Amniotic Membrane Surgery

[Rebecca Petris]

Wow - all very interesting, Kim. Best wishes for lasting benefits from this!!

[khasler]

The reason he said my eyes were the worst he has seen was all the mucus that he pulled out, which is that layer under the conjunctiva (I think its called Tenunz capsule but I'm sure I'm butchering the spelling).
He also said that there was so much extra conjunctiva that was loose it was almost like I got a tummy tuck for my eye ball!

For people considering this surgery, my doctor told me that the first sign that you might be a good candidate is if you have a severe burning sensation in your eyes. If there is no burning even though your eyes might be dry, than this surgery wouldn't be for you. Also, he recommends only doing one eye at a time, as there is some slight blurriness to the eye when the surgery is done. I couldn't even imagine having both eyes done at once!

[DESTINY]

Khasler

Hello, I too have just had the surgery and am 3 weeks post op yesterday. It is interesting to hear how you are recovering because you are about 3 weeks before me. My eyes always felt like they were burning and they were always red. I also had a wrinkled conjunctiva due to another surgery a year ago to remove a pingueculea from my eye. I did get both of my eyes done at the same time, probably because it was such a long trip to Fl ( I live in Las Vegas) and I didn't want to have to do it again. I have to say I am happy I did them together because I don't want to go through it all again.

I don't know about you but I am constantly staring at my eyes to see there progress and I'm probably making it worse! What do your eye look like now? In my left eye it looks smooth and white. I can still see the membrane but there is no red. In the other eye there are a couple of red spots where it looks like there is blood under the conjunctiva and the membrane looks like it is integrated into my tissue. That is why I am scared because the red is still there. Dr. Tseng says that eventually it will go away. My eyes improved alot from the 1st to 2nd week and now it seems like it is taking longer. Again, I don't know if it is because I am staring at them all of the time. How long did it take before the membrane completely integrated into your eye? I do feel like my eyes feel better as far as the dryness is concerned. Does your eye appear white? When did you notice the most improvement with the appearance of your eye?

Thank you
Destiny

[DESTINY]

Khasler

I forgot to ask, why did you have to have stiches in your eye? I thought that when you used amniotic membrane you didn't have to have stiches.

Destiny

[khasler]

I forgot to ask, why did you have to have stiches in your eye? I thought that when you used amniotic membrane you didn't have to have stiches.

I had stitches put in my eye because when he put my conjuctiva back on, he needed to make it tighter so it didn't move anymore, as mine was so loose it was almost hanging out of my eyeball (not really, but now that I know what I am looking for I can see it but no one else ever noticed it). Dr. Mack told me that eventually the membrane that was added will dissolve over time.

What steriods are you using? I started out with Pred Forte and Ocuflux for the antibiotic, then switched to Lotemax for a lighter steriod but after a few weeks of not seeing any progress he switched me to Fluorometholone, which is a stronger steriod though not as strong as Pred Forte. You always have to worry about glucoma I guess. I would be interested in knowing what meds you have been taking to heal.

My eyes healed very well the first 2 weeks and then everything seemed to stop. While my eye feel better and the burning sensation and grittiness are gone the redness has not gone away. There is almost like a ring around my cornea which is actually white, but then it is red everywhere else. Not the screaming bloodshot like it was at first, but it's still noticeable, though my friends and family say that they can see a difference every week.
I am like you, however, and wake up each morning like its Christmas day racing to the mirror to see if there have been improvements overnight and each day I am sorely dissapointed. I go back for a re-check next week so we will see.
Kim

[Nikki]

hi

Hello,

My name is Scott and I have conjunctivochalasis - I'm also on healthboards (scotty7) for those of you on both message boards. I've seen Dr. Tseng - whom stated that I had the chalasis, bilaterally, along with floppy eyelid syndrome. I've tried countless masks for sleeping - and will try the "tranquileyes" and also protective eyewear - a wrap-around plastic eye shield at night as well, very shortly. My left eye typically is ten times worse - and its the "floppy eyelid syndrome" that may be the cause, but I've yet to find a solution for it. I've found non-preserved steroid eye drops to help, but I can't use them long-term as you run all the associated risks of using steroid eye drops.

I do have a deviated septum from being hit in the nose when playing baseball as a kid - and apparently, a deviated septum can lead to sleep apnea, and sleep apnea can contribute to floppy eyelid syndrome. But, maybe that's a bit far-fetched.

so, I'm thinking of going to schedule the removal of chalasis and amniotic membrane graft with Dr. Tseng. I cannot seem to get to the bottom of my left eye's problems, and my left eye is bothering me so much, that surgery appears to be the most promosing option. As my left eye gets irritated with the slightest environmental irritant - i.e. cigarette smoke, cleaning products, etc - I feel like a bubble boy. I'm an extreme visual learner, so with all my left eye's (in particual) problems, I find myself not functioning at full speed as my left eye constantly is irritated.

As for me - no, I didn't have LASIK done. However, in an effort to treat my seasonal depression 6 years ago with a light box, I developed dry eyes. I have had them ever since. My theory is that my eyes are unusually light-sensitive, and somehow the light box triggered an allergic reaction that progressed further and never went away.

