Victrectomy

The procedure I will undergo this Thursday is called a Victrectomy. Basically the doctor will be draining the fluid in the center of the eye and replacing it. The replacement is usually with saline solution, but that may not necessarily be the case with me. My eye currently holds silicone oil rather than natural vitreous fluid. It’s been this way since the retina reattachment surgery in January 2012. This has necessitated up to five different eye drops daily, covering eye pressure and sterilization, dilation and a steroid. The steroid has given me the most problems from the beginning, including nervous/psychological tics, like I need more of those. Most disruptive is a natural side effect of increased stomach acid production. Water on an empty stomach, too much acidic food or not enough food like milk to act as a base and I have been prone to puking. The last year, obviously, has been less than pleasant. The regimen of eye drops affects my vision at least for a while, and I suspect may contribute to the overall and still increasing decline.
My hope is that the silicone oil has gotten "dirty" over the last year. My vision is now massively disabled by light sensitivity or light processing issues, and a constant fog, not at all unlike early morning fog. The fog has thickened over time, and I can see it as "TV white noise" even when my eyes are closed. The insertion of fresh fluid should provide a clear globe for me to look through.
That’s what I, and my eye doctor, are hoping anyway.
The decline has not been anything like the typical progression of diabetic retinapathy. I’ve been there and done that with the right eye ten years ago. The vision hasn’t gotten darker per se, but the eye cannot process light or readjust to changing light sources and that fog just got thicker and thicker until I could no longer see a foot in front of me.
I consider the
Victrectomy a "procedure" rather than a "surgery," but that is probably hair splitting semantics. There was far more risk to last year’s reattachment, which is why I had told very few people about the surgery. My doctor had to warn me about possible adverse effects, which could be dire, but I don’t think that’s likely.As the vision has gotten worse, I have been looking at–or rather groping for–this surgery as the last chance to improve and be able to stay functional on anything. I know my vision will never be what it was, but regaining any function will be a welcome change.
Wish me luck.