Making your face-down or sideways recovery easier:
- Sitting: Fold your arms on a table and lay your forehead on your arms.
- Lying down: Lie face down on a pillow, have the recovering side of your face hang off the ledge of the bed. This helps reduce pain and keeps pressure off your operated eye.
- Anytime: Use special equipment that can make it easier to stay face down or sideways. ...
- Face-down chairs. ...
How do you stay face down after retina surgery?
Making Your Face-down or Sideways Recovery easier:Sitting: Fold your arms on a table and lay your forehead on your arms.Lying down: Lie face down on a pillow; have the recovering side of your face hang off the edge of the bed. ... Anytime: Use special equipment that can make it easier to stay face down or sideways.
How long do you have to be face down after retinal detachment surgery?
Typically, face-down positioning is required for several days to a week and, in some cases, longer. This method of recovery can prove to be awkward and uncomfortable for the patient, leading to discomfort and morbidity, especially in cases of advanced age or musculoskeletal disorders.
How long do you have to lay on your side after retinal surgery?
Do not lie flat on your back until the gas has been fully absorbed: this can be up to eight weeks; this varies depending on the concentration and type of gas we have used.
What is the best sleeping position after eye surgery?
Sleep on your back or on the opposite side of the eye that was operated on to decrease your risk of infection and irritation after surgery. If you turn over in your sleep, your eye shield should help protect your eye from significant damage.
What happens if you don't stay face down after vitrectomy?
Certain retinal surgeries require that you keep your head in a face down (parallel to the ground) position during recovery. If this position is not maintained for several weeks after surgery, the surgery will not be successful.
Can you bend over after retinal surgery?
Avoid any bending or lifting for 1 week after surgery. After 1 week, you may do light housework and bend over to pick up light objects. Then, gradually resume your regular activities.
How long does it take to see clearly after retina surgery?
After surgery for retinal detachment During the post-operative period: Your eye may be uncomfortable for several weeks, particularly if a scleral buckle has been used. Your vision will be blurry – it may take some weeks or even three to six months for your vision to improve.
What happens if you bend over after eye surgery?
Limit Strenuous Activity “High eye pressure can interfere with the incision before it fully heals,” says Eghrari. “Positions that put your head below your waist, such as bending over, can also increase eye pressure and should be avoided initially after surgery.”
How much can you walk 2 weeks after retinal detachment surgery?
You may resume normal activities, little by little. After week 1, you may start by walking as much as a mile. You may advance to 2 miles, in the second week and can typically run by week six. This is unless your retina specialist has advised you to the contrary.
Why do you have to lay face down after retina surgery?
Facedown posturing (FDP) is recommended by many vitreoretinal surgeons so that the gas bubble can be apposed to the MH for a sustained time period. This is thought to improve the chance that the hole will close and heal.
Can you sleep on your side after eye surgery?
In addition to wearing your eye shield at night, you will also want to avoid sleeping on the side that has been operated on. By reducing irritation, you can decrease your risk of infection and speed your recovery process. This is why your doctor tells you not to sleep on your side after cataract surgery.
How long does it take for the gas bubble to dissolve after retina surgery?
Depending on the gas, it can take between 2-6 weeks for the gas bubble to dissolve. As the gas dissolves, patients may notice that the bubble breaks up into several smaller bubbles until they finally disappear. Correct post-operative posturing helps to increase the overall success of the surgery.
How long after retina surgery can you lift?
You should avoid exercising for at least 2 weeks following your surgery. Please avoid heavy lifting–anything more than 20 pounds. Avoid any strenuous activity that requires straining–making the veins in your neck stand out.
Can you watch TV after retinal detachment surgery?
Watching TV and reading will cause no harm. Your vision will remain blurred / poor for several weeks. Often the vision is distorted after surgery. This will vary depending on the type of operation, e.g. if a gas bubble is inserted into the eye, as the bubble shrinks you might see the edge of the bubble.
How to keep your head down when sleeping?
While sitting at a table, lay your head on your folded arms. While sleeping, lie face down and allow your operated eye to hang over your pillow or edge of the bed. Purchase or rent equipment specifically for this type of recovery: Massage table. Adjustable face down chairs.
What is the best way to heal a retina?
After the retina has been treated, the space in your eye is refilled with a gas bubble or silicone oil to help the retina reattach or the hole to close. Keeping your head in this face down position allows the bubble or oil to remain in the correct position so it heals as quickly and effectively as possible.
