Wednesday, April 11, 2012
I just returned from a very stressful two-weeks in Florida. It all began with conversations with my brother in March. Bob said he had “floaters” and “black spots” in his left eye. A week later he reported that his vision in that eye was slowly diminishing, as if a dark curtain was being drawn across the eye. He could see half of objects in his visual field, but the rest was dark. He decided to go to a local optometrist to get some answers. Bob reported back that the doctor said he had “a torn or detached retina” and it was vital to get emergency treatment ASAP. With that information, Bob called his eye doctor in New York for advice, and Dr. Katz recommended the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.
Sunrise Over Miami
Meanwhile, I searched for any and all information I could find on the Internet pertaining to detached retinas. Yes, I discovered, it was a “Medical Emergency“. The advice on the internet from the Mayo Clinic and a variety of other medical sites was to go to a retina specialist immediately in order to prevent further damage and permanent blindness. My brother’s other problem was that he is the sole caretaker for his wife, who has end-stage renal failure and must have dialysis treatments three-times a week. Bob also takes care of our 87 year old mother. They had been living in Florida for the winter in my mother’s condo in Delray Beach. Bob does all the shopping, cooking, entertainment, and driving for them. As soon as I received Bob’s permission to help him, I prepared to fly down. As I packed my suitcase, Jeff booked my flight and hotel and secured a rental car at West Palm Beach Airport. I took the last JetBlue flight out of Westchester Airport on Tuesday, March 27th.
Bob and Joan met me at my hotel in Delray Beach about 10:00 PM and we immediately drove to Miami. The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is nothing short of “Amazing”! It has 24-hour emergency care and treatment just for eye problems. The institute is affiliated with the University of Miami Medical School and Health System and is part of the huge campus of the Jackson Medical Complex. It was rated the #1 Eye Hospital in the U. S. for 8 years, according to The US News and World Report ranking of best hospitals in the country. After a thorough examination of Bob’s eyes, the doctor on-call made an appointment for Bob to meet with the surgeon in the retina unit. Bascom Palmer has sub-specialities which has different units for specific eye-related problems: retina, cornea, macula, etc. The surgeon who was recommended to Bob was Dr. Thomas Shane who is a Chief of Residency and an Instructor of Ophthalmology at the medical school and an expert in Retinal Detachments. Who knew???!!!
A Doctor in Scrubs Walking Past the Waiting Room
We returned to the institute on Friday and Dr. Shane examined Bob’s eyes and explained the reattachment procedure. Bob was given an appointment for surgery on Monday morning, April 2nd at 7:00 AM. It’s a 50 mile drive from Delray Beach and we drove through Miami rush-hour traffic on Route 95 to check in. The entire procedure ran like a well-orchestrated concert. Ten surgical rooms were being used on this day. Everything went very well: from the warm greeting of the reception desk personnel to the computer monitor which tracked Bob’s progress pre-op through post-op, to Dr. Shane’s warm handshake and expression of a successful surgery. For Bob’s part, he was an excellent patient and he was very brave. Bascom Palmer gets very high ratings from us for patient and family care and attention.
Surgical Schedule
The surgical procedure was done on an out-patient basis without general anesthesia. The surgery entails repairing the torn retina with a laser and then replacing the vitreous fluid with a “bubble of gas”. Bob emerged from the surgery wing with a large patch over his eye and he was a little groggy. He had to keep his head down, “face parallel to the floor” for a week and Dr. Shane wanted Bob to return the next day for a follow-up exam. I drove Bob back to the condo to rest for the night and then picked him up early the next morning.
Dr. Shane explained the surgery to us and reassured us that he was pleased that it went very well. Bob was instructed to return for another visit in a week to monitor the healing progress. Bob rested all week, faithfully applied the eye-drops, and kept his head down. It was a rough stress-filled week. The following Tuesday, April 24th, we returned to see Dr. Shane again. He told us that everything was going along as expected and the reattachment of the retina was progressing very well. The best news for Bob was that he didn’t have to hold his head in the down position any more! We all breathed a hugh sigh of relief, laughed, and thanked Dr. Shane with heartfelt gratitude.
The prognosis for Bob’s vision looks good. There is still very little vision in Bob’s left eye, but he reports that he can see the top of the gas bubble and is beginning to see shapes. As the gas bubble is shrinking, Bob’s vision is expected to improve according to Dr. Shane. The lesson we learned from this experience is that if someone sees “black spots” or “black dots” or anything else unusual in either eye, RUN (don’t walk!) to the nearest opthamologist ASAP. A detached retina is a Medical Emergency and the alternative is blindness.
I guess I can’t go anywhere without taking pictures! Here are some more photos that I took with my iPhone:
The Atlantic Ocean
Breakfast in the Tropics
“Poof” the Macaw
Pool at the Hotel
Lighted Palm at Night
View of Miami From Bascom Palmer Eye Institute