Several have asked how my strabismus surgery went. I had eye muscle surgery in May…lateral rectus recession. My eyes had been drifting a lot more prior to the surgery, and had become increasingly unstable and uncomfortable. It was difficult to hold a focus to read. My eyes are much more comfortable since the surgery, less tension, and I get a lot less headaches now. My eyes don’t drift as spastically as before surgery. They still drift though, especially at close range. I still can’t focus to read very long. My eyes look straight, but one eye sees things rotated slightly clockwise, the other slightly counter-clockwise since the surgery, and things appear higher with one eye than the other, so it was a bit of a trade-off I think.
My surgeon had told me at my one month checkup that I would likely need medial rectus resection in the fall. But when I went back last month, he didn’t seem to think that would help and made prism glasses instead. The prism glasses didn’t help either. Things were very distorted with them, and I saw two images of everything. (Update 11-15-05: I’ve since gotten prism glasses from my local optometrist, and I can see out of them much better. I have to hold things very close to my face to read with them, and can’t read for a long time like I’d hoped. But am trying to adjust to them so they will be more useful. I’ll keep you posted.)
I think if I had been able to get help sooner it may have been easier to turn things around. I’ve had strabismus over 50 years and it’s gradually gotten worse. One of my main goals with this blog is that others might find the help they need early. Not that I’ve given up. I’m grateful for the help I’ve gotten and continue to do vision therapy and work to improve my eyes. I’m learning that success may not be measured in whether I am able to read a lot again, but in what I’m able to make out of the vision I have at this point in my life.
[Update September 24, 2007: On April 12, 2007, I shared an update about my second strabismus surgery done on January 4, 2007. There are links in that post about problems I was having related to my first surgery in 2005. There is also a link at the bottom of that post to my June 23, 2007 post which updates my latest progress. I still have difficulty maintaining a focus to read. I still have difficulty finding things in a page, and I still have difficulty finding locations I'm not familiar with when driving. But I am thankful for the progress I've made. You can fill in the gaps of my story by clicking the Lois' story link in the sidebar.]
Hi George. Thank you so much for your answer. I had my surgery on wedneday and it went all very good. No pain during or after surgery . Neighter at any point did i experience heart rythm disturbances. I had no pain after surgery nd the redness in the eye is allredy starting to fade. They shortend the rectus medius muschle and for the first time in 12 years i am able to move my eye all the way out to the side. I had my botox injection on the other side and have startet today to notice a little difference. Not in the position of eye but i see double when i look to left. I never did before. No i now see double looking to both sides. It will be exciting to see the final effect . I am well prepared for some months in dizziness. I wonder if some had trouble with double vision …How long did it take after surgery before it dissapreared? Best regards
hey guys…need an opinion here….i have left exo….my doctor is not too sure if the surgery is way to go because he said that it is not that obvious and only appears when I am tired/stressed and when i am looking all the way across the room.Otherwise it isn’t too noticeable unless i look at someone for a prolonged period of time.So what should i do?Get it done so i have better aligned eyes and finally be able to look at people in the eyes or wait,like the doctor said?(he mentioned that if he was me he wouldn’t get it done.)I am willing to go for the surgery just that i am afraid since the doctor wasn’t very encouraging what could the potential drawbacks be.
