Hi
is there any one out there who has been affected ( as i have ) with my eyesight since having brain surgery to remove a tumour ?
Im really struggling !
Help !
FormerMember
my sister had a brain tumour removed almost a month ago, and just prior to this lost the left side of her peripheral vision. Luckily this has now returned to normal.
I am an optometrist/ophthalmic optician... what symptoms have you noticed? Blur? Double vision? Clumsiness/bumping into things?...???
Most areas have a low vision society which would have helpful coping strategies and advice... where about do you live?
I had two brain tumours removed almost 10 years ago. The day after the surgery I had double vision in the right eye.
The eye was also turning inward toward my nose. The surgeon said the problems were caused by damage to the 6th cranial nerve. I was then referred to a neuro-opthamologist who prescribed prisms for my glasses. I don't know if you are familiar with prisms. They are made of some type of plastic and cling to the lens. He also injected Botox into my eye to paralyze the muscle that was pulling the eye inward so the opposing muscle cut pull it back where it belonged. It sounds awful but it was easy and painless. Since then I have had double vision for anything right of midline. I have learned to adapt by turning my head to the right and closing the problem eye.
I think it is very important that you see a neuro-opthamologist ASAP so he/she can track was going on with your vision.
For a long time I saw an Orthoptist monthly for field of vision testing, but now I'm down to once a year (if that). It sounds like your field of vision has been affected if you're missing letters at the beginning of lines.
Good luck, and please let us know how you make out.
Sorry its taken me so long to get back on this site!
I would agree with the above, definately let your doctors know. They should be able to get an optician (glasses and back of the eye health), orthoptist (eye muscle specialist) or another appropriate person to take a look. Southampton has a good eye unit to my knowledge, so I expect they could take a look, and where appropriate put you in touch with anyone else who can help.
Depending on what has caused the problem symptoms may be short term or long term.
It does sound most likely that it is field of vision related. Commonly adaptations like turning the head can help, also when reading it can help to use a guide, black card with a letterbox shape in it can help so you find the edge of the letter-box hole to start reading from - that way you are less liekly to miss the first few letters!
Blur may be due to medications too.
And reduced spatial awareness can be due to where the tumour was - ie body to world coordination! as well as visual field.
Sister is in Southampton too! - Well accross the water by the New Forest!!
Hi Diane, thanks for accepting the friendship request. We have a lot in common. I too have vision problems following surgery for an ologowhatsit. I had my surgery in Southampton, I live about 15 miles away. A year after surgery my vision has improved quite a bit. I'm hopeful I might get my driving license back in a years time. Like bigsister's sister I have trouble with my left peripheral vision, I have a "left subquadrantanopia". When I first had the problem everything was jumbled up, especially peoples faces. Now I just have problems navigating my way round complex moving environments, such as shopping centres.
