Complications of Surgery for Epiretinal Membranes

Complications of Surgery for Epiretinal Membranes

While surgery for epiretinal membranes may be the logical step for you to take, there are risks. Your professional should fully explore all other forms of treatment first. This should only be considered when those options aren’t a good fit or they failed to offer enough results. While surgery can be a good solution, you need to be well informed going into the procedure. This type of procedure may be necessary when scar tissue is covering part of the retina. As a result, your vision can be hindered. It is important to do everything necessary to prevent vision loss from getting worse. With the help of a professional, surgery may be necessary to regain your vision too. It can take up to six months after the procedure to have the best vision.

Infection It is very important to follow all given instructions for the healing after epiretinal membrane surgery. Keeping the area clean is going to reduce the risk of infection. Make sure you seek help immediately or your vision can get worse. Some individuals go blind due to such an infection that they didn’t seek treatment for.

Bleeding Even with careful procedures, the risk of bleeding forming around the eye is possible. This can cause temporary or permanent vision loss. Make sure you let your professional know about any types of medications you take prior to the surgical procedure. This includes both prescription and over the counter products. You may need to stop taking them for a given period.Some medications, especially blood thinners, will increase the risk of bleeding around the eye during and after such a procedure. Make sure you don’t use such medications until your eye doctor tells you it is safe to start doing so again. If you can’t be taken off those meds for a period of time, you may not be a good candidate for this type of surgery due to the risks.

Retina Damage Even though care is taken during this procedure, there is the risk of damage to the retina. It may become detached during the procedure. In other scenarios, it may develop a tear in it. Such an outcome may result in additional procedures necessary to repair the damage. This is often done at the end of the epiretinal membrane procedure with the use of a laser.

Risk of Cataracts Individuals who complete this type of surgery tend to have an increased risk of cataracts developing. For those who already have them, they can become worse. Most patients will need to have surgery to remove those cataracts within a year or two.

Reduce the Risks To help reduce the risks of any complications relating to surgery for epiretinal membranes, make sure you have a highly skilled professional to work with. Find out about the methods they use and why they recommend them. Find out about their training, how many similar procedures they have completed, and the outcome.

Complete your own research to verify they don’t have a long list of complaints against them from other patients.

You need to go into the surgery knowing you are in very good hands. Being aware of symptoms that something is amiss is also important. Early medical attention to help resolve the problem can influence the outcome.

Contact your doctor immediately and go to the emergency room if it is after hours. Make sure you report anything that is unusual and you don’t ignore telling signs of an infection. Keep all of your scheduled follow up appointments too. This allows the professional to make sure your healing is on track.

About Us: Your vision is too important to trust to just anyone. Retina Surgeon offers the best techniques and skilled technicians to help you. It doesn’t matter if you were referred to us by someone you know or your own eye doctor. Perhaps you are looking for a second opinion. We want you to feel comfortable asking questions and to be well informed about your options. Contact us for a consultation and to learn more about our procedures at https://www.retinasurgeon.uk.com/. Our reputation speaks volumes about what we offer and how we treat our patients. It is important to take care of your vision needs as early as possible. Quality care can aid you with healing and improving your vision.