I've read the somewhat mixed reviews regarding the amt surgery - and removal of chalasis - but, for me, I can't seem to stop the constant irritation, and can't be on steroid eye drops long-term, so although there is a risk for surgery, at least it may be a lower risk than getting glaucoma or cataracts with steroid eye drops.

what would others suggest for the surgery? both eyes at the same time, or the problem eye first, and then follow up with the other one later? As I stated, I'm a visual learner, so I'm trying to balance getting my dry eyes resolved with being able to still to work and function, post-surgery.

Scott

[Lucy]

Insurance cover costs?

Scott, will health insurance cover the costs of the treatment with Dr. Tseng?

How about others why have had this done. If you have insurance, did it cover it?

If it did not, or you do not have insurance, how did you manage the large amount? Do the doctors work with you on a payment schedule?

[Nikki]

amt, continued

Hi Lucy,

no, health ins will not cover it as I didn't have insurance in the 12 months prior to starting my job - so I'm subject to the "pre-existing clause". I think they would pay if I didn't have the pre-existing clause, though.

Scott

[DESTINY]

Khasler

I am now exactly 4 weeks post surgery. Thank you very much for sharing your experience with me. Has it been the full 2 months yet for you? My eyes are looking better everyday. It's strange but in the morning my eyes look worse than later in the evening. My left eye looks great!!! There is no red and it is healing very nice. It is smooth and white! My right eye on the other hand burns a little and right where the conjunctiva meets the cornia there is a red dot that looks like it is raised but I can't tell and I don't want to touch it! Also there is almost like a slightly red ring around 1/4 of the colored part of my eye. It look slike where he stopped the membrane before overlapping onto the colored part of my eye. Did you have this? Did it go away with time? How does your membrane look? Is it white? Has it fully integrated into your tissue or can you still see it? I noticed that the membrane in my left(good) eye was thicker than the one in my right(bad) eye. I wonder if the thicker the membrane the better.

I was using Pred Forte and I noticed that my eyes were really puffy and red around my skin undr my eye so I started using Dexamethasome preservative free from Dr. Tsengs office. I like them better. Pred Forte is 1% and the Dexamethasome is 0.1% big difference. I am also on Ofloxin an antibiotic 3 times a day. Where is your redness most occuring in your eye? I hope it keeps getting better for you and this works! I am convinced it works because my left eye is looking so good! It hasn't looked or felt this good in years. I went to my friends house the other night and she asked me what was different about my face. She told me I looked refreshed. I told her about my eyes and she said, that is it your eyes used to look like you were tired! I guess this is good feedback! The Christmas morning story is a good and funny way to explain my mornings!

Destiny

[DESTINY]

Lucy

Hello, Yes my insurance did cover the procedure 90%. I have great insurance that I have had for 5 years. The procedure was around $8600.00 so I was very happy to hear that it was going to be covered to that extent!

Destiny

[np1981]

Hello, Yes my insurance did cover the procedure 90%. I have great insurance that I have had for 5 years. The procedure was around $8600.00 so I was very happy to hear that it was going to be covered to that extent!

Destiny

Did that include hospital costs etc?

[Joey]

Hello everyone, so I had my right eye done on Thursday. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I am still a little soar. Mostly if I blink hard. I went to go see Dr. Tseng on Friday, he said that everything looks good. To me it looks bad, but I know it's supposed to. My eyelashes keep on crusting up, but I am afraid to get it off because I am not supposed to get that eye wet for a while. My eye looks and feels very gelatinous. It is really red and I have some darker red blotchy areas. My vision is a little blurry. I think that is normal for the first couple days.

On Friday, after he took off the bandage I was surprised at how wet feeling that eye felt. It looked like hell, but felt pretty good. I could feel a little of the AMT in my right corner. He pretty much wrapped my eyeball in it. When they stained my eye, I had a chance to see what parts were covered in the AMT. It is pretty much most of my eye except the top.

Today (Saturday), my eye didn't really feel as moist as it did yesterday. When I woke up it felt a little dry. I am wondering if it is from the eye drops that he had me start using yesterday. (An antibiotic and a steroid). I know it is still VERY soon, so I need to realx and heal.

That hospital was great. Everyone was so so nice. They had to wake me up from my general anesthesia because I was moving my eyes too much. So being mostly awake during the process was NOT fun. I squeezed the hell out of this poor nurses hand. (She was so nice letting me hold it).

Ok, well I will continue to post my results.

Take care, Joey

[Joey]

I forgot to mention that I was able to get my insurance company to cover the surgery. All I had to do was pay my medical co-pay. That was $150. It was quite a struggle to do this, I had to switch from Cigna to a local insurance (Florida Hospital Healthcare).

-Joey

[np1981]

Hi Joey,

Was it only your right eye that was a problem?

[Joey]

No, it is both eyes. But I am doing one eye and the other in 2 weeks. Dr. Tseng suggested that I do it like this since I live close by. Honestly, I am glad I did it like this too, just incase something were to happen and I needed to seem out of at least one eye. For example, my right eye is still a little blurred, but my left (non-surgery) eye is not.

-Joey