Aesthetic appaearance after scleral buckle surgery
Posted , 29 users are following.
Hi all
I'm new here and had scleral buckle surgery for a retinal detachment 5 weeks ago now. I'm 20 and had a long standing retinal detachment in my eye for 2 years before it required surgery as it was getting worse. The operation was a success which I was relieved to hear and vision wise I am just suffering from a bit of double vision which I have been told is normal and should ease off over time.
However my main problem is with the appearance of the eye following this procedure. I went back to the hospital today as the bottom outer corner of my eye, where the buckle was fitted, has turned into a massive lump that is a greeny colour in appearance. Surrounding it is still very red and my eye is still not fully open. The doctor reassured me that this was normal, saying that the redness was due to a haematoma which would go down in time. This was a relief as I thought I had an infection. However the huge lump which is causing my bottom eyelid to bulge out and not be open properly, I was told, would remain that way. He said that the buckle was still visible but would become less visible as the white grows around it..however he said the lump would stay!
This has truly upset me as my eye is a completely different shape from the other and will remain like that as long as the lump is there. The doctor I saw was not a retinal specialist however he did ring a colleague who confirmed that this was not concerning. I am awaiting my 8 week check up where I will ask how much I can expect the lump to go down. But in the mean time im freaking out that my eye will never look normal again and am on here looking for others who can give me their own experiences of how their eye looked once it was fully healed. I would really appreciate this so I can get peace of mind/prepare for the permanent changes to my eye.
Thanks in advance
Abi 
1 like, 58 replies
billy27877 abs3147
Posted
Hey everyone,
I'm a 20 year old male and I had a bilateral retinal detachment in both eyes (they were not full detachments, but rather just small holes in the retinas of both eyes). I had laser surgery to fix my left eye and scleral buckle to treat my right eye and I'm currently ~2 months post operation. In my right eye, I'm having problems with ptosis and my eye being unable to open fully but it hasn't been all too bad (no problems with the buckle bulging out or anything of that matter). The sclera of my eye has been very on and off. At random hours during the day it'll be blood-shot red, and at other times, it'll be extremely white. How long did it take for the white of your eye to fully recover? Also, I'm having some double vision but only in the lower half of my vision; did your double vision end up ever correcting itself?
elisabeth41119 abs3147
Posted
Hi all. I had sclerel buckle fitted to left eye for retinal detachment plus cryopexy (freezing probe) on both eyes for holes, 3wks ago. Reading all your recovery reports has put my mind a bit more at ease. My eye to look at, looks almost normal already, can still see blue stitches and is a little red in inner corner. My conjunctiva looks a bit ragged and sloughed. I don't have the problems with drooping eyelid, although it appears a little smaller than my other. My buckle doesn't stick out, although it feel a little weird when I move my eye from side to side. When looking straight ahead I no longer get double vision but when looking up, down, left or right I do. My only real concern apart from now being a little short sighted again, (I had my shortsightedness corrected by laser 7yrs ago), is that I still have a shadow and blind spot in my peripheral vision. When I look sideways to the left, there is a blurred area a bit like looking through water. I was told at my 2wk check that my retina is still partly detached due to fluid still being between the retina and the back of my eye, if it doesn't absorb it could mean further surgery for remove this fluid..Anyone else had the blurred, blind spot or shadow still being there after surgery.
rachel45336 elisabeth41119
Posted
Hi! I received scleral buckle surgery about a month ago and I see a blurry spot in my peripheral vision. Almost as if there is some kind of bubble there. I know it's been awhile since you made your post, so did that ever go away or did you have to get surgery?
elisabeth41119 rachel45336
Posted
Hi Rachel. No over a year on and all is the same. However I do know why now at least. At my 1yr check in March my surgeon has told me that due to the fluid that has not drained away, my retina is still detached therefor the tear hasn't healed either. My options, to have this buckle removed, fluid drained and new buckle on. Or to have buckle removed and gas bubble put in (which involves positioning), he did go on to say that having this one done would result in another op later as cataracts always develop some time after. Or I could keep going back every 6months to see how it is, until I decide to go ahead. Not great. I really don't want anything else doing to my eye. So at moment I'm still deciding lol. I am in touch with another young lady who had both her eyes buckled a month after mine. She still has the blind spot and watery bubble type thing and we both also experience gray moving blobs, however hers is due to scarring. So don't be too worried about yours, could be due to scar tissue.
Vengeance elisabeth41119
Posted
Did you ever get the buckle removed? I got both the buckle and gas bubble but still see a dark spot in my peripheral that goes away after awhile, I personally think the buckle is just not working for me and want it removed and I'm ok with another gas bubble treatment. Had surgery on 6/14/22 for buckle and silicone but silicone caused horrendous pain and eye pressure to the point I couldn't see and was shaking due to the pain and couldn't sleep at all, so had to get it removed and get gas bubble on 6/21/22. It is now July and I know it requires time to heal but I already dislike the feeling of having the buckle in my eye, no pain thankfully just the discomfort and the dark spot.
anna85589 abs3147
Posted
i really i hope i can get a reply back as i am so scared because i had a retinal detachment last august and had oil put in my eye and everything was going good until i got a cataract and had it treated this year on march however my new lens moved and i had to get surgery again and after that they told me i was having many tears and needed a scleral buckle so my retina could strengthen, im so far 1 week post op and my eye isnt opening to its full capacity and im so scared that my eye will look different from my other eye because i am only 20 years young, can somebody please update me on their experience ?
