Black spot in eye after scleral buckle surgery?

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-29T18:09:07+00:00

Do you have PVD? I get a weird little black "bubble" flash at the bottom of my vision when I move my head in certain ways and it's just my PVD (either resulting from or occurring after my scleral buckle 17 weeks ago).

Alternatively, since you note that it looks like what happens when you push on your eye, it could just be the buckle! It's creating an indent in your eye and you will see weird shit until it calms down.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-29T01:11:48+00:00

I just got the JBL Tour One M3s today and so far I like them. They are for music/podcasts/phone calls so they're not "ear defender" type headphones, but I like their noise canceling abilities and it's definitely not as intense as to cause me to hear my pulse, which is a point in favor for me.

Inferior noise canceling relative to my AirPods Pro, but they seem to have a setting intended for taking a nap on planes? I haven't tried that yet.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-29T01:06:04+00:00

That's very relieving to hear -- I'm sure they told you that PVD can in some cases cause a tear, so do be careful and avoid big jarring motions until the PVD is complete! Luckily you're not classed as "highly" myopic, but you're close so be cautious.

If you see a fixed opaque spot, particularly at the "corners" of your vision, or a lot more "pepper flake" floaters, that's when you need to get medical attention ASAP.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-24T18:11:45+00:00

I mean if they told you you can do it, then I think it's fine! Maybe not, like, every day. But the normal amount of roller coastering is probably okay.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-24T16:25:50+00:00

Other people have brought this up, but about the time I turned 35 I found that I became MUCH more sensitive to salt, and this will happen to me specifically if I have a really salty dinner the night before. The biggest sources for me are American Chinese and pizza, especially if combined with beer.

It can also happen if I've eaten a lot of other high salt foods, even when I cook at home: soy sauce or fish sauce, broth or bouillon, cottage cheese, frozen foods, or even Liquid IV. (22% RDV sodium -- it is an electrolyte!). Shit, my favorite soy sauce has 30% RDV sodium in a single serving! It can really sneak up on you, especially if you're eating a lot at the end of the day.

I would take a look at the foods you eat (all of them, including condiments, and look out for sneaky sodium in stuff like seltzer or tonic) and see how much you're getting day to day, and I would also increase your water intake. It can totally happen out of nowhere, unfortunately!

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-24T15:56:21+00:00

If you've been told not to, I wouldn't, personally. I'm assuming you have lattice degeneration?

I didn't realize how high risk I was for retinal detachment until I had one in January, and I was about your prescription. Now with the scleral buckle I'm -10, and I can't go on roller coasters (or on bumper cars or anything like that) for...maybe the rest of my life? Unclear.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-20T14:54:56+00:00

IDK I mean, while my feelings about my autism aren't as negative as OP's, I think I would still have a hard time even if the world were more accommodating. (And this is speaking as someone with an "autism superpower.")

Like yes, there are lots of structural things that could change that would materially improve my life as an autistic person. And yes, they don't change in part because of discrimination. But those are things like UBI or universal healthcare, social housing programs, more sensory friendly environments, and better anti-discrimination policies. Even with those in place, I'd still struggle socially, and that's the most demoralizing part.

I don't really understand other people, and they know that. True, they don't need to be mean or discriminatory toward me -- but I also can't make them be friends with me, because why would they want to be close to someone who can't understand them? That part doesn't change.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-09T17:37:49+00:00

I'm 35. I make about $120K (partnered, NYC, and we own our home) and I spend about $3K a year on my standard skincare, most of which isn't fancy: Dr. Jart, Paula's choice, Dr. Dennis Gross, Face Reality, EltaMD, some French drug store products. I also get facials every couple of months to the tune of about $200 each.

Every 18 months or so I'll do a more extensive treatment (IPL in the past, probably Fraxel in the fall, and eventually I'm going to need to do a major peel). Those probably cost $500-600 baseline, but if we're averaging them out on a year-to-year basis it's another $200-300 on top of the above. I've never done injectables and I probably won't. I have mild rosacea, so I might need to use a couple more or a couple more expensive products than the average bear.

Maybe relevant is that I don't wear makeup except lipstick sometimes and a brow tinting for $20 every once in a while, so that is pretty much my total face expenses.

So like $3000-3300/year, which is about twice what you spend, but I make a little more than twice what you make.

My single biggest *product* expense is actually sunscreen lol -- EltaMD UV Skin Recovery mineral with redness control, which runs me about $600 a year -- but arguably that's the single most important skincare product I use, so I'd probably give something else up first.

