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Double vision after macular pucker vitrectomy

I am a 43-year-old woman. I had a vitrectomy on January 18 to remove a macular pucker from my retina and for floaters left by a vitreous detachment. As my vision began to clear after surgery, I began seeing double.  I'm seeing separate images from each eye, but they are not "meshing" together when using both eyes. I do not have double vision when I cover either eye, it's only when I try to use my eyes together. Before surgery, my vision was distorted due to the macular pucker and I had an extremely large floater, but I was not seeing double.

My retina looks fine post-surgery and the retina specialist doesn't know why I have double vision. He sent me back to the optometrist who, after seeing me, said he believes my double vision is a processing problem. The optometrist said my vision was so compromised before the surgery that my brain can't put the images from each eye together. He prescribed prisms which I should be getting this week.

I'm trying to educate myself on what's happening and am finding little to none on "processing problems" such as mine. I'm also concerned there could be more at play here since I have Lyme disease and have a first degree relative with Grave's disease.

I'm not sure what to think. I'm trying learn more and figure out how I want to proceed. Any input is appreciated. Thank you.



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1932338 tn?1349220398
I just read your post and truly feel for you.  Meljoanne couldn't have said what I feel any better.  Please hang in there.  When I had my ERM removed 2 years ago, I was 20/200 before the ERM surgery in that eye, and then one month post surgery went to 20/400...supposedly because of a developed cataract from the surgery.  I didn't believe it, didn't trust the doctor anymore, and was mad at the world.
I had a friend that recently died of breast cancer at 52 and I remember her saying "nobody wants to come to a pity party" and after that I started changing my attitude.  My eyes were not working well together either but I did not have the pain you are talking about.
Enough about me.  You deserve to be mad, frustrated, sad and every emotion you are feeling.  I felt it too, and so alone...like the world was going on and didn't care about my problem.

Please just hang in there and give it time.  Continue to reach out on these forums and keep trying other Retina Specialists...I went to 4 Retina Specialists and 6 Cataract specialists and learned something different and valuable from each one.  It's like a puzzle you have to put together yourself because it seems no one doctor has the time to really delve into each case like we want them to.

I hope I have said something helpful, but I too am praying that someone with real knowledge will add something of value here.
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Avatar universal
Heartfelt response here.  I just read this thread and it breaks my heart that you are in such pain.  There must be something that can be done for you.  I have had PVD in both eyes, retinal tear, and now ERM, although that is causing me no problem.  This board has been a source of information, education, and encouragement for me.  With all my heart, I wish I could help you, and I implore someone who might have the knowledge & ability to get in touch with you and offer a solution to this problem.

Having said this, I am going to pray for you daily.  I am going to continue to do this long after this thread has moved along, and if you ever feel alone, rest assured you are not. There was a time I was in great despair with my life and I was rescued from it by the grace of God.  May He lead you to the right person that can help you with this problem.  Please hang in there.  Agree with me in prayer that God will lead you to the right person who can help.  
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Avatar universal
I'm the original poster. I couldn't get my login to work.

I'm at my wits end. I saw two more specialists, both HIGHLY respected. The retina specialist didn't see any evidence of a dragged fovea, which is good. But the strabismus specialist said there's nothing that can be done for me. My eyes just don't want to work together.

The double vision itself isn't so terrible. I can function with it. However, my eyes are so strained that I'm in pain all the time. I can't take it anymore. Nobody seems to know how to relieve the eye strain. Patching the bad eye doesn't work. My good eye is also strained from picking up the slack. It hurts to see. It hurts when I wake up in the morning and gets worse all day. Nobody can help me. Why can't anyone help me!?!??!!!!

I have 3 bottles of various meds on my nightstand and the only thing that's keeping me from swallowing all of them right now are my boys. But I don't know how much longer I can live like this. All my boys see is a mom who's almost non-functional, in pain all the time. This pain has changed me.

Please don't tell me to seek counseling. I'm in counseling. It isn't fixing my eyes. I just don't know what to do anymore. I can't live like this.
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Avatar universal
Hi Jodie I thought I would just give u an update I picked up my new driving glasses on Thursday from Ken Robertson they work really well I'm so pleased he had to put in corrections as I had vertical as well as horizontal aniseikonia.i'mjust waiting for  the new lens for my reading glasses .it such a relief to be able to see properly without the heavy baroque lens I had put in myself . I'd like to thank you for all your support and suggestions .
                                                                          Many thanks Ruth 1246
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Avatar universal
They did the "lights on-off" test. A white letter was put on a black screen and the lights were turned off. I saw one letter. The lights were then turned on that the letter was changed to black on a white background. Then, I saw double.

Though, I'm now thinking the test was done too quickly and I was not given enough time. In simulating the test on my own at home, I've found that it takes at least 5 seconds for the image to go double, sometimes as long as 20 seconds. (I've done it several times) When it does, the letter floats up and to the right.

In the dark, I seem to have fusion initially and then the image doubles, even worse than in the light. In the light, the image is double immediately but the double image stays constant and doesn't float further from the actual image.

Jodie, thanks for the suggestions.
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Avatar universal
I've thought about your situations, and you might not even need the Aniseikonia Inspector if your double vision disappears when you tilt your glasses.  Here's something you can try:  Have your optometrist prescribe a contact lens that gives you the same degree of rotation you'd get by tilting your glasses.  Does this help?  The Aniseikonia Inspector test results could be used to further refine the correction my adjusting the image size in that eye.  The goal would be to get the images in each eye sufficiently similar so that your brain can fuse them.  
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