Jenna:
What is your divergence in diopters. One diopter is about .57 degrees. Less than 10 diopters, and your eyes look cosmetically straight. Also, do you have double vision? My opinion is that if your divergence is less than 10 and you do not have double vision,your doctor is not sure if he can improve on that. My surgeon said that my divergence was 45 diopters exo and that she could only guarantee improvement, and that I would probably have double vision. Since I have a very lazy eye, I am used to suppressing my vision with my lazy eye. When I force myself to see through both eyes, I have double vision because my divergence is about 5 diopters. They look cosmetically straight, and I am very happy, but in optical terms not straight enough to not have double vision. Ask a good friend or family to give you an honest opinion when you look at them directly into their eyes 5-10 feet away. My guess is that if you are only a few diopters out, it will not be noticeable. I can only tell you my experience or what I would do. Mine became so bad that I could not even look at myself in the mirror, so that is when I had it done. In my case, I was at the other extreme and waited too long. In restrospect, I should have had it done when I was about 20 diopters out about 20 years ago. George
Hi Ashley..i can give you a fresh feedback on your case cuz its exactly the same as mine
my left eye used to drift outward and after having 2 surgeries in my childooh it started drifting outwards again so i went for the third surgery last february and after removing the patch after the3 surgery i was shocked to see my eye completly inwards and i cudnt stand it..when i asked my doctor he said it will setlle in the right position within one or two months…and today after 3 months of the surgery its almost in the center..not 100% but i can tell 98%..it will take you one month to start seeing the results and it will keep improving by time till its alligned..trust this
My situation is like Carole’s (posting of 4/5/10) I was 47 years old & at work 2/2009 when my vision while walking in the office suddenly went haywire – double vision/blurriness, focusing issues. Went to the ER, CT Scan & blood work – docs chalked issue up to anxiety & stress. Primary doc, Ophthalmologists (2), Neurologist, Neuro-Ophthalmalogist, Endocrinologist, 2 MRI’s (head/neck) 2 CT Scans (Brain & Orbitals) specialized blood work, Spinal Tap, steroid testing, etc…. no one had any answers as to why eye muscles were not working correct. Supposedly Myasthenia Gravis was ruled out after IV steroid test (3 days/3 grams) made double vision worse (affected straight on vision) Found a strabismus doc who did not want to perform surgery in 2009 as double vision was only occurring in extreme gazing to the side or when looking in mirror tilting head to the right (like when flossing teeth). Vision had continued to fluctuate but now in morning when getting up, double vision is straight on – can watch eyes in mirror eventually align somewhat to single vision. Double vision now occurs when turning head to right and left when watching traffic to cross street. Happening more at work since job is 8 hours/day on a computer. Is this typical of adult onset strabismus? Have found another strabismus doc who stated he can do surgery on right eye (which is my stronger eye) by loosening the muscle this would alleviate some of my double vision issues but I would still have some double vision regardless. Also have issues with astigmatism, myopia & presbyopia. Any thoughts from someone in this group would be appreciated.
Sorry for my bad English. I have a question for you, Honey….how was your left eye after 6 weeks following the operation? When did your eye starded to allign? When did you see the best improvement? Let me explain my situation – I undergone a surgery 6 weeks ago because my left eye was drifting outwards, and now, at 6 weeks from the operation, my eye is still inwards and I hate this. My doctor said it would allign in 2 months from the operation, but I don’trust him any more; I don’t imagine my eye improving in 2 weeks if it didn’t allign sufficiently in those 6 weeks. Please, I am waiting forward to your message. I am very dissapointed. I have tow little kids (by the way, I am 32 years old and I have had strabismus since I was 1 year old) and they need a calm mother, not the one I am now because this operation,
I come back with additional information. The operation was performed on my both eyea, but the right eye (operated now for the third time; the first and the second operation took place in my early childhood) looks right. The problem is with the left eye (operated nou for the second time). The strabismus was more visibly at this eye, and now, it drifts inwards and Im not used to it. There are moments when my both eyes look straight,but the most of the time my left eye is not in the good posiiton. I hope I was clear enough to make myself understandable. I looking forward to your messages…please…don’t forget me
Hey everyone- some interesting reading here!
I have had strabismus forever (26 now), but I can use either eye equally well. If I use my right eye, my left eye turns in (some white visible in the corner), but if I use my left eye, my right eye turns in so there’s very little or no white visible. A lot of people seem to have a dominant eye and suppress the vision from the other- I’m not exactly sure how mine works, because I do have peripheral vision on the “off” eye and I can use either one (I can switch at will, or subconciously automatically switch if vision to one eye is blocked for some reason). I have no problems with with seeing double, but I don’t have depth perception either.
I’m going for a physical this month and will ask for a referral to the Boston Children’s Hospital – from what I’ve read, they’re very experienced with strabismus in children and adults, so I’m going to go get an evaluation and see what they think. However, I thought I’d check here in the meantime and see if anyone has any relevant experience.
I don t understand why my posts were not published….Imediately after I posted two messages, they appeared to be moderated…then…desapeared….why?
It is a very important problem to me and i need someone to share her / his experiece with me. Why? Why? Why? I realy likee this blog…but now….
Loreley, please continue to check back. Most people don’t check the blog every day, so you might not get responses immediately. Just continue to check back and hopefully some will respond.
