There are doctors at WillsEye Hospital who have Fuchs listed as a specialty, and thankfully, are on my health insurance. I'm gonna try to see one this wk.

Herculesmulligan

swg......No, glaucoma and Fuchs are really like apples and oranges. He should see a corneal specialist at Wills. Everyone at wills is at the top of their game.

swg

My brother already got his fuchs treated. He got that surgery--I forget what it's called. He said he can see better than he ever has in his life.

I'm the one who's planning to see someone at Wills

Damn. I was really hoping they screwed up. I'd rather have Fuchs than Glaucoma.

Whatever I have, I'm now getting headaches behind my eyes nearly every day