Aging Eyes--Posterior Vitreous Detachment

Beth Gallagher

Beth Gallagher

Well-known member
PVD is a very common, age-related condition. A PVD, much like wrinkles, is a normal part of aging. It usually happens to most people by the age of 70. Typically a PVD is a harmless event with no symptoms and no vision loss. Others may notice a lot of floaters. Floaters can be bothersome but usually become less noticeable over time.

For a small number of people, problems occur when the vitreous detaches from the retina. The vitreous pulls too hard from the back of the eye and takes a piece of the underlying tissue (the retina) with it. Occasionally the vitreous gets stuck to the retina, causing an issue called vitreomacular traction. The pull from the vitreous pulls the retina out of shape, causing blurred or distorted vision.

This is what I'm dealing with right now... the vitreomacular traction. I have been seeing an ophthalmologist for several months while he monitored my eye and gave me an injection in the eyeball a couple of months ago. My vision has gotten worse so now it's time to surgically intervene, much to my dismay. The more I have read about the surgery, the more I dread it.

I'm scheduled for the surgery on Thursday (12/18/25) at 6:30 a.m. I have scheduled it previously and ended up canceling because I get so nervous about it. Here's hoping I don't freak out and cancel it again!!
 
Beth Gallagher said:
PVD is a very common, age-related condition. A PVD, much like wrinkles, is a normal part of aging. It usually happens to most people by the age of 70. Typically a PVD is a harmless event with no symptoms and no vision loss. Others may notice a lot of floaters. Floaters can be bothersome but usually become less noticeable over time.

For a small number of people, problems occur when the vitreous detaches from the retina. The vitreous pulls too hard from the back of the eye and takes a piece of the underlying tissue (the retina) with it. Occasionally the vitreous gets stuck to the retina, causing an issue called vitreomacular traction. The pull from the vitreous pulls the retina out of shape, causing blurred or distorted vision.

This is what I'm dealing with right now... the vitreomacular traction. I have been seeing an ophthalmologist for several months while he monitored my eye and gave me an injection in the eyeball a couple of months ago. My vision has gotten worse so now it's time to surgically intervene, much to my dismay. The more I have read about the surgery, the more I dread it.

I'm scheduled for the surgery on Thursday (12/18/25) at 6:30 a.m. I have scheduled it previously and ended up canceling because I get so nervous about it. Here's hoping I don't freak out and cancel it again!!
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Beth sorry to hear about the possible eye surgery, I keep putting off cataract surgery. Whatever you do I wish you well.
 
Thanks to all for the good wishes. It was a long day and everything went well. We drove out of the driveway at 5:25 a.m. and drove back in at 9:10 a.m. I went to bed and slept most of the day. I'm sporting an eye patch but I believe it will come off when I see the doctor tomorrow morning. I have had no pain at all.

As other people have reported, the surgery was not horrible. I had the "twilight" anesthesia so I was awake but not awake, if you know what I mean. I didn't feel anything at all but I could see weird kaleidoscope things like looking through gauze.

The surgeon removed all the vitreous fluid from my eyeball and filled it with saline solution. He also inserted an oxygen bubble to help hold my retina in place while my body makes more vitreous fluid in the eye. I can see the bubble which is supposed to dissipate in about 10 days. I think I will have a huge improvement in the floaters I had.

The anesthesia made me terribly nauseous, though they gave me nausea medication. It was a miserable ride home but I managed not to barf. I forgot to take my pillow with me; it would have been an easier ride if I had had it.

So for me, this procedure was much easier than I anticipated and I'm really glad its over.
 
Great news. I figured all would go well. Anesthesia has always been a sore subject with those of us who had to work with it. And, wouldn't you know, I wake up in the middle of major surgery. It's either too much or not enough. It either has no side effects or it makes you sick.

One of the surgeons I worked with tried to talk me into becoming a nurse anesthetist. I balked at that suggestion, for sure.
 
Yvonne Smith said:
That is great news, @Beth Gallagher ! I am glad that the procedure went well, and now you should be seeing much better after it heals back up again. How long do you have to wear the patch ?
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I'm on my way to the doctor's office this morning. He's going to take this one off but I believe I have to sleep in a "shield" for a couple of weeks. I will be glad to get this off because it is hard plastic and interferes with my glasses.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I'm on my way to the doctor's office this morning. He's going to take this one off but I believe I have to sleep in a "shield" for a couple of weeks. I will be glad to get this off because it is hard plastic and interferes with my glasses.
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I had a rubbery flexiable eye patch with lots of holes in it that I had to only use to sleep in for a week. I had some tape in my "cataract kit" that they gave me to tape it to my face. :rolleyes:
 
In days gone by, I used to dislike websites with dark colored backgrounds. Now, nearly all of the sites I go to are dark colors. If I go to a light colored site, it's difficult to read because of floaters. On dark sites, I don't even notice them.
 
Axel Slingerland said:
In days gone by, I used to dislike websites with dark colored backgrounds. Now, nearly all of the sites I go to are dark colors. If I go to a light colored site, it's difficult to read because of floaters. On dark sites, I don't even notice them.
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Same for me only minus the floaters, my background here is black.
 
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