Lois
Loreley:
Every one is different. Are you saying that you think you were over-corrected so your eye now is inward and before it was outward? How far out was it, and how far in is it now in diopters? Remember that diopters are not degrees. I think one diopter is .57 degrees.Also up to 10 diopters is considered to be cosmetically straight. My right eye was out 45 diopters before the surgery. Now it is out about 6 diopters, but they look straight. From an earlier post, someone said that it took them 2 months for alignment. In my case, I was aligned in about 2 weeks. I first thought that my right eye was over corrected slightly, but my doctor said it was where it should be, and when the redness and puffiness went away, I could see that they were pretty straight. I had surgery when I was 11 years old in 1957, and I had it done in my severely exotropic (outward) right eye in 2008.
Josh:
As I told Loreley, my right eye drifted out to about 45 diopters, which is quite a bit. Interestingly, whenever I closed my left (dominant good) eye, my right eye would jump and be perfectly centered. I had and still have a very lazy right eye, which means that I rarely use it and have not used it since I was two years old when I suddenly developed strabismus after a high fever. I thought to myself, if I close my left eye more often I may be able to train my right eye muscles to stay in the centered position. The exact opposite happened. After trying this for about a month by my right eye went from about 35 diopters out to 45. I do not know how this correlates to you, but I thought you should know my experience.
Interesting; thank you. I’m curious to see what would happen with me, then – my eyes are very close as far as vision goes..my contact lens prescription is -3.75 right and -4.00 left.
I guess the best person for me to talk to would be a specialist – I’ll see if I can get a doctor at the Boston Children’s Hospital to evaluate my situation and see what s/he thinks would be the best way to go.
Thanks again!
Josh:
Another interesting thing. All my life I have had very thick glasses. Just before I decided to have my strabismus surgery done, I found out I also had cataracts in both eyes. However, my doctor said that I should do the strabismus surgery first since my cataracts were not “ripe” yet. About 6 months after the Strabismus surgery, my vision quickly became so bad that I did not want to drive any more. I had one cataract done, then a few months later the other. Now my glasses are normal thickness. Did I have cataracts for the last 50 years and no one told me about it? At some time, I had prisms in my glasses which could account for some of the thickness, but not all those years. Immediately after I had the cataract surgery, I could read 10 point which is smaller print than the Bible without any glasses. I could not believe it. Now I cannot see quite as good as immediately after the cataract surgeries, but I can still read normal print without glasses, which I had not done in 40 years. Go figure. When you see a specialist in adult surgery and you decide to go ahead with it, get patient references. Also they almost for sure will tell you that you need both eyes done at one time to help insure proper balance. This is probably true, but at my age (63) I did not want them messing with my good eye muscles. The other main question is whether you should have adjustable sutures or permanent. With adjustables, a day or two after the procedure they can do fine adjusting. However, from what I have read, adjustables tend to be more uncomfortable for a while before until they heal. They may also give you an option of general anesthesia or local. I had general. My procedure took about 40 minutes for one eye, not counting pre and post op recovery time. They did, however hold my good eye in place centered while she worked on my right eye. This may be more info than you need now, but these questions will come up when you decide to do the procedure. I am very happy that I had mine done. Some others report improvement, but less than perfect results. Everyone is different. Keep us posted. In my case, I had no pain whatsoever after the procedure. Just very red eyes and puffiness for one week.
Hi everyone,
My name is Anoop.my age is 19.
I Have strabismus. I Live in Bangalore .I just wanted to know the cost of the operation and
which hospital do you recommend as the best and safe.
please do reply…….
love you all…….
Hi, Sarah. I have the cranial 6th nerve palsy, too. Now, I’m 20. I’ve no idea what to do with it. I’m a citizen of an underdeveloped country. I’ve seen many doctors, but they told me that it would never be corrected either by surgery or glasses. Did you have any surgery to correct it. According to the websites i explored, transposition surgery is made to correct it. I can only head for the U.S to have the surgery, when I am made sure that it is corrected completely by the surgery. I can’t go to the U.S just to see a doctor due to financial situation. Do you know how much the surgery cost?
If you had any surgery to correct this cranial sixth nerve palsy, please do share your experiences with me. Or if you know somebody who has the same condition, please connect us.
I hope you’ll be very helpful as I’ve never met someone having the same condition as me.