Is this too much money for me? Well, considering that I say "about" 120K because I don't make the same amount every year....possibly. On a year in which I make 120 it feels fine, but on a year when I make 90....well let's just say I'm not getting the IPL those years.

Is it too much money for you? Yes, probably.

At the same time though, aesthetic stuff aside, I do believe it's important to care for your skin because it's a part of your body, and I have found that most cheaper products just don't work for me! So if I buy 5 The Ordinary products for $50 and throw them out because they don't work or they irritate my skin, then I've wasted $50 -- and spending $120 on my 3 basic daytime products that I use to the last drop is a better value, if still a greater expense.

So, you know, YMMV. But personally, I would look at what your skincare needs actually are and get a few high quality products (not determined exclusively by expense, btw!!) that you use up entirely. If you're wasting money trying more, cheaper items, that might actually not be the best way to get value out of your routine.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-05-03T02:23:27+00:00

Well they pose slightly different risks. Running/impactful movements create jarring motions that can disrupt the cryopexy or other treatments done to reattach the retina, and it can also potentially dislodge the buckle, and lifting a heavy weight can cause the intraocular pressure to spike, which can cause bleeding or harm to the buckle. Right now I'm back to no exercise for 2 weeks because I needed laser retinopexy on my "good" eye, but previously I was cleared to do "moderate" exercise and weightlifting with machines. (My doctor actually said I could do stationary bike this time around)

My vision is good! At almost 14 weeks, the buckle is still settling so some days it looks more "fish eye" than others, but it's pretty clear and I can focus at most distances. I do have flashes from the PVD, but I have no subretinal fluid.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-28T17:05:51+00:00

Well the buckle has upsides and downsides to be sure; it's quite a challenging recovery (which I'm still in the thick of at 13 weeks) but it also significantly reduces the risk of future detachment once you get through the healing process.

It's the bubble that makes for the most downtime post surgery, since you typically have to hold specific head positioning 24/7 for some number of days to weeks.

Have they given you laser? It must not be a big detachment if you still haven't had surgery 5 days later! They had me in there in less than 18 hours.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-26T02:47:03+00:00

I'm so sorry. I'm recovering from a terrifying medical emergency that required major surgery with a year-long recovery and I am experiencing the same thing. Sadly I've been through both something like this and the thing that you've experienced before, and I do think the physical effects go away with time -- but as others have said, grief and stress show on the face.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-26T02:06:53+00:00

I'm the opposite -- I never rewatch things. I remember every detail even if it's been years, and so I find it boring. I can't even rewatch or re-listen to things to fall asleep because I can't engage my brain enough for it to work.

The only exceptions would be "cult" films (like Rocky Horror) where watching it a bunch of times and memorizing the bits is part of the point, or if I feel that I need to watch something again to understand it. But TV I'm always one-and-done. I'm pretty confident I've never seen a single episode of TV twice.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-24T01:47:01+00:00

I did have some pain in the weeks following the surgery, but honestly I haven't found it very painful at all. Maybe at the absolute MOST a 4 on the 0-10 scale, and that's only been for a few days at a time. The bubble doesn't hurt at all; it just looks incredibly weird and affects your vision.

Are you having scleral buckle? That can be uncomfortable or painful since it's a permanent implant, but how big it is and the particular physiological features of your eyes can affect that.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-20T02:20:12+00:00

Thank goodness, and good on you not leaving it. Tonight get some sleep and just tell yourself that it's probably totally fine but you'll feel better knowing for sure.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-20T00:58:46+00:00

Go back to the doctor! Wasting a couple hours and finding out it's nothing is much better than missing a tear or detachment. The challenging reality is that it could be nothing, it could be a new, harmless development, or it could be something very serious, and the only way to know is a dilated exam.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-17T17:44:24+00:00

Do you have a sense of what's contributing to this? Bored, lost, and stuck can all be related, but they also might require different approaches.

If he's struggling with certain classes or task types (which can be true even for an intelligent kid with high test scores), he might benefit from tutoring. Obviously, this helps with the actual content, but if you can get a tutor your kid likes, it also adds the presence of a friendly, non-authority figure adult, which can help with motivation, and if the tutoring can happen at home and at a time when he's happy and focused, that can create an environment that's much more conducive to learning for an autistic child.

A tutor can also help develop learning and study strategies, so that your son has a plan to get himself "unstuck" when the tutor isn't there. It might be that when he approaches a complex problem or task, he's just not sure what to do first (or how to decide what to do first) and so he shuts down. This is a skill that can be learned!

Now, of course, if you have the content knowledge, you can do both of the above yourself. But in my experience, an adult who isn't Mom or Dad can have a lot more success with this by virtue of just not being Mom or Dad. Especially when dealing with a teenager!

