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

[homecrafter]

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 !

[JohnHaganMD]

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[Mickeyseyes]

How long do you wear these glasses?  Just to give your eye a rest?

[JohnHaganMD]

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[JSSJr]

I've just read your question about whether there were any alternatives to 'simply' wearing a patch over the 'bad' eye and carrying on.  Well, I believe I have found one.  I was diagnosed with a macular pucker and will have surgery soon.  In the meantime, I found these rather 'silly' plastic glasses at the dollar store . . . some Japanese 'remedy for tired eyes' that are just black lenses with lots of tiny pinholes in them.  I took them home and punched out the right one (my good eye) and now wear them for relief from fighting the distortion with both eyes open.  It's as if I am 'tricking' my brain.  When I put them on, my brain says: "Oh, this is just a different distortion (like wearing a veil over the bad eye)."  Try punching many small pinholes in your patch and see if you don't get the same effect, without the loss of depth-perception that a solid black patch gives you.

[JohnHaganMD]

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[MrPresley]

Returned to my ophthalmologist on Nov. 10, a little moe than five weeks after surgery.  Still noticing slow visual improvement, now about 20/35 in the affected (left) eye.  He did an OCT scan which now shows a flat, normal retinal image instead of the unhappy retina of Sept. 22.  I will see him again in February and will report back how it goes.