Best wishes,
Undi
i kno evactly what youre talking about im considering having the surgery done, how much did it cost you and was the problem fixed? do you have before and after pics?
Lois:
How are you doing? I hope better by now. I do not seem to be able to post a blog on the other eyes apart site. It has changed. It asks for a lot of info. Is that how it is supposed to be? You may want to tell the others here (and me) once again about the other site and how to access it. This one seems to be not as popular anymore for sharing experiences and info.
Hi George, I’m not sure which “other site” you are talking about. Can you provide the web address (url). I have added to the blog at http://www.eyesapart.com, and am doing well enough that I hope to continue adding to it regularly. I’d not been able to keep it up since 2007! I hope to post a little more of my update on how I am doing there soon.
Part of the confusion for you may be how a blog works. http://www.eyesapart.com is the main site for this topic as well as all the other topics. The front page at http://www.eyesapart.com is updated each time I add to the site, with the newest posted item being added to the top. To see other posts you may remember being on the front page, scroll down. (The ballet dancers were at the top until recently). To read a post and leave comments on it, click the title. When you reach the bottom of the posts area, select “previous entries” for older posts, or “next entries” to return to newer posts.
You can also search by topics in the pull-down list at the top of the right blue-shaded column, or archives using the tab at the top. Either way, just click the title you wish to read or comment on to open it up.
I am not sure what questions you are being asked, or what other site you are talking about, but feel free to write me privately if you have further quesitons. I think you have my email address, or you can just use the email link at the bottom of this page.
I’m glad you are interested in posting in other areas of the site, and will assist you in any way I can.
Hope this helps,
Lois
I’m coming back with my problem: it’s been 3 months from my surgery and my left eye is still overcorrected. My doctor said she was pleased with the result and asked me to be patient as the complete results of the surgery should be seen within 6 months from the surgery. I must admit that I am sad and unpleased with the results and I can hardly believe that my eye will better allign. I am considering having another surgery done. Talking with my doctor to find her opinion on that will be my next step.
Loreley
Everyone is different. Some have their eyes positioned the way it is going to be within a couple of weeks, others may take longer. Mine was set in place early. Someone blogged several months ago that theirs were still adjusting months after the surgery. I know you are not satisfied, but what was the deviation before and what is it now, in diopters if you know. Within 10 diopters, they are considered cosmetically straight. My right eye was out 45 diopters, which is very noticeable. I was out now about 6 diopters about 3 months after the procedure, and that was a year ago. I cannot see the difference now, and in two months it will have been two years since my procedure.
For correcting double vision with eye muscle surgery, is Dr. Guyton one of the best in the country?
Hello,
I have lived with strabismus all my life and wanted to share my story with all of you. When I was really young the strabismus wasn’t obvious and I did not have cosmetic issues, but I used to tilt my head all the time, the eye doctor mentioned that I was titling my head in order to adjust my eyes and acheive binocular (stereo) vision.
Between the ages of 10-12 I underwent 3 strabismus surgeries in India (2 in the right eye, 1 in the left eye). Over the years my brain started to supppress the images received from the left eye (lazy eye). I was using only 1 at eye at a time, while viewing from the right eye the left eye drifted outwards and up and while viewing from the left eye the right eye drifted outwards and down.
At the age of 24 I underwent 3 strabismus surgeies at the Washinton University Medical School in St.Louis over a period of 1 yr. Even though my eyes were almsot straightnened, both my eye weren’t working as a team and I was yet viewing from only 1 eye at a time, this caused my lazy eye to drift apart whenever I was tired or spent several hours on the computer.
A couple of months after the 3rd surgery I started visiting an optometrist (even though my surgeon advised me against it) for vision therapy. I have been visiting her once a week for the past 3 months and have also been doing therapy at home. I have noticed a tremendous improvement in my visual system and both my eyes have started working together, I am not consciously aware anymore of which eye I am seeing from and I believe that I have almost acheived binocular vision.
I would recommend everyone to do a few months of therapy after the surgery if they want to retain the success of the surgery in the long term.
That’s great to hear about the vision therapy – I had surgery this morning (at 26yo) and will definitely have to look into that.
The doctor was pleased with out the surgery turned out (he’s been doing it since the 60′s, I believe). My eyes are visibly straight – he only operated on the left eye, which is nice because I can see normally out of my right eye with a cold compress on the left one.
