Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 9/28/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dr. Levy,
I have had two completely different sugeries four years apart and after both I have had the same vision problems.  My vision is extremely blurry for about five days following the surgery, to the point that I cannot watch television or see my computer screen. I am under 30 and am in good shape, normal weight and have very good blood pressure. I am slated for another surgery in a few weeks and am very worried about another episode of vision problems. Is there anything that can be done to keep this from happening again?

ANSWER: To be honest, I can't think why your eyes are blurry for that long. Ocassionally we put a creme in the eyes to prevent injuries but the blurriness should go away within a day. There is no ANESTHETIC reason I can think of that would cause that. You might want to check with an opthalmologist to make sure you don't have any underlying problems with your vision.

Sorry I can't be of more help,

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply! I have done a bit more research in the days since I asked this question, and I did find one medical study that discusses "Vision Problems After Spine Surgery with Controlled Hypotension" where there appear to be serious eyesight complications as a result. Now I haven't had spinal surgery but I'm wondering if the "controlled hypotension" piece is what I should be focusing on.  Any thoughts?

Answer
No it's not where you should be focusing. The problem with the spine surgery is that the person is on their stomach, they are kept hypotensive but also, since their face is in a pillow potentially putting pressure on the eyes, they get damage to the optic nerve. This is a very rare complications and unlikely related to your problem.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston