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Macular Degeneration
Unfortunately, I was just diagnosed with MD in my left eye and am pretty upset. My eye doctor met me at his office last Saturday morning and confirmed a bleed and was concerned about the retina. Went back to office for more testing on Monday. There was a bleed in the retina but no tear and he said it might reabsirbsorb but referred me to an opthomologist who diagnosed MD. I just went through my yearly eye exam and one would think my eye doctor would have seen something then? I got new glasses and kept saying the left eye wasn't right. After 2 weeks of that, he retested and I got new glasses. Again, kept telling them something wasn't right and after another week, was driving me crazy. Never had so many problems with new glasses! Then, last Friday, definitely list part of the vision in my left eye! Could he or should he have seen or suspected something? If he had, could anything have been done? Now the soecialust is saying I need shots in my eye!!
Anyone have any feedback?
Anyone have any feedback?
Wondering if anyone got a second opinion when diagnosed. If so, at a university or another Opthomologist.
Hi, I am no expert in eye conditions but it sounds like you have consulted with someone? Who is "they"? Do they want you in for follow up or further testing?
I had some flashing lights symptoms but don't know that is related to Macular Degeneration.
I can't say I had any symptoms other then I kept telling my doctor, when I got new glasses twice, that the left eye wasn't right. I was told I had to adjust to the new prescription, yada yada. I just had a complete eye exam so don't know if something was missed but was told sometimes there is no way to tell.
I was out at a store and could not read something on a package. Came home and then realized I could barely read my iPad. Got my old glasses, the same. Took my BP, normal. Started closing one eye then the other and realized part of my vision was gone in my left eye. Looking at things like a lamp shade or a bush outside, the right side of them were gone. When I looked at some recessed lights in the ceiling with the left eye, they were red. That is when I figured I had a bleed and contacted my doctor. So, can't really say I had any forewarning.
You do need to follow up with your dictor or get a second opinion. Hoping this is nothing serious.
I had some flashing lights symptoms but don't know that is related to Macular Degeneration.
I can't say I had any symptoms other then I kept telling my doctor, when I got new glasses twice, that the left eye wasn't right. I was told I had to adjust to the new prescription, yada yada. I just had a complete eye exam so don't know if something was missed but was told sometimes there is no way to tell.
I was out at a store and could not read something on a package. Came home and then realized I could barely read my iPad. Got my old glasses, the same. Took my BP, normal. Started closing one eye then the other and realized part of my vision was gone in my left eye. Looking at things like a lamp shade or a bush outside, the right side of them were gone. When I looked at some recessed lights in the ceiling with the left eye, they were red. That is when I figured I had a bleed and contacted my doctor. So, can't really say I had any forewarning.
You do need to follow up with your dictor or get a second opinion. Hoping this is nothing serious.
Thank you so much for the lengthy and informative response.
I don't live in a big Metropolitan area (in the Central Valley, Ca) and find I often have to travel to the Bay Area for specialists. However, my Optomitrist referred me to an Opthomologist here that recently left a large group to open his own practice. Yes, he is a retina specialist. I looked him up and he has a very good education, ie, Harvard, Yale, Baylor and found no complaints and no bad reviews. Hope that means something! I was considering a second opinion at Stanford (where I go for GI issues), UCSF or UC Davis. Shocked to see unfavorable reviews, the majority being wait times, etc. I don't know if another private dictor to consult. Guess I will try and stick with this doctor and pray that works out.
Yes, I have done quite a bit of reading, as much as I can see to read. I went to this doctor this past Monday and they did the angiography with Iodine injection. I doubt I got an hours sleep the night before knowing the plan was to give me a shot in my eye!! Well, they put numbing medication in and I really didn't feel a thing! He does not inject in to the side of the eye but up under the lid. He put a patch on, so I would leave my eye closed and not be blinking, to be removed the next day. I had some discomfort that night, but a couple of Tylenol took care of that. As expected, the white part of my at the top is all red and today I noticed a small spot near my iris on the inner side. Called the office and was told not to worry. There is no improvement in the left eye but I was told this vision loss U.S. orobably permanent. Three days out and have had no issues and was told I could go ahead and put eye make up on! LOL! I go back next month for another injection. He checked my right eye and, so far it is ok but does have drusen. I also read you are likely to get this in both eyes. My father did have this but I think he was in his late 70's when it developed. I am 65,
Yes, it is the Avastin he is using. He has the Lucentis but uses this first, the Lucentis costs the doctor $2,000 a shot!! No way is Medicare going to cover that or much of it. I have read these meds can cause a stroke. Nit sure if that pertains to the eye injections or the high dose Cancer patients receive.