Overall the experience wasn’t as bad as I feared, once I got over my mental fear of anesthesia (wasn’t hard..just had to do it).
@ george … you are from romania ?
Hi crystal,
My name is Lakisha. I see you had the strabismus surgery. Im scheduled to get surgery in this coming November. I wanted to know how things were with 2-3 years later after your surgery. My left eye drifts outward, im very exicted about having the surgery, but also fearful about the whole process.
Ady:
I live in California, but I was born in France, and my parents were from Turkey. We are Armenian.
Lakisha:
I had my right lazy eye done in Oct 2008 and so far, without any follow up therapy, they appear very straight. My right eye was out 45 diopters, which is very noticeable. The only thing is that if I force myself to use both eyes, I see double, so I suppress vision from my lazy in the same way I have done for over 60 years. If you want more info, just ask. I am glad to respond. I struggled for so long with this problem that I want to help others if I can in any way.
Hi I am 17 years old and have strabismus. I can see normally although i have a bit of astigmatism and myopia in my eyes. My right eye is fine but my left eye is turned outwards. My greatest problem is that because of this I shift my head in an akward position so that I can see without the images overlapping. I am thinking of geting surgery done next year..please is vision therapy possible? and any advice?
Alex: I have not had vision therapy, but there are muscles in each eye for vertical and horizontal alignment. I would get professional opinions and references from both vision therapy patients and strabismus surgery patients. Your problem I think is not unusual and I am sure there are some who can tell you about their therapy experiences if they are still checking this site. If not, Lois can give you another site where you can reach others.
Alex:
Just remembered. Did you see the post by Harsh about vision therapy on Sept 9? This blog goes back to 2005 so you might find the answers you are looking for in earlier postings even if most of them are no longer active on this site.
Just I want to know how much I have to paid for a surgery I’m 20 .somebody know might email is zaturama@Hotmail.com
thanks a lot george and alan.. ill check on vision therapy and see what is possible because i really do not want to do surgery. I read that the results from vision therapy are small but i figured that if my condition wsnt all that bad (a slight turn) then i think it will work for me
Alex:
What is the deviation in your eye in diopters (not degrees). Mine was severe at 45 diopters out in my right eye. If yours is within 10 diopters, it is considered cosmetically straight, but you may see double. Mine drifted out over about a 50 year period to the point that I could not look at myself in the mirror. That was it for me, fear or not,cost or not. After two years, I am very pleased with the results. Of course now I wish I had done it sooner. The actual procedure took about 45 minutes, not counting prep and post op. If you decide on the surgery, you can review my previous posts for my experience and recommendations.
2 weeks post-surgery…eyes still look straight. I went from 55 diopters turn-in to 10. No complaints here and the only time I really noticed double vision was when I looked at something quite close (mostly without glasses on). Now it’s not even noticeable — I have absolutely no complaints!
Josh:
Nice to hear the good report. At the last post op I went to over a year ago, my right eye was out about 6 diopters. I am not sure what it is today, but as long as they look straight and stay that way, I am pleased. I had the procedure done in my right eye in Oct 08 and my right eye was out 45 diopters. For me, at the two week mark, my right eye was out 6 diopters. 10 diopters are considered cosmetically straight. Make sure you keep using your drops. I did for at least one month. No sense taking any chances, you have come so far.
Alex:
I think the success of vision therapy depends on your age and the degree of deviation. After I had my first procedure done when I was 11 in France in 1956, I was told to get vision therapy. But we came to the U.S. and my family did not have the money or the time to take me, then I had a family and struggled with a new business, so I never did it and my right eye drifted for 50 years until it was out 45 diopters in 2008. After so many years, vision therapy was never suggested to me, probably for good reason.
I have a strange question that I hope someone can help with. Ihad strabismus surgery as a child and had a son who was also cross-eyed and had the surgery as well. I had him (now a teen) at the doctor’s office today and while testing his eyes, the nurse pointed out that he was missing the 3rd column of letters. I looked into the machine and also could not see a 3rd column. She assumed the bulb had burned out and checked. She definitely saw all 3 columns of letters which neither my son nor I could see. I’m befuddled!