Can flying in an airplane cause eye pressure?
Raising your head, flying in an airplane or even traveling to high altitudes during recovery can raise your eye pressure and cause other vision problems. The good news is that your body will eventually refill the gas bubble with your body’s own natural fluids.
Can you keep your head down after retinal surgery?
Contact Us. Certain retinal surgeries require that you keep your head in a face down (parallel to the ground) position during recovery. If this position is not maintained for several weeks after surgery, the surgery will not be successful. Here is the reason why: Surgery to correct a retinal detachment or a macular hole involves the removal ...
How to support head when sleeping?
Instead of getting a special face-down pillow with a space cut out for your face, you can arrange a large towel into a horseshoe shape to support your head as you sleep. You can also place trays on top of pillows or bean bags to make a useful surface for eating, reading or using a laptop or tablet.
How to plan for surgery?
When planning for surgery, go through each room of your house to determine what you may need or want during your recovery. In your bedroom, put comfortable, frequently worn pieces of clothing in a small box or in low dresser drawers so you do not have to look through your closet or tall dressers. In the bathroom, put your most-used toiletries in a basket or on a tray on the floor. In the kitchen, rearrange food on lower shelves of the fridge and put plates, bowls, cups and utensils on low shelves. Make sure you have important phone numbers or papers in easily accessible locations.
What equipment do you need for retinal surgery?
Special pieces of equipment like face-down chairs or tabletop face cradles can make a huge difference in how comfortably you recover from retinal surgery. Many of our patients also like to have a two-way mirror while watching television and conversing with family or visitors.
Can you color your hair before surgery?
If you color your hair, get it colored prior to surgery, as your visitors will be seeing a lot of the back of your head during recovery. Get a pedicure or paint your toenails a fun color, since you will be looking at your feet quite often.
Important things to know about face-down recovery
o You must stay face down at all times, unless your eye surgeon tells you otherwise. This means staying face down during all daily activities like walking or eating. To stay safe, have someone with you when you walk around. Your surgery may not work if you do not recover in the ordered position.
Summary
After retina surgery, it is very crucial to stay in the face-down recovery position. Not doing this
How long do you have to lie down after macular hole surgery?
Says Dr. Capone, “In the early 1990s, some surgeons asked patients to lie face down for up to a month after surgery. Little by little, as my success rate in macular hole closure improved, I started to whittle away at the duration of face-down positioning. This was the aspect of surgery that many people hated the most and I became less and less convinced that it was imperative for success. Over the years, I went from a week of face-down positioning, to three days of face-down positioning, to overnight positioning. Currently, I don’t require face-down positioning at all for typical macular holes.”
What to do before surgery?
Prior to surgery, try to anticipate what will be needed in each room and make those items easily accessible.
How to get your neck and shoulders to rest?
Keep changing positions! Move frequently between the sitting position and lying position to give your neck and shoulders a rest. I changed positions frequently from the Ergo Lounger, to the kneeling massage chair, to the bed (with face cradle and mat), to kneeling on the floor (while face-down), to lying on a sofa with my head hanging off the arm at the end. My home has a split-level layout. That allowed me sometimes to lie on the floor of the upper portion with my head hanging over the stairs leading to the lower portion.
How to get rid of a deadening sensation?
An alternative cost-free suggestion is to try ice placed in a plastic bag and covered with a towel, or to try warm heat to relax. Heat or cold is an individual preference; I found cold to be more effective.
Can I watch a DVD before surgery?
Buy or borrow a personal CD/DVD player before surgery. Some people are able to watch a DVD while face-down, either from the Ergo Lounger chair or on their tray below the face cradle on their bed. Personally, I was unable to read or watch a DVD.
Do you have to rent equipment after a vitrectomy?
I strongly advise that you get a letter from your doctor stating that the post-vitrectomy face-down equipment is “medically necessary” for your post-operative period. If either Medicare or your health plan subsequently denies you coverage, be sure to appeal their decision.
Does Medicare cover macular hole surgery?
Unfortunately, Medicare (and therefore many health plans) considers face-down positioning equipment to be “comfort” and “convenience” equipment, and therefore does not provide reimbursement for rental as durable medical equipment. Some health plans cover equipment rental for recovery from macular hole surgery.
