Amniotic Membrane Surgery

[Joey]

Well good to know that people are still seeing this post.

So here are my latest results...

My eyes are doing ok. Not really as great as I thought they would be by now. Honestly, I am a little disappointed. I have the sensation that something is in my eyes when I close them and roll them around. It is not quite rough but still not as smooth as before the surgery. I can see folds where the AM tissue is joining with my conjunctiva. I don't know if this is permanent or not. I thought you weren't supposed to see visible signs of scarring after the surgery, though.

Unfortunately my eyes are STILL red. Not blood red like after the surgery, but red like they typically have been for the past 5 years. So I don't really know what to do. My eyes were tearing a lot after the surgery, so last Monday Dr. Tseng decided to take out my upper plugs. My eyes were fine for a couple days, but now they feel dry again.

Every time I go see Dr. Tseng, he says that my eyes look good and they are healing great. I just don't see what he sees. It's hard to just take his confidence and run with it. I don't feel like he is doing what needs to be done. Maybe I am over reacting, but I just feel like I should be feeling better and looking better by now.

-Joey

[Joey]

Well good to know that people are still seeing this post.

So here are my latest results...

My eyes are doing ok. Not really as great as I thought they would be by now. Honestly, I am a little disappointed. I have the sensation that something is in my eyes when I close them and roll them around. It is not quite rough but still not as smooth as before the surgery. I can see folds where the AM tissue is joining with my conjunctiva. I don't know if this is permanent or not. I thought you weren't supposed to see visible signs of scarring after the surgery, though.

Unfortunately my eyes are STILL red. Not blood red like after the surgery, but red like they typically have been for the past 5 years. So I don't really know what to do. My eyes were tearing a lot after the surgery, so last Monday Dr. Tseng decided to take out my upper plugs. My eyes were fine for a couple days, but now they feel dry again.

Every time I go see Dr. Tseng, he says that my eyes look good and they are healing great. I just don't see what he sees. It's hard to just take his confidence and run with it. I don't feel like he is doing what needs to be done. Maybe I am over reacting, but I just feel like I should be feeling better and looking better by now.

-Joey

[Reggie]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us Joey. Keep your head up.

[Joey]

Thank you, I am trying my hardest

-Joey

[Rebecca Petris]

I'm so sorry to hear you're feeling discouraged about this, Joey. I really do hope this is just about slowish healing and that the time comes (soon!) when you can look back and see some steady incremental improvement. We'll all pulling for you... Keep your chin up.

[Nikki]

did have surgery

Hello,

I did go ahead with my surgery. I saw Dr. Tseng last Thursday for excision of my lower conjunctivochalasis and amniotic membrane graft for both eyes. Apparently, I also have the chalasis on the upper part of my eyes, but they did not think that it causes most people problems – so they did not operate on that. I have a couple stitches in each eye to tighten the adherence of the am to the conjunctiva.

My eyes feel less dry – I am not using artificial tears as often. I am noticing that I am able to concentrate better, and being a visual learner, that is important to me. I hope that they continue to improve. I don’t know if anyone else has my learning style, but, prior to having dry eyes, I used to be able to remember visually everything I saw. I think the correct term is “Eidetic memory”. I never knew what a gift that was until I had dry eyes and it faded away. Anyway, I hope it comes back! I don’t know that any ophthalmologists would understand the term “eidetic memory” or “photographic memory” if I told them that – they would probably **** their head and look at me funny. Since I’ve had dry eyes, I have had to accommodate in terms of my learning style. I listened to a podcase from “as seen from here” by Dr. Michael Lemp, and he was saying that people with dry eyes do have problems with reading, etc due to the increased tear break-up time. So, while I may be able to read various letters from an eye chart 20 feet away with clarity, that image degrades as quickly as I read it, which impacts my learning style. That was the first time that I heard an ophthalmologist actually acknowledge that dry eyes can alter an individual’s learning style. I was thrilled to hear this, and it was very affirming to me that dry eyes can degrade the TBUT, which in turn causes difficulty in learning/retaining visual images.

