Surgical treatments for lattice degeneration?

November 10, 2008 6:05 PM

I've just been told that I have lattice degeneration in one eye. The ophthamologist told me that there is no treatment for this, but googling turned up laser surgery . I haven't spoken with her about my finding yet,--and YANMD--but I would feel much better knowing that this could be healed.

I am in my early forties and the thought of no longer being able to read (yes, I know there are recorded books; I once timed my reading speed at 1000 words a minute, which is much faster than people speak) able to drive and losing my independence really terrifies me.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

I had laser surgery for three lattice tears last year. It was painless - except for the bill! - and seems to have worked. I'm not exactly sure what your question is, but, yeah, it exists. They used a green laser, and explained that they were basically going to "spot weld" my retina back in place. It was out-patient; they zapped my eye eighteen times and the whole procedure took less time than a normal check-up.

That said, are you certain you have anything that actually needs curing? "Lattice degeneration in one eye" doesn't mean lattice holes - and even lattice holes doesn't mean the kind of complete blindness you're worried about. I know it's scary, but if your ophthalmologist - who is, remember, a real MD - isn't panicking, then you probably shouldn't either.
posted by teremala at 7:02 PM on November 10, 2008

You can still drive while blind in one eye. I'm blind in one eye, its not totally devistating. You can totally do most things just fine. You can't hit major-league pitching, but its a normal life. You're better at pool.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:07 PM on November 10, 2008

My father is blind in one eye due to an accident. He was pretty depressed for awhile, and still experiences light sensitivity (so he's got to be careful how much time he spends in the sun and staring at a computer screen), but overall his quality of life has not depreciated. He still drives, reads books, welds, works on electronics projects, programs, works on the house and garden, and pretty much everything else that he did before the accident.

He does listen to more books on tape now, but I think that's more of a habit born out of the period right after the accident, when he had to rest both of his eyes for long periods of time. Oh, and sometimes he gets angry when my mother intentionally tosses things towards his blind spot. But the rest of us think that is hilarious.
posted by muddgirl at 9:37 PM on November 10, 2008

But back on topic, this article makes it seem pretty unlikely that lattice degeneration will lead to a detached retina. If it does, then surgery seems to be an option.
posted by muddgirl at 9:39 PM on November 10, 2008 [1 favorite]