How to Address Fuch’s Dystrophy After Cataract Surgery?
July 29, 2010
I wrote you awhile back and asked you about Fuchs Dystrophy and cataract surgery. I had my surgery 2 months ago and my vision is only 20/70. I don’t think at this point it will get any better, but my eye surgeon said my eye is not bad enough for a corneal transplant. Do you think glasses will help my vision at this point or not? I always like to find out why things happen and I know sometimes there are no answers. However, do you feel that my cornea swelled after surgery and this is what caused my blurry vison? I felt a pop during surgery and I remember blinking and the dr. said NOT to blink – but it was hard not to as I felt a sort of stabbing in my eye. After the surgery, I had terrific pain in my eye and a terrible headache. My eye was quite sore for days. I always feel if my eye was covered, it would be easier for me – but I realize I can’t go through life with a patch over my eye either. However, having one bad eye throws you off balance at times and I find myself tripping a lot. Thank you so much for any advice you have for me. By the way, I am 71 yrs. old.
Comments
Jump down to form below to submit your own comments
18 Responses to “How to Address Fuch’s Dystrophy After Cataract Surgery?”
I was diagnosed with Fuchs dystrophy seven years ago and I had cataract surgery about a month ago and now I can hardly see out of my eye in the morning. I had a regular surgeon and not a cornea specialist. I don’t recommend it. I could see clear before the surgery only I had bad night vision. Now my eye is giving me problems. I am going to try to go to a cornea specialist now. I should have done that to start with. During the day my eye is very cloudy and the clouds move from the left side down across the middle of my sight. If anyone has any information helpful to me also I would appreciate it thank you have a good day
I had cataract surgery over 7 years ago and have been very happy with the results until a couple of months ago when I began to experience discomfort and blurry vision. I thought it was just the need for laser treatment on my implants as I had been told was possible. at a recent eye exam my Dr told me he suspected I have Fuchs If the disease progresses to the point that I require a corneal transplant what happens with my implants will they be replaced or can the transplant be done without involvement of my implants?
I have Fuchs and cataracts and am experiencing problems seeing at night. Does anyone know of physician in Michigan that specializes in these conditions?
Does anyone know of a corneal/Fuchs dystrophy specialist in Pittsburgh?
My mother has been thru cataract surgery in both eyes, has Fuchs dystrophy, and recently had a retinal detachment in one eye. She is approximately 4 months post-surgery from the retinal detachment. Her eyesight is not great now (she never had any problems before the cataracts). Yesterday, the O.D. told her that he cannot correct her vision with glasses. She is devastated.
Dr. Barry Lee in Atlanta is great!
im afraid i know no one
I have Fuch’s and am needing a corneal transplant. Need a good surgeon in Atlanta.
just ask your primary doctor or ask friends, like you would looking for any specialist. i dont know anyone personally.
I have cataracts, macular degeneration and Fuchs Dystrophy. I would like to have
the cataracts removed. Are there any surgeons in the Boston area that you know of who would be best to consult.
an unethical/incompetent doctor will perform cataract surgery when he knows or should know the vision will be compromised due to any disease. fortunately, these kinds of doctors are not common. however, i always recommend a second opinion for any procedure.
It is now 5 months after my cataract surrgery. I had to change Drs to find out I have fuchs dystrophy. The other Dr. kept saying YOU Will be better soon. I had better eye sight before I now wonder if I had cataracts at all, I had Lasik in that eye 10 yrs ago. SO my question to others. Do you think doctors are doing cataract surgery when the problem really was fuchs dystrophy?
fuch’s should be noted prior to surgery. regardless, you probably needed the surgery anyway, as i assume your vision was not clear due to the cataract, and leaving the cataract in your eye, to get bigger and bigger, is not a great idea.
corneal transplant today for fuchs does not require stitiches or a long recovery period. its called dsaek or dlek. you should not rule it out, as it has a great chance of normalizing the eye and vision. first give your eye a good 3 months of healing and then see a corneal specialist who does this surgery (not too many do it)
July 5th, R eye cataract surgery went well. See clearly. July 12, cataract surgery resulted in them ‘finding a mild case of Fuch’s Dystrophy.’ I wish I could go back and never have the Left eye cataract removed. My eye is now in constant discomfort…no, not really bad pain, just blurry and discomfort. Just started on Muro128 drops and ointment. I am very discouraged. I wish I had KNOWN about the Fuchs Dystrophy FIRST and given a choice and told the TRUTH that cataract surgery makes the F.D. worse. Now, I have no idea what will happen. I DO NOT want a corneal transplant.
Gloria: If you are in Houston, you have probably the top cornea specialist around. He is Dr. John Goosey and very highly recommended by the Corneal Dystrophy Foundation executive director and co-founder, Bob Bellizzi.
Jeanne Adam: why didn’t your doc do cataract and DSEAK surgery simultaneously? Cataract surgery disturbs the endothelial cells and lowers the count, so the standard is if you need DSAEK, cataracts are removed at the same time.
Well, I’m 12 days post-op from cataract surgery on R. Eye…second day post-op the swelling, and edema set in…very painful. But, this is par for Fuch’s patients. I have to tough it out ’til my DSAEK surgery on May 11. Will post update later. Again, my wonderful doc is Mark Gorovoy, M.D., in Ft. Myers, FL. So, glad I found him and he is two hours away from my home. I am 73 yr. old female.
you need a corneal specialist who does transplant surgery. no such thing as a fuchs specialist
My eyes seem to be getting more cloudy every day. I will see my fuchs dystrophy specialist. He is in Houston, Texas. Does anyone know of any more Dr.’s in the Houston or Texas who specialize in just Fuchs. I really like my Dr. in the medical center. But, I found it hard to find just a fuchs Dr.
thanks, gloria
pain during or after surgery is not an indication of good surgery. swelling after surgery is common in fuch’s- thats why we discuss the surgery so much with patients, as the corneal swelling will affect vision.
only you can decide, really, if 20/70 vision is bad enough for a transplant. i think i would also be very unhappy and would agree to the transplant. i advise going to a corneal specialist for a consultation to make sure that indeed, your poor vision is secondary to the cornea and not to some other problem like with the optic nerve or retina (but i would imagine your ophthalmologist would have evaluated that), and to get his opinion re the transplant. you should not get a full transplant, but rather the newer procedure (called dlek or dsaek) to transplant only the inner layer. only see a corneal surgeon who is familiar with this procedure- it’s still kinds new.
of course, if glasses would make you see better, your doctor would have prescribed glasses or sent you to an optometrist.