I think that I also have a ridge in my right eye where the am tissue meets the conjunctiva. It didn’t bother me much, but last night I slept without the tranquileyes, and that ridge feels like it is causing some dryness this morning. I hope that it smoothes out in time.

It is interesting – my left eye was much more symptomatic, pre-surgery, for unknown reasons. Both eyes had the chalasis, in equal amounts, from my understanding. But, it was only the left eye that I used to put artificial tears in all day long.

Now, post surgery, the left eye is still dryer, I think, except for the ridge in the right eye which seems to generate some dryness. I’m using steroid eye drops, Ofloxacin, and also Restasis currently, in addition to my standard systane, preservative-free disposable eye drops.

Apparently, I may have some MGD, per Dr. Tseng. My local eye doctor also previously diagnosed me with both anterior and posterior blepharitis and mild meibomian gland dysfunction. I have no idea whether the chalasis contributed to the MGD, or where the MGD or blepharitis came from. Dr. Tseng’s take on the MGD was to treat the major condition (chalasis) first, and then treat the minor condition (MGD). My local eye doc tried treating the doxycycline first, but the doxy made my eyes hurt actually, so I gave it up. I tend to believe Dr. Tseng that the chalasis was the dominant problem, given that the doxycycline did not help.

I hope others are doing well and will keep in touch.

Scott

[Joey]

Hello everyone,

Well thank you for all your encouragement. I am actually feeling better today. I think it's going to just take time to see some results. My eyes seemed to have cleared up some. So that's good news. Hopefully they will get better and better.

Thanks again!

[np1981]

Hey Joey,

Thats good news.

Nik

PS. I check this thread frequently!

[Joey]

Updates...

Hello everyone. It has been about a week or so since I last posted. I am trying to get a local eye doc to put in the partially obstructed punctal plugs, since my eye dryness is not getting any better so far. I think the dryness is doing more damage to the healing process now. Dr. Tseng also reccomended that I try out the "autologous serum drops" that he makes in his office. I was wondering if anyone had any information on these, and could tell me if they work for you?

I am kind of frustrated with having to try "new" things. I kind of though this was going to be the last thing I had to try, meaning the surgery. I am also thinking of trying the DHEA drops. Anyone have more info on those?

Thanks,
Joey

[dianat]

Autologous drops are the same as blood serum drops. Do a search on this site and you'll find plenty. I use them, so I have several postings describing my experienece. I feel they really have helped me and I have been using for a year. It's certainly worth your while to try. And they do have a reputation for having healing qualities.

D

[np1981]

Joey, out of interest what is your tear production and lipid layer like? I assume you had the usual ranges of tests with Dr Tseng?

[Rebecca Petris]

I am also thinking of trying the DHEA drops. Anyone have more info on those?

jpiven was helped by these and has a lot of experience. I don't know if he's been on the board lately but he's been helpful with information on it for a lot of people.

[Joey]

To be honest, it has been so long since I was teasted for tear production and lipid layer. So I don't really remember. I will ask Dr. Tseng the next time I see him. I think it may be next week. I emailed him and told him that I wasn't improving that much, and it seems like my eyes are getting redder since I stopped the steroid drops. I sent him some photos, and he agreed that my eyes were redder. He mentioned about kenelog shots to improve the inflamation. I am kind of pulling my hair out, wondering why things aren't healing up like they should. So I will keep you all posted.

[DESTINY]

Joey

Joey,

I hope your eyes start to feel and look better! Mine are still trying to heal as well! Let me know how the Theratears are working for you. Also, ask Dr. Tseng about Restasis he told me that it is an antiinflamatory and it actually benefits the eye. Just thought I'd let you know. Talk to you soon.
Destiny

[Joey]

Hi all. I am going to see Dr. Tseng tomorrow. My eyes are pretty much worse then they were before the surgery. I am going to ask him to perform all the eye and tear tests. Can anyone suggest any other tests I should ask for?

Thanks!