Partial loss of vision after da Vinci robotic prostate removal

h2erk
h2erk Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Has any one encountered this? I had my prostate removed June 30th and after the 6 hour operation and 4 hour recovery, I finally made it to my hospital room. It was then that I noticed that my right eye wasn't responding too well. I could only see black/gray shades. The following morning, my colors had returned. However, after further testing, it was determined that I have lost vision between my 9 to 12 o'clock position in the right eye. The remainder of the eye is like looking through a tinted window. As of Aug 18, I'm still at a loss. None of the doctors appear to have any idea as to what may have happened. There attitude is the "wait and see" approach. Please help me out if you can.

Comments

  • novaguy
    novaguy Member Posts: 76
    #2
    That's a strange symptom
    That's a strange symptom that I've never heard of, and I had no vision problems after my da vinci. I did have some dizziness and nausea the first night, from the anesthesia, which they cured by injecting something into my IV.

    I note you surgery lasted 6 hours? That seems awfully long for da vinci. Mine was only a couple of hours, not counting another couple of hours recovery. Did they have complications? That's a long time to be under anesthesia, maybe it's a temporary effect from being under for that long. They say anesthesia can have some side effects that hang around for a while. Maybe you could talk with the anesthesiologist who put you under.
  • dopplerjockey
    dopplerjockey Member Posts: 39
    #3
    Vision Loss ??
    It sounds to me that you might have had a stroke either during or after the surgery. Vision loss like that is most connected with a loss of blood supply to certain areas of the brain. I speak from experience, as I survived two strokes that occured within 48 hrs. of each other,five summers ago. I lost upper lateral vision in both eyes, that still has not fully resolved, and most likely will not ever resolve. You might consider having an opthamologist evaluate you, as there are tests that can be performed to decide if the cause of the vision loss is mechanical or neurological (stroke). And I agree, a 6 hour Davinci for radical prostatectomy seems extremely long, especially when you think of the time under general anesthesia. Hope you get that figured out, and that your vision returns.
  • h2erk
    h2erk Member Posts: 3
    #4
    novaguy said:

    That's a strange symptom
    That's a strange symptom that I've never heard of, and I had no vision problems after my da vinci. I did have some dizziness and nausea the first night, from the anesthesia, which they cured by injecting something into my IV.

    I note you surgery lasted 6 hours? That seems awfully long for da vinci. Mine was only a couple of hours, not counting another couple of hours recovery. Did they have complications? That's a long time to be under anesthesia, maybe it's a temporary effect from being under for that long. They say anesthesia can have some side effects that hang around for a while. Maybe you could talk with the anesthesiologist who put you under.

    Partial loss of eye sight after robotic surgery
    I've been told by a doctor friend that being that it's the top inside quadrant of my eye that is most affected that she doesn't think it wold be the anesthesia.
  • h2erk
    h2erk Member Posts: 3
    #5
    dopplerjockey said:

    Vision Loss ??
    It sounds to me that you might have had a stroke either during or after the surgery. Vision loss like that is most connected with a loss of blood supply to certain areas of the brain. I speak from experience, as I survived two strokes that occured within 48 hrs. of each other,five summers ago. I lost upper lateral vision in both eyes, that still has not fully resolved, and most likely will not ever resolve. You might consider having an opthamologist evaluate you, as there are tests that can be performed to decide if the cause of the vision loss is mechanical or neurological (stroke). And I agree, a 6 hour Davinci for radical prostatectomy seems extremely long, especially when you think of the time under general anesthesia. Hope you get that figured out, and that your vision returns.

    The hospital also suspected
    The hospital also suspected a stroke. The MRI's supposely ruled that out. Have been to a top notch opthamologist. Go back Thursday for a 6 week re-evaluation to see if there are any signs of improvement. Right now, I'd say my vision has gotten worse.
  • novaguy
    novaguy Member Posts: 76
    #6
    h2erk said:

    The hospital also suspected
    The hospital also suspected a stroke. The MRI's supposely ruled that out. Have been to a top notch opthamologist. Go back Thursday for a 6 week re-evaluation to see if there are any signs of improvement. Right now, I'd say my vision has gotten worse.

    I put in "vision loss after
    I put in "vision loss after abdominal surgery" into google and picked up quite a few hits. I'm not a doctor, so can't judge what's accurate and what's not, but you might want to put that in yourself and see what you find. It appears that this is a rare complication of anesthesia and certain types of surgeries, and prostatectomy is listed in one of the articles. I wish you the best, and hope your vision returns soon. God bless.

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