Retinal Detachment

[divinglife]

I started reading this thread about a week ago because I was having slight vision problem and thought there might be useful information. This weekend it got A LOT worse so I went to the hospital only to find out I have a retinal detachment with small tear!!! GGRRRR.... I'm a little overwhelmed right now. The specialist on call said I should get the bubble thing done right away (inserting gas bubble to try to push retina in place) so I did tht last night at 1 am. Now I'm waiting for my mom to fly in (I'm all alone in the city). So, my understanding is that if this works, I should be ok to dive after 2 months???
Also, can any of you recommend an ophtamologist with diving knowledge in the NY/NJ area for follow up appointments.
Any mind easing would be great as I'm a little scared with all this.

 

[BILLB]

Dr. Arch McNarmara at the Wills Eye Hospital is also a diver. I do not have his telephone number but if you look up http://www.diveunderwaterworld.com/ and ask them , I am sure somebody there has a telephone.

 

[divinglife]

One more question::
I first noticed the vision problem after a weekend of diving. It then stayed the same for about 10 days. This weekend I went diving again and it proceeded to get noticeably worst after every dive. Is there any way the detachment could have been accelerated by the diving?? Or even caused by it?? I'm a working divemaster so if this will affect my diving career, I need to know....

 

[pdoege]

I have no idea whether or not diving contributed to your injury.

That being said, I had a really bad retina detachment several years ago. Mine was caused by good old physical trauma.

I had 13 surgeries on the eye. Lots of complications. Grrr. Pretty much went blind on that side.

Now I can sort of see again out of that eye. I started diving last year and have had no issues with my retina.

So, worse case, you will still be able to dive in the future. You do not want to dive with the bubble in there.

Patience! And don't worry too much. If I can survive it and stay active you can too.

Peter

 

[Sea Biscuit]

You can't dive after pneumatic retinopexy (gas bubble to fix a retinal detachment) until the gas is gone. Should be gone by 2 months, but the exact timing will vary with the amount injected, the gas mix, and individual factors. The best way to make sure is to ask your doc, at the follow-up visits, whether it's been reabsorbed yet. Success rate with pneumatic retinopexy is pretty high. Not quite as high as with more invasive surgery, but it's a lot quicker and easier. And in the unlikely event that it doesn't work, surgery can still be done.

I'm not aware of any evidence that diving is associated with an increased risk of retinal detachment.

David Glasser, M.D.

The above is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice for any individual. Please consult your own physician.