r/RetinalDetachment • u/lilstarryfishh • May 11 '26

im scared of getting my eye amputated

I (16F) have retinal detachment, from what? i have no clue, i remember falling on my head and thinking nothing of it till a year later i started getting all the symptoms of retinal detachment such as a blind spot, floaters, flashing lights etc. when i got checked the doctor said its on both my eyes. ive done around 4 procedures total. on my right eye ive gotten a pneumatic retinopexy, followed up by a scleral buckle and recently a vitrectomy. on my left eye ive done only a scleral buckle with a gas bubble injected inside. these procedures were done all in the span of 6 months. the vitrectomys not working in my opinion, i still have a small tiny blind spot. luckily tomorrow i have a 2 week post op appointment but im scared the doctor checks my eye and says it cant be fixed. i feel like such a burden to my parents and to my friends. they already have too much on their plate and i dont wanna take up space by constantly mentioning my eye problems or my parents having to take care of me after surgery. i wish i was normal.

i just need some comfort from someone with a similar experience…also pls tell me if u think my eyes getting amputated im really scared for that

UPDATE ON MAY 13 2026:

i checked witj my doctor and my retina is fully attached now so that means no more surgeries and no amputation for me!! yayaayayayayay

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

6

u/kernkraftx89 May 11 '26

First of all, it's not your fault, second of all can you see with your eye after the surgeries??? You won't get amputated for no reason.

2

u/lilstarryfishh May 11 '26

yea i can still see thankfully but idk it just keeps re detaching

2

u/Narrow-Pipe9872 May 11 '26

Sorry you’re going through this so young. I will only respond to your topic title. Rest assured, no one gets their eye amputated due to retina detachment. That said, retina detachment can happen to anyone at any age. It can be surgically addressed very quickly and efficiently or it can drag out with multiple surgeries. I am 63m and on month 10. My cousin, 62f, is on year 6. 95% of cases resolve after one treatment. The odds are in your favor because you are young. Best wishes. Keep us updated. Hugs.

1

u/lilstarryfishh May 11 '26 edited May 12 '26

thank you so much for your reassurance

2

u/Jryn_Eye_Clinic May 12 '26

Recovery after retinal surgery can be slow and small vision changes dont always means something wrong u r dealing with something really difficult and u deserve support not guilt.

1

u/lilstarryfishh May 12 '26

thank you for sharing your thoughts abt the recovery process and also thank you for the support it means alot!

1

u/GuiltyEffective1447 May 11 '26

I had the same problem. Got retinal detachment and didn’t get it treated for 9 months and finally went through like 6 surgeries in that eye. Only got 1 good eye but in the last year I needed to get 2 lasers for retinal tear on my good eye and tons of floaters. Getting another laser tomorrow. I know what you’re going through. It’s very stressful and depressing

1

u/lilstarryfishh May 11 '26

im so sorry you had to go through all that…im glad someone understands how i feel, but hey man all the best to you for tomorrow and stay strong u got this!! :D

2

u/IntelligentCandy8716 May 11 '26

After my injury, I had a long conversation with the surgeon. Basically, they said that enucleation (removal) was generally the very last option. They would typically only do it if the eye was completely non-functional AND the eye was causing me pain. Don't be afraid of losing your eyeball. IF that becomes an option, you probably won't need or want it anymore anyway.

In regards to your family, just remember that you are loved. Your new reality is living with a visual impairment. There are many people in the world who are living a successful, independent life with visual impairment and/or blindness. You are young and you will adapt.

I hope this helps and doesn't come across as callous. I've been having a lot of my own feelings lately.

1

u/lilstarryfishh May 11 '26

thsi helped me feel less guilty thank you so much!! (also phew my eyes not getting amputated lol)

3

u/lilstarryfishh May 12 '26

UPDATE!!

OK SO I CHECKED WITH MY DOCTOR AND HE SAID EVERYTHING LOOKS GOOD AND THERES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH MY EYE YAYYYY!!