Hi CD

I have to have eye surgery on 26/9. My mom has glaucoma and I have high eye pressure which keeps going up. I use 3 eye drops but my pressure still seems to go up. I went to my eye specialist in March and he warned me that I might have to consider surgery to bring the pressures down, especially if the pressures were higher at my next visit. When I went on 01/09 the pressures were still higher. It seems I have thin corneas (which apparently my brother says my dad has!). This means the opthalmologist has to make adjustments for normal glaucoma pressure readings, i.e. they have to add 5 points to the glaucoma test readings to each eye. My eye specialist said this equipment only became available last year and that is how he discovered I have thin corneas. My normal glaucoma readings in March were:

R: 14
L: 19
both without adjustments.

On 01/09 they were:

R:19/20
L:23/25
also both without adjustments.

Normal readings are supposed to be between 12&20. If you have thin corneas, he said the ideal maximum is 15!

He said therefore the surgery was now definitely necessary. The problem: the surgeon who is going to do my procedures is emigrating back to Israel! However he is able to do my procedure on my one eye on 26/09 and is doing the other one 31/10. He is not here for the whole of Oct and only operates Weds! My questions are (a) How do they immobilize your head?! Isnt this necessary?! (b) What type of local anaesthetic do you think I will get? . I am SO worried about getting nausea afterwards! If its something I CANT deal with, its dizziness and nausea after being in theatre! Or are you more prone to getting nausea afterwards from having a general than a local?

My eye specialist didnt seem to think there would be any problem with the surgeon not being available at a later stage. He could deal with any problems that he doesnt think will occur anyway. He is not doing the procedure. His colleague, who is a top glaucoma surgeon will do it. I am going to see him Wed next week.

The only thing I dont fancy is that my eye specialist seemed to mention that I might need glasses. I am having a combined glaucoma/cataract procedure. The reason for the cataract procedure seems to be one can develop cataracts once you are older after having had a glaucoma procedure, so they prefer to do the two together.

Thanks for the help.