Cystoid Macular Edema

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i had an epiretinal membrane removed from my right (nondominant) eye about a year and a half ago. A side effect of this surgery is that a cataract always forms within 2 years. Four months after the surgery my vision in that eye was deteriorating, and after testing, was I was told that it was due to a cataract forming, and was not correctable with glasses. I was referred to a cataract surgeon, but that was put on hold when Covid struck. Fast forward, and i finally had the cataract surgery on that eye 6 weeks ago. My day after and week after surgery checkups looked great. I was looking forward to my one month checkup because i would get a new eyeglass prescription. Because i only had cataract surgery on my right eye, and i need glasses (progressive) for my left (dominant) eye, the IOL that was inserted was slightly undercorrected. This meant that my right eye was overcorrected with my old glasses, but undercorrected without glasses. After years of distorted vision from the ERM and then the cataract i was really looking forward to my new glasses. At my exam the nurse/tech tested my vision in my right eye. I could only read the top line for distance. For reading, i couldnt read the chart at all. when the doc came in he looked in my eye and said the lens placement and everything looked great. Then he saw my vision test results. He ordered a scan of my eye. When it came he showed me a comparison of the scan from the day after surgery to the new scan. The older scan looked fine, but the new one had a dark mass in the middle of my eye. There was also a white streak below it. He said the dark mass was a Cystoid Macular Edema, and the white streak was a P.E.D., or Pigment Epithelial Detachment. i was told to continue using prednisolone drops 4 times a day, and was also prescribed ketorolac tromethamine, also 4 times a day. He told me this sometimes happens after cataract surgery. Has anyone had this happen to them, and was it resolved? The Dr asked who had done the ERM surgery (it was done at a different hospital), and if i was still seeing that Dr. That made me nervous that he might think im going to require more surgery to the inside of my eye. If youve had this happen to you id sure like to hear your results. Thanks!

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2 Replies

  • Posted

    I am so sorry to read of your eye issues. I have the opposite where I had cataract surgeries on both eyes in 2017 and now have epiretinal membrane (left eye). Still waiting to see a specialist for over a year because of covid.

    Hope the issues you are now experiencing are resolved as it sounds like you have been through a lot.

  • Posted

    No experience but I understand that this can be a 1-2% chance side effect from cataract surgery. The standard treatment are the eye drops like you are on, and that usually works. Less commonly the medication may be injected into the eye. I think the good news is that it is most likely to heal with help from the medications.

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