No one I know has had retina surgery. So, am thinking the final moments of my recovery could be interesting to some.
You will recall that a “balloon” filled with nitrous oxide (yes, laughing gas) was attached to my eye immediately after surgery. The balloon presses against the eye as the surgery, behind the eye, heals. On day one after surgery a bandage is removed and the balloon is black and covers most of my vision. The doc peers into the back of the eye using a hand held magnifying light. He wants to see if his work is still in tact. Now I can see through the balloon but everything is distorted.
The balloon has been very distracting and destabilizing. And my vision, as of yesterday, has gone from 20/25 to 20/45. So, I rock slightly to keep myself stable.
This morning I’m “watching” the final moments of the balloon. Closing my left eye allows me to “see” the balloon. When I awoke I noticed two minute balloons attached to the large one. An hour later the large balloon had shrunk by half. It’s like the tiny attachments are relief valves, letting the last of the gas out. Now the remaining balloon will be absorbed by my body. Don’t ask me to explain that further.
It’s been two hours now and the balloon is the size of a dime and has slipped to the lower quadrant. Last night it was the size of a quarter and in my sight line.
It has stopped “deflating” and am not sure what to expect. I am wondering if I’ll actually see it go away. Once that happens I’ll go for a refraction, a new prescription then on to Costco for eyeglasses. I’ll let you know how that goes.
