It took two months until it was clear that I had detached retina

One month later, I noticed something new in my left eye. I saw waves which moved across my field of vision from the bottom right to the top left. The waves alternated between light and dark and moved very slowly. They reminded me of the strange shapes that briefly appear when you rub your eyes hard.

I thought that was strange, too, but I still didn't react. I thought to myself, “It’s probably an inflammation, a vitamin deficiency, or I’m just pretty over-tired.” I never thought it might be a serious eye disease. I didn’t see any flashes of light or anything, and had no loss of vision.

That came three weeks later. When I woke up in the morning, about a quarter of the field of vision in my left eye was completely black and I couldn’t see anything at all at the bottom right. That was alarming, and I knew it was an emergency. I looked for an ophthalmological practice and called them up. I told them it was urgent and that I absolutely needed an appointment the same day.

The ophthalmologist examined me and gave me eye drops to be able to see the back of my eye better. He spotted the detached retina and reacted quickly. “Go home, pack an overnight bag, in the meantime I’ll call the eye clinic and make an appointment for you. You have to go there today.”

Everyone at the eye clinic was very professional and knew what they had to do. But the staff situation was tight and the organization was pretty chaotic. I was examined, but then told I should go back home. I was only admitted four days later, which I found very surprising because at first I was told it was an emergency.

But apparently there was still enough time. I was told that fortunately the retina had only detached at the edge and not in the middle, the focal point. That’s why the chances were better and it was okay to wait a little while.

Two things were then done on the same eye. Firstly, several areas where the retina had detached slightly were ‘riveted’ back on using a cryoprobe. That was done to prevent the retina from detaching even more from the layer below.

A few days later, my eyeball was constricted from outside with an elastic band. The procedure is called ‘buckling.’ That presses the whole retina back onto the other layers at the back. Both procedures were carried out under local anesthetic.

As a patient, I had to participate during the buckling surgery. For instance, I was given instructions like “Please look as far up as you can” or “now look all the way to the right.”

I was in severe pain when I was being given the local anesthetic. A pretty thick needle was inserted between my eye socket and eyeball. The physicians tried to relieve my pain by only pushing the needle forwards a couple of millimeters at a time and then waiting until the anesthetic took effect there. But it was a pretty extreme experience. The only solace was that the anesthetic started to take effect after five minutes and I didn’t feel anything anymore.

The surgery itself was fine, and I was also given a sedative tablet which makes you feel a bit indifferent. You are then in a bit of a rose-tinted spectacles mood, looking at everything in a positive, interested way.

A few days later the physicians saw that the retina hadn’t reattached enough and there was a risk of it detaching again. So, I had a third procedure. The vitreous body inside the eye was removed and my eyeball was filled with a special gas to increase the pressure and press the retina onto the other layers more strongly.

The jelly-like fluid in the vitreous body had to be removed first before the gas could be put in. The operation was pretty weird, I’d never heard of it before. But I was told exactly what would happen so that I was clued up about everything.

The gas slowly dissipates after the operation and is replaced within a few days by fluid that the body produces itself. That’s why I could practically only see black for the first few days. Then it changed to violet shades until I could see more and more clearly. And I could see the edge between fluid and gas which sloshed around like a glass of water every time I moved. That was a very strange experience.

It was important to me that I understood what I needed to be aware of in the future and what the warning signs of repeat detached retina are. The physicians recommended taking it easy with sports. In particular, I was told to avoid weight training and other exertions that increase inner eye pressure. And I was told not to take any flights for a while after the operation because of the pressure fluctuations.

The sharpness of my eyesight also changed. The buckling squashed my eyeball to make it longer. That meant that I was suddenly much more shortsighted in the operated eye than before. I had minus 3 to 4 diopters in both eyes beforehand, and then minus 5 to 6 in the operated eye. I had to wait a while until I could have my glasses adjusted because my eyesight would only become stable after a few weeks.

After two weeks it was clear that the operations had been successful. The retina was completely reattached. But the vitreous body was still fuzzy because of bleeding. I was told that my body would get rid of that by itself. And the bleeding had almost disappeared by the next check-up.

Overall, I am very grateful that all of the physicians took such good care of my eyes. My left eye has recovered and my eyesight is still what it was before the detached retina. I am very happy about that.

At the time of the operations on my left eye, the retina in my other eye wasn’t concerning. But when I had cataract surgery on both eyes last year, a few tears and holes were spotted in the retina of my until then healthy right eye. That’s why it was reattached right away in the critical places using a laser. I really hope that the retina will stabilize there and not detach any more.

At the time, I was rather concerned about my eyesight. I need my eyes for my work, because I work on screens and write and read a lot. It does make you anxious.

I tried to put my mind at rest and kept telling myself that I do, after all, have two eyes. And you can get through life with just one healthy eye – I know someone who does. That helped me to keep my cool.

Right after the operation in the clinic, it helped to be distracted and to feel needed. You see, I was in a four-bed ward and had the feeling that I had to help take care of the other three patients. One young girl was extremely short-sighted, one lady hard of hearing, and the third lady had mild dementia.

I read the menu for the meal orders to everyone, brought them the call button for the nurses, and reminded them to take their medication. I only realized that it had a positive effect on me a few days later. I was distracted, active, and didn’t have time to worry about myself.

I am not necessarily more anxious since all of that. I know a few people who have only had detached retina once. Other unlucky souls had a detached retina in one eye first, then in the other. But I don’t know anybody who has gone blind or has permanent severe damage because of that.

The detached retina still left its mark on me, though. I developed lots of health problems within about two years of turning 45. That did give me food for thought and was the reason I decided to switch from self-employment to full time employment. That way, I feel I have more security if I do get sick for a longer time. So, my illness had indirect consequences. No huge anxieties, but reflections.

I go to my ophthalmology practice for regular eye check-ups because there have been several changes in my eyes. My inner eye pressure is also a little high and the optic nerve has changed slightly. The physicians simply want to keep a close eye on that.

What really annoys me is that they exploit patients’ worries to repeatedly pressured you into having examinations that are not covered by insurance. At nearly every check-up, my ophthalmologist furrows her brow, stays silent for a while, and then says with a concerned voice that my two optic nerves look different. “If I were you, I would go for an MRI of the back of your eye. But unfortunately that isn’t covered by health insurance.”

Every time, I respond by saying that the health insurance companies would cover it if there was an important medical reason. The conversation then ends there and I am told to come back again in half a year to check my eye pressure, and that’s it.

What I can say from my experiences is that you should go to the ophthalmologist as soon as you notice anything unusual in your eyesight and not put things off. And if you do have to go to an eye clinic, be prepared to be patient.