Fellow eyes and 360 lasering

[AnnaE]

I am asking this question about fellow eyes of eyes that have detached. Should a patient get a second opinion, before having it done to protect a fellow eye? An article in 2006 Opththalmology says OK for people who have had PVD, but  others need only know signs of RD. They warned that tears could occur at boundary of 360, for example. I had started/completed PVD when 360 Tx'd

I approved of the treatment when it was done on me, because I was worried about ssight loss in my "good eye.". After "Nolaser" (6/20 on this forum) raised the question of the benefit of 360, I have had doubts..

I believe that I had had holes /tears, but when the lasering was performed, I had only new lattice.

[AnnaE]

Thank you. I wanted to know for other patients, too. I will tell them to get a second opinion, as you suggest.

The article is in Ophthalmology 2008, instead of 2006. The study concluded that 360 Tx in fellow eye is OK if the person has PVD. I did; I also had tears and holes.I had new lattice even after the 360, but none since a year ago.

I have a new doctor now, but he is a partner of the old one.He says that my chances of having a detachment in the good eye are 1 in 1000, that I should see in that eye for the rest of my life. I also saw two other retinologists, and they did not criticize the lasering, One was a third partner of his, and one was 100 miles away, at a university teaching hosptial.

I don't imagine my present retinologist would mislead me, but I am thinking of getting a third opinion this fall/winter. I am researching Castle Connelly. That eye is my future ability to work, and I am dreadfully depressed about losing my sight, even if I cannot work.

I have multiple risk factors, inclunding the fact that my daughter had a double detachment. Incidentally, she recovered.

My left eye has only finger counting vision; it's aphakic, with a pressure of seven. It is fragile, but if has improved tremensously since the last/fifth surgery in December. However, it is impossible to know yet the futute of that eye. It is firmer, rounder, and I can see the iris again.

Thanks for letting me know how to advise other patients, I imagine you think that it is good that I plan a third opinion, since so much of my life depends on my eye, as with almost all eye patients.
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[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Yes, I believe a second opinion is in order, however, it sounds like you already had the second eye lasered.  Make sure you see a board-certified ophthalmologist fellowship trained in vitreoretinal diseases.  I have had many patients with retinal detachments in one eye, and the other eye was never touched, so fellow eye treatment is still up to the individual surgeon and depends on multiple factors.

Michael Kutryb, MD