rachel45336 anna85589
Posted
Hi! I had commented on this before and I am happy to inform you that my eye is almost back to its original shape. i am 23 years old and i hit the 2 month post op a couple days ago. there is still a "difference" between my two eyes and redness, but i think the redness is the main cause of me thinking its more different than it is. (and by different i mean its SLIGHTLY more squinty). TBH i wish my good eye looked more like it cause it made my eye look more cat-like (i have very round eyes). anyways, Ive also read forums saying people had redness until the 6 month mark so dont freak out! i also have a permanent blind spot from laser, and when i turn my head i get this dark spot in the corner of my eye that slowly fades away if i continue to hold the position, similar to the dark spots you see when you apply pressure on the inner corner of your eyes. and that is apparently normal. i also have a ton of flashers still, but my eye looked fine so long story short, let the eye heal and give it time. the swelling in my eye didnt officially go away until maybe a month after. it sucks and im still healing and figuring out what the new "normal" is 😃
anna85589 rachel45336
Posted
aww yay that's soo good to hear you really made me feel better & less nervous. I hope everything continues being well for you and good luck on everything ☺
rachel45336 anna85589
Posted
of course! let me know if you have any more questions and keep me updated on how youre healing. Of course im not an eye doctor, but its nice to find someone who can relate in the meantime. But just a quick update on my eye, its still red. HA! 😃
carenap rachel45336
Posted
I'd love to read how your eye is healing now. im 6 weeks post my scleral buckle procedure. I feel like FINALLY this week im seeing some huge improvements. im able to use the eye and no longer hold it closed. the light sensitivity isn't nearly as bad. my only concern at the moment is aesthetic stuff which sound very similar to your worries 3 months who. a squinty appearance and redness. so im curious how your eye is looking now.
rachel45336 carenap
Posted
hi! my eye is totally back to normal! its been 7 months and it still hurts sometimes and is red in the morning while my other eye is not. but i got my glasses with the new prescription so i can see clearly and let me tell you, its amazing!!!
rachel45336
Posted
keep me updated on your recovery!! i hope all is well!
vimal36331 rachel45336
Posted
hey I have gone through scleral buckle surgery around 2and half months before my main concern is my eye is still red .It becomes more red in evening . redness is very much noticeable to others .Can you tell when your redness had gone.
sorry for English I am not native speaker
abs3147
Posted
Hi everyone, i have just seen this post five years on and just wanted to update for those of you who have gone through something similar recently! After about 6 months I had my buckle removed, it was still bulging very obviously and caused the rest of my eye to look severely disfigured. I was lucky in that they removed it there and then and have had near enough 20/20 vision ever since!
My eye looks almost completely normal now, only noticably more squinty when I take a photo with the camera flipped. It also gets red sometimes when I'm tired but woww it could be so much worse!!
it was a really really difficult time for me being 20 and coping with the appearance of my eye, something that has affected me for a long time (still now to some extent). Being any age or gender and coping with a change of appearance is not easy and also completely normal! it isn't shallow in the slightest. i actually ended up having cbt to cope with this and how i viewed my appearance, and have learnt to accept myself the way i am. But I know I'm lucky in that it isn't noticeable to others anymore. So sending lots of love to anyone going through a similar experience, it isn't an easy road to recovery but it will get better and could always be a lot worse!
patric94828 abs3147
Posted
hi I had as buckle and vitrectomy 2 months ago. I was considering getting buckle removed , but doctor seems to not like idea, what was your experience getting it removed and did you have any problems after
mbean patric94828
Posted
Hi - I had my buckle removed March 2017 after having it fitted September 2014, my doctor didn't advise removing it initially after complaining about the bulging, and was absolutely gutted to hear that I may have it permanently as it severely affected my self esteem and was limiting my eye movement. However, I had an issue where the plastic was poking through my tear duct (incredibly irritating/painful by the end) so they removed it then. The removal process for me was a million times better than the initial surgery, felt back to normal again within hours of leaving the hospital, I was over the moon. Unfortunately in the past few months I have had a few more holes/tears in my retina, but luckily these have been treated with laser, so it's hard to say if I would have had these if I still had the buckle but the laser is so quick and painless in comparison. I am obviously anxious that I will have a more significant tear again in the future, but do not regret getting the buckle removed at all as it was causing me so much grief. Everyone is different of course, and your doctor will probably advise waiting a bit to give your eye time to heal, but if it is causing you discomfort in any way I would try and discuss options of removal in the future. Hope that helps!
mbean
Posted
*September 2015, sorry! 1 1/2 years was more than enough
absjbs patric94828
Posted
The doctor actually removed it there and then with a pair of scissors and tweezers and I walked straight out of the hospital. However it was poking almost completely through my eye, and I had a very small detachment which they almost didn't treat with the scleral buckle so I think that's why they felt happy to remove it. I was also told by a few doctor's beforehand that this was normal and I would have to get used to it
patric94828 mbean
Posted
hi , I had seen your response to my question, and it would really help me out if I could ask you some more questions, as I am in a similar situation, I am currently talking to doctors about removing buckle and there not so enthusiastic about doing it, they said I have a chance to detachment again cause of scar tissue, but this buckle has greatly affected me mentally and physically, but I'm scared and nervous about removal as I dont want to make things worse for my self, my question is what were you told by doctors and did you have any form of pvr, also how did your eye improve after removal thank you