Central Serous Retinopathy

Central Serous Retinopathy   

 

 

 

    

    Another problem I would run into concerned my retina. During one of my hospitalizations, I had started seeing a spot in my vision. During that particular hospitalization, I had been feeling an extreme amount of anxiety. This may have happened during my kidney failure stay, it’s hard to keep things straight. I had been transported to see an eye doctor within the complex of buildings connected to the hospital. It was determined I had fluid under my retina. I would see several ophthalmologists and retina specialists over the years. (And yes, I did ask these doctors about the scab on my eyelid.) When I transferred my care to the ophthalmologist that did my eyelid surgery and reconstruction, he recommended I see yet another retina specialist. He would tell me more about the condition. It was called central serous retinopathy and it was most likely caused by my steroid use. Not only had I been taking prednisone most of my life, I was also using a nose spray and a puffer that also contained steroids. The doctor said stress was also a contributing factor and I told him that I definitely have had a lot of stress in my life and that I do my best to keep it under control but my life has been a little bumpier than most people’s. He told me, one of the hallmarks of central serous retinopathy is that it causes straight lines to appear curved. I had been wondering why I had been experiencing that very symptom for some time. He explained this was due to the fluid under my retina, distorting my vision. He saw me a few times to monitor the fluid, and finally said that the fluid wasn’t going away and that if we left it there it could cause some damage. He recommended we get a better picture of the fluid. He told me I would need to have an IV inserted so food dye could be injected into my vein. Then, a few more images of my eye would need to be taken. The results would show that I would benefit from having the fluid in my right eye lasered. We set a date for the next procedure. I was given numbing drops in my eye and then I had to keep my eye open as a laser was aimed into my eye, in the area where the fluid was. It was a very bright, white light and it did hurt a bit, but only while he was actively lasering my eye. It was a relatively quick procedure and I was sent home with my mother as I was not allowed to drive myself home. From then on, I continued to have my retina monitored. There are times when a little fluid builds up and it gets monitored to make sure I don’t need further treatment.