Hoping I have a good doctor and thankful he is close by! There are other retinal specialists that my doctor actually practiced with but they have like 6 offices and are based in Sacramento, a ways from here! From what I understand, they are only here certain days of the week.
Thank you so much, again, for the response.
I don't live in a big Metropolitan area (in the Central Valley, Ca) and find I often have to travel to the Bay Area for specialists. However, my Optomitrist referred me to an Opthomologist here that recently left a large group to open his own practice. Yes, he is a retina specialist. I looked him up and he has a very good education, ie, Harvard, Yale, Baylor and found no complaints and no bad reviews. Hope that means something! I was considering a second opinion at Stanford (where I go for GI issues), UCSF or UC Davis. Shocked to see unfavorable reviews, the majority being wait times, etc. I don't know if another private dictor to consult. Guess I will try and stick with this doctor and pray that works out.
Yes, I have done quite a bit of reading, as much as I can see to read. I went to this doctor this past Monday and they did the angiography with Iodine injection. I doubt I got an hours sleep the night before knowing the plan was to give me a shot in my eye!! Well, they put numbing medication in and I really didn't feel a thing! He does not inject in to the side of the eye but up under the lid. He put a patch on, so I would leave my eye closed and not be blinking, to be removed the next day. I had some discomfort that night, but a couple of Tylenol took care of that. As expected, the white part of my at the top is all red and today I noticed a small spot near my iris on the inner side. Called the office and was told not to worry. There is no improvement in the left eye but I was told this vision loss U.S. orobably permanent. Three days out and have had no issues and was told I could go ahead and put eye make up on! LOL! I go back next month for another injection. He checked my right eye and, so far it is ok but does have drusen. I also read you are likely to get this in both eyes. My father did have this but I think he was in his late 70's when it developed. I am 65,
Yes, it is the Avastin he is using. He has the Lucentis but uses this first, the Lucentis costs the doctor $2,000 a shot!! No way is Medicare going to cover that or much of it. I have read these meds can cause a stroke. Nit sure if that pertains to the eye injections or the high dose Cancer patients receive.
Hoping I have a good doctor and thankful he is close by! There are other retinal specialists that my doctor actually practiced with but they have like 6 offices and are based in Sacramento, a ways from here! From what I understand, they are only here certain days of the week.
Thank you so much, again, for the response.
hi ladies/gents
could I ask what your symptoms were? mine are slashing lights in the corner of my eye and slight blur to vision.
im scared. they said I have a growth in/on my eye???
please help
could I ask what your symptoms were? mine are slashing lights in the corner of my eye and slight blur to vision.
im scared. they said I have a growth in/on my eye???
please help
I'm sorry to read about your diagnosis with macular degeneration / MD. It is probably the 'wet' kind of MD which causes new blood vessel growth and bleeding in the retina.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that there now a treatment for bleeding incidents as they occur in wet AMD patients. As you have discovered, this is principally injections in the eye itself to deliver a medication to the retina which can help seal off any new bleeding and stop further damage to the vision caused by the bleeding.
The needle deposits the medicine in the vitreous cavity of the eye (behind the eye's internal lens and in front of the retina) and travels through the vitreous to the retina. The needle goes through the white part of your eye, away from the pupil. It sounds ominous but these meds are quite effective and can improve some vision after it's already been impaired by an active bleed.
I'm not sure where you are located but in the US there are a few medications approved for this purpose (such as Lucentis) and there is also a medication used 'off label' called Avastin which is much less costly but must be prepared by a pharmacy for an ocular injection because it's not manufactured in that form by the company who makes it. If you get an injection of Avastin, be sure to ask the doctor what they have done to make sure the compounding pharmacy preparing the shots does that work correctly.
I know shots in the eyeball sound horrific, but they are an effective treatment for this bleeding and they can save your vision. If I were you I would make sure to be seen by a retina specialist (if you have not already) because as a wet AMD patient you want a good relationship with someone who specializes in treating the retina, has practice doing the shots and is comfortable with them, and who can keep track of new medicines and treatments under development which might prove even more effective against the bleeding. There are some new meds in clinical trials now which might be even more effective than the ones already being used.
