Eye Surgery

T

tom mcgonagle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just found out yesterday, I have a detached retina in my left eye and I'll be having surgery on Monday.

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum, or do you know anyone, that may have had the same surgery and how they have made out since the event.

Being a pool player, I've really taken my eyesight for granted.

Good or bad, I'd like to know.

Tom McGonagle


_________________________________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com
 
My father had the procedure done. Not that big a deal according to him. You'll be back in the pool hall in a couple days. The only complication he had was a blood vessel burst after the surgery...couple more days recovery and no issues since.

J
 
Good Luck Tom

tom mcgonagle said:
I just found out yesterday, I have a detached retina in my left eye and I'll be having surgery on Monday.

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum, or do you know anyone, that may have had the same surgery and how they have made out since the event.

Being a pool player, I've really taken my eyesight for granted.

Good or bad, I'd like to know.

Tom McGonagle


_________________________________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com
Click to expand...

Good Luck Tom!

All I can say is I had an eye operation when I was a 5yr old kid.

The doctors said I would never do well in sports LOL

Well at age 11 in little league I ended up with a 826 batting average.

A .933 on base percentage Then I became a teenager interested in girls LOL Sports out the window LOL

Then years later I started playing pool only a (C) player but I play :-)

Finished Player of the year in the Tri-State tour in NY/NJ Area last year.
Currently # 2 this year Just lost #1 spot last weekend :-(

Just don't let people tell you what you can or cannot do.

Once again good luck Tom !
 
tom mcgonagle said:
I just found out yesterday, I have a detached retina in my left eye and I'll be having surgery on Monday.
Click to expand...

Just wondering if you actually have a "retinal tear" and not a detached retina. A detached retina is considered to be a medical emergency as it can lead to blindness if not operated upon immediately.
 
tom mcgonagle said:
I just found out yesterday, I have a detached retina in my left eye and I'll be having surgery on Monday.

I'm wondering if anyone on the forum, or do you know anyone, that may have had the same surgery and how they have made out since the event.

Being a pool player, I've really taken my eyesight for granted.

Good or bad, I'd like to know.

Tom McGonagle


_________________________________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com
Click to expand...

Tom,
I had surgery for a detached retina, in my right (dominant) eye, two years ago. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to PM me.
Russ
 
Good luck to you on this. Ive never met you but you have a reputation as a great pool player and ill be rooting for you to overcome this.
 
Surgery

Tom,

I had a lense in my left eye replaced. A bike accident caused the lense to cataract in a few short years following the wreck.

When I finally had the lense replaced - the results were amazing. 10 minutes after the bandages were removed - my game jumped two balls minimum. I could see again.

I had concerns similar to yours - and a late long-time AZ eye-doc member spent a little time with me explaining the procedure and options.

I chose a lense that worked best for distance vision and could not be happier.

Feel free to PM if you like - and best of luck.

Dan
 
I don't have any experience in this at all, just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery.
 
One of my best friends is a retina surgeon. He has let me watch a couple of his surgeries. I had to put on scrubs, disinfect, etc.

I have seen this procedure up close, and it really is an amazing and delicate operation. It has to be performed and witnessed through a microscope.

You would be impressed and comforted to see how it is done.

Don't worry, you'll be fine.
 
I had detached in my Rt. eye dom eye, and a tear in my left in 1997. If it wasn't for the lasors I would be blind. I am a s/l 5, 6. This was before I started playing pool.
I was always worried about, and I was talking to Tom Ross of BD and instructor. He told me that vision is over rated and proceeded to tell me a story about a old dude from Chicago that had very poor vision and could beat most players he played. I dont remember the story, but the point is knowing how to play is so much more important. I must say he gave me confidance where I had none. Yes I can make thin cuts, Yes I miss too.
The point I want to make as long as I think about my vision it will mess with me, so dont let you brain make adjustments and there will be a learning curve, but think about the other aspects, stay down, smooth stroke etc.
Do NOT close one eye then the other to check out the differance while you are at pool table. I am now left eye dom and shoot rt. I feel I am pretty good and I love the game, there is so much for me to learn, systems three rail safety etc. I can shoot the cb the length and have it hit my tip so that tells me I can shoot where I am aiming.
let your brain take of this...you think about the game.
Let us know how you are doing.
 
I'll be thinking about you Monday, Tom. Do well with the procedure and then start running balls again.
 
tom, it was nice to see you last wednesday night. good luck with the surgery on monday.

guy
 
7 yrs ago. I had a full detached retina and was 100% blind in that eye. Started as a partial with narrowing vision and over a couple of weeks was fully detached with no vision. Major surgery at the time with scleral buckle in my case. Recovery was at least 6 weeks-2 months of never being able to look in any direction but down in order to keep the gas bubble they put in to force the retina up against the back of the eye. Had to sleep on stomach face down and was completely out of commision the entire time relying on others to drive me etc. Cataracts are very common after retinal reattachment surgery usually within a few years after the surgery. I've since had cataract surgery in both eyes. The sooner the surgery, the better vision recovery you will likely have if all goes well. Good thing you can take care of it before it gets worse, because it will worsen quickly if not done immediately. In my case, I was in the middle of a cross country move of the family and had no choice but to get the move completed. Bad timing for me. Good luck and seriously follow all post operative instructions to a tee.
 
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Robman, I'll have plenty of time on my hands so maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I just might get back into writing and blast out a few more chapters of my second book. We'll see!


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You may purchase, Right On Cue here: http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com
 
Torn retina

At first I did not think you would get many responses to your inquirey about a torn retina. When the doctor examined me, he told me we would be in surgery in 3 hours and to go home and get ready. He wasted no time. So there may be varying degrees of "detachment" . Usually the doctor will see you again after the proceedure within 24 hours. Usually a patch is worn for a few days over the eye and eyedrops for a very long time. If you have difficulty putting eye drops in your own eyes, dont worry you will get plenty of practice. It is very common for the retina to get a cataract after surgery within a few months. Cataract surgery poses little risk simply because the doctors who do them do hundreds and hundreds of the proceedures. After the cataract surgery, the lense may cloud up leaving vision inpaired and very cloudy and you will have to have a proceedure called a YAG Capsultomy - a 5 minute proceedure that will remove the opaqueness from the lens. No pain involved and after the laser proceedure you will be amazed how clear the vision will be. Not everyone gets a cataract and you may have no problems. I am 65 years old and the doctor had no real explanation as to why I had a retina detachment. Age seems to be a determining factor - the older you are the more likely you are to have problems. Retina detachment occurs in about 1 in 25000 and catacracts much more common. Retina detachment can be caused by a blow to the head such as a car accident. Good luck and feel free to email me anytime. By the way, I learned to drive with one eye quite well !! I will say a prayer for you.

Mike Haines
 
Symtoms

Tom, did you have any symptoms of your retina issues. I and probably other would like to know in case we are ignoring them.

God bless on your surgery

Frank
 
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