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Macular Pucker surgery...to do or not to do?

Hello everyone, I'm needing some shared experiences PLEASE.
Last week I was diagnosed with rather severe Macular Pucker in one eye.  I noticed a decline in vision for several months prior, but thought I had an infection from eye makeup.  Saw a retina specialist yesterday , seeing a second opinion Friday but I am expecting the same news.
The pucker is pulling on the retina and nerves a bit and has made my vision in that one eye 20/200 and no corrective lenses will help at this point.  I can still see light, shapes etc. but just cannot make out letters.  I can live with it like this, but the specialist says the tugging my cause more severe damage so I have nothing to loose by doing the surgery right away for the best chance of any improvment.

That is where I'm having the problem ,,,I am 56 and still lead an active life on the lake with waterskiing etc.  I have never needed surgery or prescriptions and take care of myself with exercise and diet.    
I do not want to enter into a lifestyle of surgeries, infections, potential real dangers with retinal detachment or reoccurance of the pucker...etc etc.  Yes, I know every surgery has risks and I should just suck it up, but the fear of making the wrong decision is stressing me greatly.  The Dr. cannot tell if the pucker stabilized or will cause more damage...so do I just leave "well enough alone here"??

Does anyone out there have a similar experience with Macular Pucker surgery ?  I would appreciate any and all comments !
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177275 tn?1511755244
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20792304 tn?1507831135
I'm reading this in October 2017 and it's super helpful. I was just diagnosed with Macular Pucker yesterday. It happened suddenly. I woke up one day about 2 weeks ago and saw a round circle with squigly lines around it and then I started having a hard time reading the computer monitor. I work online and use dual monitors so this is a big issue.

My biggest issue is that my vision is 20/20 when I use glasses so they don't want to do the surgery. They let me know the risks and that it is a delicate surgery and the good chance for cataracts.

I have eye pain now, the kind you get when you know you need glasses and your eyes are straining to see. So one question I have is can I get computer glasses to see the computer screen better and maybe it will help with the pain? I use my reading glasses to read close and prescription glasses to see far. The real problem is somewhere in the middle.
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7 Comments
epiretinal macular membranes (ERM) the cause of macular pucker are not painful. Your problem sounds a lot more like eye strain.  You may want to consider going to no line progressive multifocal "bifocals" as you need a different prescription for different distances and only way to address is with multifocal glasses.
Thanks for the info. I just ordered computer glasses which may help. I did go to a Retinal specialist though and they diagnosed me with Mascular pucker so I also have this I believe as well as eye strain. But you are saying there should be no pain from straining to see my computer monitor because of the Mascular Pucker right?
I'm saying macular pucker is not painful even severe ones.  Eye strain whatever the cause is uncomfortable. Your problems with reading, computer, near tasks sound more like "Presbyopia" if you are mid-40 or over. If you are you should probably make your peace with progressive multifocal glasses.
Gotcha. Thanks for the reply
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since you have been diagnosed with macular pucker it wouldn't hurt to look at an Amsler Grid periodically for changes.  They are readily available online for download and you can also view them right on your monitor
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177275 tn?1511755244
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Avatar universal
I noticed this poster's last comment was regarding a particular clinic in 2015 where the surgery was planned, but unless I missed something, I did not see a follow up account of his/her surgery having been done.
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177275 tn?1511755244
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I notice you have a similar screen name to mine and didn't want confusion, but wondered whether you did in fact decide to proceed with the pucker surgery.
I have the membrane but while at first was opting for surgery right away have decided to hold off and give myself some additional time to consider.  
Wondered what happened as I read this thread and then didn't want our names confused. :)
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177275 tn?1511755244
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Hi Rita,
How was the surgery?
Thanks
Cr
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Hi Luvtoski,
Did your blind spot go away?  
And what was the cause?
Thanks
Cr
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177275 tn?1511755244
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my retna specialist says they like to remove the cataract at the same time they do  the macula pucker surgry
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Avatar universal
my retna specialist says they like to remove the cataract at the same time they do  the macula pucker surgry
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177275 tn?1511755244
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Avatar universal
Actually, this past week I had the second surgery for macullar pucker. The first was put off for a year, then the distortion was going to prevent my passing my driver's test, so I had it done. Sight improved for well over a year, to about 20/40.
This time was the other eye, minor distortion. Then one day, shortly after a steroid shot for allergies, I had major distortion. My surgeon, whom I saw every six months, got me right in after I told him the Amsler grid was suddenly grey in the middle, and snarled like fishing line. I was given Avastan shot that day, and for two month to get rid of edema and vision went fro just the E on the chart, to four lines down. Finally, I had the surgery and am in the first week right now. The second day after, distortion on the grid was both ways. By the 6th day, it was just vertical, and today (10th day), even that is milder. I do not have great vision, with grey blank spot which comes and goes, but so do the black specks which always follow. I can see the E on the chart, and sometimes a couple more lines, sometimes not
Having been through this before, I have a wait and see approach. Doc said I may need the shots again after surgery, or maybe not. I know they told me my other eye would improve for six months, but my optometrist said it continues to improve six years later. I know also that my brother in law, originally on Avistan shots for macular degeneration was legally blind, but after being put on Eylea shots this year, is at 20/40 vision! I am glad I had the vitreus removed, as I did not want retina detachment from that. It will be what it will, but there are several options out there, and I am pleased with the results in the first eye done. I will follow doc's advice, as he has earned my trust as a fine surgeon.
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177275 tn?1511755244
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Avatar universal
Sorry for taking so long to answer about how long to wear the 'pinhole' eye-patch/glasses.  The answer is simply as long as you like and/or can tolerate.  It's just an alternative way to get a rest from the distortion and blurry vision in the bad eye.  I'm scheduled for mac pucker surgery in a few weeks, thanks to all I've read in this forum.  I'm at 20/200 in the bad eye and don't want to wait.  Nothing to lose at this point.  Odds are in my favor I will at least experience some improvement.
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177275 tn?1511755244
Thanks for the follow up. Best of luck
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Avatar universal
Went to my optometrist on 2/25 to update my lens prescription, appears that my left (affected) eye will at this time be correctable to 20/30.  As somewhat expected following a vitrectomy, the early stages of cataract development have begun, but I will only need to take a watchful approach toward that for now.  
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177275 tn?1511755244
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Returned to my ophthalmologist on February 9th, a little more than 4 months after surgery.  Vision in affected eye appears to have settled out to 20/50, IOP was 15 in affected eye and 17 in the other, and have been cleared to return to my optometrist to update my glasses.  Will hold off on returning to contacts for a while longer.
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177275 tn?1511755244
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kaugirl2, have you had an OCT scan since being diagnosed with a return of the macular pucker?
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177275 tn?1511755244
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JCH MD
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Avatar universal
I had macular pucker surgery in July. Before the surgery I had very clear vision, but severe distortion. After the surgery, my vision was 20/200. Initially my surgeon could not tell me why my vision changed so radically. Then, he suggested that a the pre-surgical cataract grew rapidly after the procedure and that was causing my vision loss. In November, I had cataract surgery with a lens implant. My vision is still 20/200, but somewhat correctable with glasses. The cataract surgeon told me that because I had previous LASIX surgery, it was more difficult to gauge what lens to use for the implant. Hm...To top it off, my macular pucker is back. In retrospect, I should never had had the vitrectomy.
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