I have retina bleeding from a different condition so I have researched this a lot. These medicines are close to a miracle for wet AMD patients, for whom almost nothing could be done before. It may help if you do some research about these treatments online so you are comfortable with what the doctor recommends and can understand why it is important to follow up regularly with your retina specialist and go get seen by the doctor if you notice any new symptoms or want to see if an injection now is recommended or could help you.
In my case I had a bleeding incident which sealed itself off and by the time a doctor found out what was wrong, the bleeding had stopped and he did not recommend doing an injection. Some of that blurring and distortion caused by the bleeding did abate, but it didn't go away completely. If your doctor thinks an injection now could halt active bleeding or potentially restore some damage caused by the bleeding incident in late December, I would definitely go back to discuss it ASAP.
I know how scary this is, but take heart that you are fortunate to live in an age when this problem can not only be diagnosed, but something can be done to help mitigate the damage. Best of luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.
The good news, if you can call it that, is that there now a treatment for bleeding incidents as they occur in wet AMD patients. As you have discovered, this is principally injections in the eye itself to deliver a medication to the retina which can help seal off any new bleeding and stop further damage to the vision caused by the bleeding.
The needle deposits the medicine in the vitreous cavity of the eye (behind the eye's internal lens and in front of the retina) and travels through the vitreous to the retina. The needle goes through the white part of your eye, away from the pupil. It sounds ominous but these meds are quite effective and can improve some vision after it's already been impaired by an active bleed.
I'm not sure where you are located but in the US there are a few medications approved for this purpose (such as Lucentis) and there is also a medication used 'off label' called Avastin which is much less costly but must be prepared by a pharmacy for an ocular injection because it's not manufactured in that form by the company who makes it. If you get an injection of Avastin, be sure to ask the doctor what they have done to make sure the compounding pharmacy preparing the shots does that work correctly.
I know shots in the eyeball sound horrific, but they are an effective treatment for this bleeding and they can save your vision. If I were you I would make sure to be seen by a retina specialist (if you have not already) because as a wet AMD patient you want a good relationship with someone who specializes in treating the retina, has practice doing the shots and is comfortable with them, and who can keep track of new medicines and treatments under development which might prove even more effective against the bleeding. There are some new meds in clinical trials now which might be even more effective than the ones already being used.
I have retina bleeding from a different condition so I have researched this a lot. These medicines are close to a miracle for wet AMD patients, for whom almost nothing could be done before. It may help if you do some research about these treatments online so you are comfortable with what the doctor recommends and can understand why it is important to follow up regularly with your retina specialist and go get seen by the doctor if you notice any new symptoms or want to see if an injection now is recommended or could help you.
In my case I had a bleeding incident which sealed itself off and by the time a doctor found out what was wrong, the bleeding had stopped and he did not recommend doing an injection. Some of that blurring and distortion caused by the bleeding did abate, but it didn't go away completely. If your doctor thinks an injection now could halt active bleeding or potentially restore some damage caused by the bleeding incident in late December, I would definitely go back to discuss it ASAP.
I know how scary this is, but take heart that you are fortunate to live in an age when this problem can not only be diagnosed, but something can be done to help mitigate the damage. Best of luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.
Yes, had my exam with dilation. Actually, he had me come back for some other test and I had a new prescription but just could not adjust. He did another vision exam and tweeted the prescription and I got new glasses for the second time but they just weren't right either. Then noticed last Friday my vision was impaired in the left eye and white lights looked red. He met me at the office, confirmed a bleed. Went back Monday and was dilated again and had a test done to check my retina, showed a bleed but no tear. He wanted me to see an Opthologomist, suspecting possible MD. That doctor had me come in the next morning (as right before Christmas and he will be gone). He diagnosed the MD. I am devastated. He wants to do shots in my eye!! Thus, it is not the glasses after all.
Your doctor, an optometrist, i'm assuming, should have done a complete dilated eye exam along with a refraction for your new eyeglasses at your yearly exam. If after getting the new glasses you told the doctor something wasn't right with the left eye, s/he probably thought it was due to a problem with the glasses and not the eye itself.
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