Cataract Surgery Gone Bad

General
1

Just wandering if anybody has ever had a problem after having cataract surgery after a stroke? In 2006 I lost sight and had to have surgery for wet macular degeneration in my left eye. In 2007 I had to have an enderectomy for 90% blockage in my right carotid artery. TIAs here and there, just a mini stroke or two. You all will be glad to know that doesn’t make you disabled. In 2019 I had a ruptured brain aneurysm with SAH stroke. They put in coils and then a pipeline embolization stent. (That didn’t qualify for disability either.)

I went through 5 years of an angioplasty every 6 months and more CTs, CTAs and MRIs than I care to think about. After a combination of all the above tests and procedures my neurosurgeon released me to an as needed basis.

Last year I had cataract surgery and my vision was worse than before. My eyes hurt, burned, itched and can’t see anything. I went back to the opthalmologist and he said he couldn’t find anything wrong. I went to the optometrist they use for follow up. Nothing wrong. I went to my retina specialist and he sees nothing wrong. I decided to just wait a year and see if something cleared up. Didn’t happen.

I talked to my PCP and he asked if they had given me a dose pack. I said they gave me steroid drops for a while but didn’t want to give me a dose pack because he couldn’t see an infection. My doc gave me a dose pack and finally my eyes stopped hurting. My vision is a little better but not great. I can’t tolerate sunlight or bright lights and I have to wear my reading glasses most of the time.

My doc is sending me for a MRI. He thinks it’s possible that I have had another stroke. I didn’t say anything to him but when they did the first eye my BP skyrocketed. They turned the monitor around so I couldn’t see it but I remember seeing the systolic pressure passing 200.

To add to the mix, I had central and obstructive sleep apnea so I had to use a BiPap machine with oxygen concentrator at night. The BiPap was recalled. Just before I heard about the recall they found 2 nodules on my thyroid glands. After 2 more ultrasounds they found 2 more. Enough??? No… they just recalled the mask I am using because it uses magnets so it can cause problems with implants. My first thought was the stent then they added ocular lens to the list of problem implants. It didn’t make sense to me or my doctor. There’s nothing magnetic about cataract lens.

I guess my next step is to wait until after the MRI next week.

2 Likes
2

Sounds like my experience ; I saw 2 ophthalmologists who acknowledged little more than blepharitis and MGB and could not come close to any of the problems I was having with my stroke-side eye. You’ve steered me away from cataract surgery.

I can’t begin to help or suggest any advice, but I wish you well
ciao, Roland

ps. my BP was 269 / 198 when I had my stroke

2 Likes
3

@Mugsy you’ve certainly had your share of medical issues. I don’t have personal experience of cataracts but my mum had hers done. All went ok for her but I remember her saying it doesn’t always work.

It’s a shame you weren’t given the dose pack. I guess they have guidelines to say when they should be issued…not helpful.

I hope the planned MRI offers some answers for you.

Best wishes

Ann

6

Thanks Ann… On the dose pack the opthalmologist didn’t want to give me a dose pack because he didn’t see any sign of infection in my eye. He told me I could stop the steroid eye drops, too, because they weren’t helping.

I can pretty much deal with anything as long as I know what it is. I hate these surprises. I lost sight in my left eye on 2007 and I know this isn’t just losing my sight. It doesn’t hurt, it just goes away.

I will just have to stick with my line of attack. If the “professionals” can’t find anything wrong with my eyes then it has to be something else.

I was thinking it might be residual damage from the stroke. But I think somebody else would have had the same problem.

Take care and be safe.

2 Likes
7

Keep those thoughts coming. My sight is just a small bump in the road. My big problem is I have PAD in my right femoral artery. The whole thing is 100% blocked. My vascular surgeon said he can’t do angioplasty and put in a stent so the only option left is a cute named for an absolute horrible procedure… a Fem-Pop. I already know it won’t work for me.

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. You take care and be safe.

3 Likes
9

I’m sorry about your health issues. It’s certainly not fun dealing with them or trying to self diagnose. I am doing the MRI to see if that shows what could be causing this.

4 Likes