Hi all,
I too found this site when googling strabismus surgery. I’m 23 years old and have had strabismus, hypertropia specifically (I believe), for about 3 1/2 years. I was involved in a motorcycle accident in early 2007. The other driver pulled out in front of me and was deemed at fault and my head struck the windshield at about 50 MPH. Though I was wearing a fullface helmet, the impact damaged my trochlear nerve and I have had strabismus ever since.
You cannot tell by looking at me, but my right eye does tilt down as far as the left, and it “feels” different, especially when I’m tired. I was just wondering what the surgery to have this corrected involves, how much it costs, how I should go about finding a doctor, etc.
Thanks
Joey:
Each eye position is controlled by six muscles. I am not an opthmologist, but it seems one or more of those muscles must have been damaged in your accident. I recommend you see an opthmologist who specializes in strabismus surgery for a complete evaluation. In my case, a high fever when I was two in 1948 caused my strabismus, so the cause of my situation is different. Make sure that you get strabismus patient references if that is the course that is recommended for you. The procedure itself takes about 45 minutes and is an outpatient procedure, normally done under general anesthesia. I had no pain or nausea whatsoever, but very red eyes for about two weeks (which is normal). If you read earlier blogs, others had not as good results, but remember that some who had good experiences go away after they no longer need support. Ask your doctor to request insurance approval before the procedure. It must not be strictly for cosmetic purposes. I think in your case, he can say it was caused by accident and you will be covered after your deductible. If it not noticeably deviated, you must weigh the pros and cons. For example, the doctor will probably warn you that you may have double vision. Of course, there is always the remote chance of infection. Finally, the result may not be better than when you started if it is a minor deviation. In my case, it was very severe with a deviation of 45 diopters out (exotropia). I hope others will comment and give you their experiences.
Hi,I posted here earlier this year regarding my eye surgery for my outward driting squint, well I waited & waited & waited for my operation date & it finally came through, I had my surgery a week ago. My apolgies for not checking in here during my wait, I had to put it to the back of my mind, it would have took over my every thought had I let it.
I first had an op when I was 4 years old, my eye started drifting again about 6 – 7 years ago, I am now 36 and finally plucked up the courage to deal with it.
Anyhow I just wanted to give you a one week post op report on how it went. Operation day was a bit of a blur, I was so anxious, I had the main part of the op under general & the adjustable suture bit later the same day under local, luckily the surgeon was pleased with the position so no adjustments necessary they just had to tie my sutures – I didnt feel a thing, had lots of local anaesthetic drops. I had a little bit of double vision while watching t.v the day after my op. that settled after 2 days though (I have very limited vision in my operated eye anyway) My eye was very sore last week & very red – it will be red for a few weeks yet. Its still a bit irritating & itchy & feels like something is in it all the time, I am fighting the urge to rub it though. The drops they have given me hurt quite bad – I am sure they have just asked me to drop battery adic in my eye 4 times a day, lol.
Crucially though my eye is straight & I couldnt be happier. As I say I have a long way to go with the redness but that is fading very gradually, I now just look like I have a bad case of conjunctivitus & one very small (but straight) eye…..this is a small price to pay though as In a few weeks it should look fairly normal. I have even accepted not wearing eye make up for a few weeks – thats a big deal for us some of us girls
Any pain had been far outweighed by the result. I already feel totally different when I am face to face with strangers.
I have booked a table at a nice restaraunt for 2 weeks time for me and my lovely husband who has been amazing with his support – I had the squint when we met 4½ years ago and it never bothered him at all, it bothered him alot that it upset me though, he is thrilled that I am so happy with the result. That will be my first ‘proper’ night out since the op & hopefully I will be healed enough to put my full make up on & will be able to go out feeling a million dollars
The best bit for me though will be the confidence to look whoever takes our food order right in the eye when I talk to them. That will be priceless 
PJ:
Glad to hear you are pleased with the results. I did not have adjustables, so I did not have the irrigation you mention, but many others reported irritation with adjustables. Your redness will be down about 70% in two weeks, then gone altogether in one month. I like you was able to look people straight in the eye for the first time in about 40 years and it was a great feeling. Make sure you keep up with all the drops. Suggestion: when you put the drops in, shut off the lights directly above you. I took my drops for about 6 weeks until I ran out of two bottles of one and the two others.
Thank you George.
