firemom
22 posts
Mar 01, 2010
4:46 PM
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Keith just went in last week for a vitrectomy of his coats eye. It went fairly well. While they were in there they injected a gas bubble into his eye to basically put pressure on the retina to lay flat and reattatch. He cannot lay on his back or participate in gym or reccess at school for the next month while the bubble absorbs into his body. Has anyone else had this procedure done? I asked about the avastin/lucentis injections and Keith's doctor (Dr. Jay Duker of Boston) does not feel that there is enough info that would say it makes a difference one way or the other with Coats. I am hoping that this will finally work and that he can take a break from the laser/cryo surgeries as he has had 5 in the past 7 months.
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firemom
27 posts
Mar 15, 2010
6:18 PM
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We went back to see our retinal specialist in Burlinton and he had great news today! It seems that the vitrectomy and the gas bubble are doing the trick. My son could see the big E on the eye chart today and could count fingers 4 feet away! It sounds so crazy to be so overjoyed at this, but he has not been able to see anything except light vs dark for 4-5 months now!! The gas bubble has reduced to 40% now. We will go back to Boston to see Dr. Duker in 3 weeks, hopefully he will have even more vision to celebrate over. He was so excited in the car the other day that he could actually see colors in his coats eye! Thanks God! Thank the doctors! Thank technology!
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mommy74
14 posts
Mar 17, 2010
8:57 AM
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I'm so happy for Keith and for you. I do hope things improve with each passing month.
I'm hoping you can help me out a bit. Was this an epiretinal vitrectomy? My son has just had an epiretinal membrane diagnosed on his coats eye. I've really no idea what to expect post-op... I've posted this message here: http://www.coatsdisease.org/board/board_topic/2684224/562745.htm
It would be great if you could tell me something. The doctor hasn't mentioned a gas bubble, but I'm certainly going to check with him now that I've read your post. Thanks very much and God bless.
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firemom
28 posts
Mar 20, 2010
1:25 PM
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mommy74,
I am not sure if he had a epiretinal vitrectomy. The doctor did not say this term so I do not believe it was, but I will be sure to ask the next time that I see him. His post op was not too bad. He was quite uncomfortable the second day after the surgery as the novicane had worn off by then. The hardest part for us with regards to recovery was the gas bubble in his eye and the head positions that we had to avoid. Also with keeping our child "low key" for 5 weeks post op. He is doing quite well now so if he continues to gain sight I feel it is worth it in the long run. Good luck with everything and keep us posted!
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mommy74
17 posts
Mar 21, 2010
7:35 AM
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Thanks - I'll be sure to ask the doctor about the gas bubble and post-op issues. This gives me a lot to go on. God bless you all.
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