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Post-Surgery Recovery and Sugar Intake

During my recovery from retinal surgery I had been experiencing issues with inflammation in my left eye which was very frustrating because no one could tell me why it was happening. One crucial thing that I found out about post-surgery recovery and care is that a person’s diet plays a huge role in how fast or slow recovery will be and that the re-occuring inflammation I was experiencing could have been due to my sugar intake.

I read that during the recovery phase after retinal re-attachment surgery, managing sugar intake is essential for promoting healing and preventing complications after surgery. Though I don’t believe I eat excessive amounts of sugar, I will admit that I do tend to turn to chocolate for comfort when I am experiencing anxiety or depression and during this entire process I have been experiencing a lot of depression.

Managing Sugar Intake

According to Healthline.com, Medical News Today and Retinarecovery.ca, processed sugar should be avoided after any eye surgery. High sugar consumption can weaken the immune system, making patients more vulnerable to infection, which can hinder the recovery process and lead to inflammation. It's suggested that opting for a well-balanced diet that includes whole foods, lean proteins, and fiber, while limiting the consumption of processed and sugary foods, can significantly support the healing process and overall eye health before and after surgery. Choosing natural sugar options, such as fruits, and avoiding high-sugar, processed foods is highly recommended.

Excessive sugar consumption has also been associated with other eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts. High sugar intake can also lead to elevated blood glucose levels, which, in turn, can contribute to the development and progression of these eye diseases. For patients undergoing retinal re-attachment surgery, controlling sugar intake is particularly important, because it can influence the overall success of the procedure and recovery.

According to Pristycare.com following a healthy diet that includes leafy green vegetables, fish, citrus fruits, carrot, berries, nuts and seeds can help improve eye health after retinal detachment treatment.

Outcome

After learning that my diet may have been affecting the healing process, I have made a conscious effort to slow down on the chocolate candy bars and find other ways to handle my stress cravings through this journey of healing. Diet plays a huge role in after-surgery recovery but it's extremely important to follow your doctor's recommendations for post-surgical care. Getting regular checkups, keeping up with prescribed medication, and avoiding activities that puts strain on your eyes are essential for successful retinal re-attachment recovery.

(Updated January 2024)

About two months after surgery during an appointment with the ophthalmologist, he informed me that all restrictions were lifted and that I could finally get back to my normal routine. As he put it "I'm finally letting you out of jail." He told me that I was able to go see my optometrist for contact lenses and that I was good to go back to work.

By this time my left eye was still very red though it didn't bother me too much, but it did seem to concern the optometrist I'd gone to see in May for a new prescription and contact lenses. She along with two other doctors, (since she wasn't familiar with scleral buckle patients she called in an ophthalmologist to look at my eye, then that ophthalmologist called in a Uveitis specialist) suggested that I see my ophthalmologist again to make sure everything was fine before moving forward with contacts. The uveitis specialist explained that she was concerned about my eye still being red and inflamed because it had been almost three months since surgery.

I went back to see my doctor in the middle of June which was the earliest appointment I could get and he too confirmed that I still had a bit of inflammation. He said that I could still move forward with contact lenses but to be on the safe side, I should wait and return to see him again in a couple of weeks.

Two weeks later, (July 5th) the doctor said that everything looked good, and that there was no more inflammation even though my eye was still red. He said unless I was experiencing pain I didn't need to return to the clinic to see him for a couple of months, but if I started having pain to go to the uveitis doctor.

I have to admit that I was starting to become really frustrated. The redness in my eye didn't bother me that much but I did find it annoying to have to go back and forth to the clinic and not get any answers as to why my eye was still red. At this point I decided to search the medical message-boards for some answers.

It turns out that the redness I was experiencing was due to the buckle causing eye irritation. 
 
The "scleral buckle " which is a silicone band that is surgically placed around the eye to repair detachment by pushing the sclera (outer white part of the eye) toward the retinal tear. It also helps to prevent re-detachment.

I read that it can take up to a year for scleral buckle patients to fully heal. Besides redness or "blood shot" eyes, there are other side effects that patients mentioned experiencing such as:

• gray/blue spots in the eye
• misshapen eye
• a noticeable lump in the eye due to the buckle
• the buckle clicking
• double vision
• pain and stiffness when looking too far to the right or left

Example of a scleral buckle wrapped around the eye

At about 30 days post surgery the bubble in my eye was completely gone and I could sleep and sit in a normal position again. I was instructed to stop using the Ofloxacin and Prednisolone eye drops a week and a half earlier than expected. I had already stopped the Atropine a week prior. The very next day after I stopped taking the prednisolone drops, my eye turned completely red and started hurting badly. The pain was just like what I had experienced after surgery; pain from light sensitivity, stiffness and inflammation.

I'd gone out for the first time since the surgery to run a few errands. When I got home I took some pain medication and went directly to bed, laying face down because it had become a habit from me having to do it for so long. The pain continued throughout the night and I wondered if this had happened because I stopped taking the eye drops.

The next morning my eye was still hurting along with my head. I also had sinus pressure and nausea so I called the retina clinic. I spoke with Fellow doctor and he explained that the issues I was having was a side effect from coming off presdnisolone too soon. He sent me a new prescription for the eye drops in which I was to again use 4 times a day for a week, then 3 times for a week, and so on until once a day then stop.

I did some research into prednisolone acetate drops and found that one of the side effects of the medication is withdrawal, which is what caused the inflammation and pain in my eye.

After I went through the final week of taking the last set of drops as instructed, in less than a day after I stopped using the drops my eye again had swelling, pain and redness. I was again instructed to go back to taking the eye drops for another couple of weeks.

During a follow-up concerning my eye's reaction to the eye drops, the head ophthalmologist told me that I really needed to come off the prednisolone drops because it wasn't good for me to continue on the medication for such a long period of time and that the next set of drops had to be my last.

In all it took up to about eight weeks for me to completely come off the medication with the last attempt being slightly less painful than the first time, as my eye was still red and inflamed but the pain was bearable and the symptoms only lasted a few days. I really hope I never have to take these drops ever again. 

The redness, irritation as well as double vision are still issues I'm dealing with as I'm hoping these things clear up soon.