I went for my post op check at the hospital yesterday, both the Orthoptist & the surgeon were delighted with the results. Healing is on schedule, the red is becoming less each day & the irritation is subsiding, the surgeon thinks within the next week I should be more or less back to normal. He told me my eye could be a little bit pink for another 10 or so weeks but thats nothing to worry about & it shouldnt be noticeable, I can live with that, its a small price to pay.
I asked about the long term chances of my eye staying straight, he told me that it will drift again but it could be some years before it becomes noticable so thats good news, of course it could turn out sooner but there is no way of telling at this point, I will worry about that as & when, he said as this was my second op there is no reason in years to come why they cant have another go if its necesary, he said the scarring from my op as a child wasnt too bad so they should still have something to work with. They have actully turned my eye in a little bit to compensate & buy a little time regards a noticable out-ward drift (I can see thre in-turn a tiny bit but I doubt anyone else would notice)
I have about half a bottle of the 2 lots of drops he has given me left (one antibiotic, one for redness & inflamation) He has told me to reduce the use gradually over the next 2 weeks until the bottles are finished. He thinks that should be enough, I am to call the clinic if I feel I need more. I have a follow up in 3 months so I will just let the healing take its natural course now.
I hope my experience offers a little encouragement to anyone considering or about to go through the surgery. I know not everyone gets the results they hope for, I feel very lucky that it turned out well so far & hope my good eye alignment lasts for a good few years.
Dee:
Interesting post here. I had pretty severe strabismus where I could only see single if I tilted my head to the left 15 degrees. Well, after my 5th surgery now my Doc. at Mayo said as long as I can see single looking straight in front of me and I’m not tilting too badly we will leave it be. They are mostly concerned if you can’t see single looking straight on. And if you posture is adjusting to accommodate your eyes then that is a big concern. I wouldn’t rush into surgery but I also wouldn’t wait as long as I did too. When it interferes with your day to day life – you’ll know.
This month marks one year from my strabismus surgery. I kept a blog/log for me. But anyone is welcome to read it. I’d describe it as a bit of a roller coaster and I had great success in my opinion. I did develop a side effect that is not at all typical. Each persons experience will be their own. You can read others experiences but you will, in the end, have your very own unique journey. I’ve been able to renew my faith in Doctors and I know there are many good good people out there who really do want to help others.
I wish each and everyone of you the very best.
Gretagail73.blogspot.com
Greta
My name is Pauline,I have Stabismus since I was a child,I am now 62 years old,I have a lot of problems with keeping both eyes straight.I would like to know if any one who had that surgery,has growing skin,keloid.?I would love to know a doctor that can help me.Please comment.Thank you.
Pauline:
I had strabismus since I was 2 and had a procedure as I said before when I was 11. I had my last procedure when I was 62, two years ago oct 18. Do not let your age deter you. As far as keloids, I do not know. But I also had cataracts which I had taken care of after the strabismus. Sounds like you will need both eyes done at one time, which is what surgeons recommend anyway. Make sure you go to a surgeon who specializes in strabismus. Most do children, so make sure they do adults also. Get references from actual patients if you can. Do you know how far your eyes deviate in diopters (not same as degrees)? In my case, I had two muscles in my right eye done while they held the left eye in place. I did not want them to operate on my left eye.
PJ;
They told me too that my eyes may drift after a while. So far after two years, so good.Right after I had the procedure done, I thought I was slightly overcorrected, but the surgeon said it was exactly where it should be. The severe redness made it look that way. Up to 10 diopters drift, your eyes are considered to be cosmetically straight. Also I just remembered someone else saying that it took them longer for the redness to go away because of the adjustables. So hang in there.
I am considering doing the strabismus surgery and after reading these comments im so scared.
Trish:
I will tell you like it was for me. I would be surprised if you were not scared. We are talking about your eyes, afterall. I was talked out of it by my surgeon about 10 years ago when she said she could not guarantee results, they would probably drift again, risk of infection, and the likelihood of double vision. I did not show up for my procedure on the morning of it because I was so scared. Two years ago, she basically gave me the same story, but this time she did say for sure my deviation would be signifantly improved (it was out 45 diopters) and since I could not look at myself in the mirror anymore, much less anyone else straight in the eyes, I did my homework, got references, and went for it. The best decision of my life!
Im 20 and im supposed to graduate from university next semester but how am i supposed to interview for internships if i cant look at people? Im really considering the surgery