pinguecula removal surgery

Lisaw: I was given a i.v. sedative. Then I was put completely out for the numbing of the eye. I was under 'twilight' anesthesia for the operation. My eye was completely numb and I was very relaxed.

Mary: I went to Harvard eye. I had a pterygium removed. The pinguecula surgery would be the same (I assume). I can answer just about any question you have.

Could you see when they were doing the surgery? ..... was it scary?

If you had the surgery, can you plese send me the pictures of before and after to _[removed]_

This is not my main e-mail, so I do not mind publishing it.

If anybody wants copy of the pictures can write me, I'll send them (if I am ever gonna receive any ....).

Thanks!

p.s. This ping is really starting to bother me, mostly esthetically .... I just focus on it, though it's not even that bad.
p.p.s Please please asnwer my questions ? :-( Why nobody answers my questions? :'(

Hello Sonia,

can I ask where you have the surgery please. Was it in christchurch by any chance?.

Thanks

Did anyone bother to take before and after pictures of their surgery?

Just curious to see if it will look like a normal eye.

Much appreciated.

Iceomatic,

Can you please send those pictures to grumpy's email address ( _[removed]_). Then Grumpy will forward to me. Thanks. I want to have surgery soon but I would like to see more pics.

Also, can anyone tell me the pros and cons to doing the auto graft using the amniotic membrane versus the conjuntiva auto graft.

Tammie

Nobody sent me any pic yet :-(

Hi Sonia,



Thanks for all the info you have posted. I am researching different options to remove my pingueculas. I am also in NZ and would be very interested in finding out which surgeon you went to and where. Thanks so much for helping me out :)



Cheers!

Hey mblack314,

My doctor thinks my piguecula is not bad enough for surgery he suggested punctal plugs to improve the lubrication of my eyes, he also said that the redness would be reduced with them.

How did you feel after having your tear ducts cauterized? Did you have any problems at first? Were your eyes less red? He suggested punctal plugs instead of cauterizing and I am not sure of what to do. If you could give me some feedback on how you were feeling about your tear duct cauterization it would be great.

Thanks!

Hello all!,

I am a 34 yrs old male and I have pinguecula in both of my eyes. I live in California. I went t Harvard Eye in Southern Calif. last winter for an examination and yes both of my pingueculas are removable. I just want to know if anybody in this group has had the surgery done at Harvard Eye and how the procedure went, recovery time, issues, surgery success, pictures if any, etc.
I am willing to post before and after pictures of my pingueculas so others can benefit from the procedure.
Thanks

Hi Aliluna,
I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I had my pings removed with Dr. Hovanesian at Harvard Eye Clinic in California. I will get back to that after I tell you why cauterization is so much better for someone with pings. I had one ping in each eye nasal-side and when I had the punctal plugs they would irritate my pings because whenever I would move my eyes, the pings would rub over the punctal plugs. This made the pings so much worse- red and swollen- and my eyes were tearing up due to the irritation. It may be different for people based upon eye shape and for those who do not have pings but I strongly recommend cauterization for someone with pings. So, about my surgery. Dr. Hovanesian and the entire staff at Harvard eye clinic were wonderful and made the whole ping removal and surgery experience very comfortable. They put you under to the point that I fell asleep but would wake up if they said my name. I remember some of the surgery but it was not scary or anything and I didn't feel a thing. I had both eyes done at the same time on January 9th and am still healing. My eyes hurt a little the next day but they give you a prescription for pain medicine which remedies the pain. My eyes looked bloodshot for a couple of days after and then my left eye turned blood red where the graft was "glued" on. This happened to my right eye about a week later. Dr. H said this is completely normal because the new tissue is connecting to the host tissue and creating blood vessels, capillaries, etc. He said it should take about a month to heal completely. Though they do look very noticeable to me, other people think I have pink eye or a burst blood vessel. It has been over a week since my left eye turned blood red and it already looks a lot better. I do not have before and after pictures but they did take them at Harvard Eye Clinic and I'm sure if you contact them they will be more than happy to send you some. Overall, I am very pleased with the whole procedure and highly recommend Harvard Eye Clinic and having the surgery done if you are able to. I will keep you all posted on my recovery and healing process. Hope this helps!

Hi Aliluna,

I just want to say that cauterization was the best thing I ever did for my eyes, next to giving up Visine and having my pings removed. It helped tremendously with the dryness and redness. I also stopped using any redness relieving eyedrops, ie. Visine, etc. and now only use Thera Tears preservative free for nighttime. This has also helped improve the dryness and redness very much. I had no problems with the cauterization but the punctal plugs would rub over my pings whenever I would move my eyes and they became redder, more irritated, and inflamed. When I had my tear ducts cauterized, they numb your eyes with local anesthesia which actually was the worst part of the whole procedure because it does hurt, but only for a few seconds. Then the doctor cauterized them and put a stitch in. The stitch actually irritated my pings too but they remove them after a few days. If you cannot have your pings removed I would recommend cauterization to anyone with pings or dry eye. Feel free to ask me any other questions. Hope this helps. Meaghan

Did you have a graft or excise? Have you heard of a drug called Restasis? It is apparently the only drug on the market which increases the amount and quality of your own natural tears (transposed this off a sheet my doctor gave me). It apparently gets to the root of the dry eye problem but takes a month or more to notice any improvement.

I am scheduled to have EXCISE done on 2/29 and the backup is the graft. What do you know about both surgeries? I am not too thrilled about having the excise since the recurrence rate can be high. I guess why excise when graft is successful?

Thanks for the help! anyone!

ps I HATE these nasty things in my eyes. They have been growing slowly since age 17 and I am now 40. I can't wait to get them removed however am concerned about the recovery, scarring, etc. HEELLLPP.

K, thanks for sharing. Can you PLEASE provide me with your latest post-op information? The biggest fear from doctors is that over time these little yellow bumps come back and the scarring is worse. What is your experience? I don't like surgery but am willing to go pink instead of yellow, if you know what I mean. I would appreciate an update! It seems that after a few weeks most discussions drop-off. Hopefully it is good and you are sporting some nice white eyeballs.

Kayti, Are you still available for discussion? I have decided to move forward on this surgery. Should I have both eyes done at the same time (that is what the plan is)? Have you heard of a drop called Restasis? I am so curious about your eyes now. Can you provide insight?