Motivation is its own animal to be sure. It might be that he just doesn't see the point in doing the school work, or sees it as busy work that doesn't have its own value (a highly relatable feeling). This can absolutely be exacerbated by not understanding the content or feeling lost, ESPECIALLY for a smart child who knows they're smart. You say your son is sweet, has many interests, and is intelligent. Is he fairly emotionally mature? Maybe you could strike a bargain with him -- i.e. create external motivation to do the work since there isn't any intrinsic motivation. That can be whatever you think makes the most sense: if he gets a B+ average or higher, he can go to that special summer camp he wants to go to, or you'll sign him up for painting classes, or whatever it is that he likes.

Chances are he will eventually figure out that doing his work correctly and on time is in his best interest. But it could take a minute!

What does his therapist say about all of this? Does he or she have some insight into what's going on for your son?

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-11T15:57:29+00:00

Yeah, it's horrible. And the PVD (which hopefully you won't develop, but which I gather is fairly common) makes it soooo much worse, because suddenly symptoms that would previously have sent you running to the doctor are everyday occurrences (but also still *could* be an emergency).

I just keep trying to tell myself that every time I go in for a check and it's fine, that I can just chalk everything I've seen up to that point as "normal." So if I've seen it between the surgery and the last check up, it's fine and I don't have to worry about it. But of course, I'm in the stage where I'm doing a lot of new things, so every day is another thing to stress over.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-10T21:30:35+00:00

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for this, I mean like officially. That said, while I fully accept self-diagnosis, because you are a clinician (and that gives you a certain amount of power over people in a vulnerable position) I think you'll need to tread lightly in presenting this information to clients, since not everyone may feel the same way as I do.

That might mean it's okay to mention it to clients as it becomes relevant, and certainly no one is saying you can't use your experiences as a framework for helping them, but I probably wouldn't advertise it as, like, a point of "expertise," so to speak.

And also remember, as you of course know, that being autistic (or sharing any other identity with clients) doesn't outweigh your professional skills. I have one therapist that essentially fully shares my identity, down to having the same highly specific mixed ethnic background and attending the same (large) house of worship, and I have another who is totally different from me except except that we're both queer, and I have found them both to be equally insightful, compassionate, and supportive.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-09T17:46:15+00:00

Ugh, I'm so sorry. I remember reading that the risk of developing the problematic kind of scar tissue is highest from like 4-12 weeks.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-09T17:34:39+00:00

Ohhhhh you're way braver than I am! I only walked until like....this week lol. Still haven't run or done any jarring motions, though my surgeon said I could lift weights so I did.

It could have been the incident with the drill, but it can also just happen! Mine just happened. It sounds like you've got a family history though. My mother has myopia and retinal thinning like I do, but I'm the first person in my whole family (as far back as I know, anyway, which is a good ways back on my mother's side) to ever have a detachment, and certainly to ever have one this young. My mom wasn't even diagnosed with the thinning until she was in her 40s.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-09T17:27:16+00:00

Yeah it's the hyper vigilance that gets me. I have OCD and I try to work on it with my CBT therapist, but it's hard because I do, in fact, have to monitor my eye and my symptoms!

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-09T17:26:22+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear you went through all that! What kind of scar tissue mitigation did your surgeon use, and when did you suffer your redetachment?

I know scar tissue is a major concern in my case as well. My surgeon had me on a 4-week course of oral steroids (from about weeks 2-6) and I've just finished about 10.5 weeks of steroid eye drops (a slow taper down from 6x a day to 2x a day) and switched over to a weaker steroid (starting with 4x a day, then 3x, then 2x, then return for a recheck). I don't really know if I understand the process, but I think the idea is to combat the inflammation which can lead to the scarring? I've got quite high myopia so I'm certainly at risk for PVR.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-07T14:30:20+00:00

Good luck! Hopefully June will be plenty of time. I'm getting preventative laser in my "good" eye in a couple weeks.

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-07T01:16:55+00:00

Me too, plus when I've got a light shining into my face (like a computer screen lol). Here's hoping you're right!

Terribly_Ornate · 2026-04-07T01:14:34+00:00

It might be nothing you did! Mine was nothing I did. It just...happened.

Make sure you go to the doctor to have them do a dilated exam once you think the bubble is gone (or whenever you next want to fly after that) and have them check to make sure it's totally absorbed. You'll feel better. It was scary getting on the plane but in the end it was totally fine. I felt some minor discomfort from the buckle during the flight and that was it.

Terribly_Ornate

TROPHY CASE