TWO WEEKS OUT from bilateral strabismus eye surgery at M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center in Minneapolis, my vision is looking good, pun intended.
Neuro ophthalmologist Dr. Collin McClelland was pleased with the results of his 1.5-hour surgery on my eyes. I saw him and his team last Wednesday for my post op visit. My previously misaligned eyes are now in full alignment. In three to four months, I should know the final outcome. Eyes can shift yet as muscles heal and my brain adapts to the new alignment.
This is a process, this recovery and healing. I can tell my brain is working hard to adapt to my new way of seeing the world. My eyes remain red, irritated and itchy. But I am looking less ghoulish each day with my eyes no longer leaking fluid and blood. Time, healing, ointment and eye drops have all helped.
Mostly gone is the double vision which led me first to my local ophthalmologist late last summer and then to the specialist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in October. Today I see double only upon awakening and for a while thereafter and when I’m overly-tired. That compares to more often than I could count pre-surgery. That is reason to feel thankful.
As you may expect, I arrived at my post-op visit with a list of questions, tasking Randy to take notes as I focused on eye checks done by two doctors and another medical staff member. Yes, the exams were repetitive and exhausting. But I appreciate the thoroughness of the post-op evaluations.
I won’t get into the medical details of my surgery, not that I understand them anyway. But I learned that Dr. McClelland worked on two muscles in my right eye and one in my left to realign my eyes. He had to work through extensive scar tissue from this same surgery done in 1960 by Dr. Theodore Fritsche in New Ulm.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of my recent surgery is the adjustable sutures stitched into my left eye. That’s exactly what it means. Adjustable. During recovery, when I was alert enough to focus on a big letter E across the room, Dr. McClelland tweaked the alignment based on what I saw. Twice he had to pull on the sutures to move my left eye into alignment. I’m thankful for the topical anesthetic eye drops that semi dulled the pain and for my inability to clearly see what he was doing. I could only see the blurry movement of his hands and what I think was a tweezers. I will admit the tug on my eye felt unsettling.
But here I am today, two weeks out from all of that. Each day brings some improvement in the physical appearance of my eyes and in the way my eyes feel. I still feel, though, like a pebble is stuck in my right eye. That, my surgeon explained, is likely the end of a suture irritating my eye. I asked him to clip it off. Of course, I was joking because I realized he couldn’t possibly do that. But I had to bring some humor into the post-op exam room where medical residents listened, observed and learned.
Healing takes time and patience. Not only do my eye muscles need to heal, but my brain needs time to adjust. I’ve learned a lot about the brain in the past year since developing neurological issues from COVID and undergoing six months of vestibular rehab therapy, finishing that less than five months ago. My brain, an amazing and complex organ, is still trying to manage all that goes into it.
Now with this recent eye surgery, I must limit screen and reading time. I learned this past Saturday that shopping is like physical therapy for my eye muscles and brain. My eyes hurt and I felt exhausted after grocery shopping and stops at Books on Central, Eclectic Alliance and a Big Box retailer. Eyes move a lot when you’re looking at items on store shelves. I overdid it.
My vision is not crystal clear and is sometimes blurry and distorted. I haven’t attempted photography yet, except with my cellphone. Putting anti-inflammatory drops into my eyes four times a day to reduce inflammation has proven challenging. I can’t seem to master that skill. I am thankful for Randy’s help.
Meanwhile, I am wearing prescription glasses without prisms. Before surgery, no number of prisms would correct my double vision. To see such improvements so soon after surgery leaves me feeling grateful to my surgeon and this team—for their knowledge, their skill and their compassion.
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NOTE: I am grateful also to you, my blog readers, for your support and encouragement offered in the comments section and in get well cards I’ve received. You’ve lifted my spirits. Thank you.
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
wow this is amazing recovery!!! Ypu seem to be doing well now without prism glasses and that has to be wonderful for you!!! Your updates are so intersting and we are thankful with you on your improvement. God has answered our prayers!!! He is Good. So happy for you as you continue to improve. yay!!!!
👀👀👀🩷😊🩷 kathy
Kathy, thank you for sharing in my PTL gratitude and joy. Seeing only one instead of double (most of the time) has been wonderful. I can tell my vision is evolving. I likely will need an updated prescription in a few months. Time and testing will tell.
Good news on your progress! Cheers and prayers from Virginia for your continued healing. 🙏🏼👁️👁️🙏🏼
Karen, thank you for your prayers and encouragement all the way from Virginia.
Yeah!
Amen!
So glad to hear you are doing well and healing. Take it easy (((((sending love, hugs, and healing vibes))))).
Thank you, Renee. After my “I did too much weekend” I tried to limit my activities today. I even took a short nap.
Wow, Audrey. What a journey! Thanks for sharing it with us.
It’s been a journey for sure, Beth. I hope others can learn from my experience.
It’s good to hear of your progress and perseverance. Keep that good attitude as long as you can. It’ll help.
Ken Wedding
I’m trying to stay positive, Ken. I deeply appreciate all the support I’ve gotten here, including from you. Every encouraging word helps.
this is amazing and such tremendous news! glad you liked the card, and I know that you are on your way, whatever the final outcome. would you ever have imagined this at the beginning of all of this?
Oh, Beth, I LOVE the card you created for me! If only you had been here to see my smile, to hear my laughter upon seeing and reading it. Thank you for your kindness.
No, I would not have ever imagined I would be on this journey that began a year ago with long COVID and now eye surgery. It’s been quite a year. By sharing my story, I hope to raise awareness and help others understand health struggles like long COVID and eye issues like mine, which are uncommon. I want to bring hope. I want to increase compassion and empathy.
❤
Congratulations you are well on to a full recovery -such good news.
It was really good news to hear from my surgeon last week!
Wonderful news!
Indeed, it is. PTL!
I’m so glad that you’re feeling better, Audrey! I love the photo of you with the flowers. You look beautiful!
Thank you, sweet Penny!
wonderful news— I am so happy your recovery is going so well. I didn’t think you’d be back to blogging so soon. Keep healing!
I didn’t know how soon I would be back to blogging either. The posts on my rock collection and observations from a life-long Minnesotan were written pre-surgery. Both of those posts republished in the last two weekend editions of the Faribault and Owatonna newspapers. So I needed to write those in advance, not knowing how good my vision would be. Now I need to come up with a post for this weekend. Only the posts on my eye surgery are ones I’ve written recently. I continue to pace myself as my eyes heal. When I do too much visually, my eyes hurt.
Thanks for keeping us updated on your good news. Sending continued hugs and prayers for healing. 💗
You’re welcome and thank you, Rose. You are so encouraging!
I am so, SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! You look amazing!
Awww, Janell, thank you! How I look varies. Like right now I don’t look so great as I’ve been on my computer too long today, trying to finish a writing assignment.
Just popping back into your blog after months of being MIA in the blogging world. I’m glad you are recovering from your eye Surgery, I’m sure it is a process to get to full healing. You are beautiful no matter what stage your eyes are in post op! Love the photo of you with the flowers. How thoughtful of your family.
It’s so good to hear from you, Jackie! Healing is a process. It takes time and patience. But considering my surgery was just two weeks ago, I feel like I’m doing quite well. Just need to be careful not to overdo it, which I did today and last weekend.
My son had gone through this surgery when he was a small boy. He might need this again. I am glad this turned out well for you Audrey. I have had four eye surgeries - cataracts and glaucoma. It is amazing what they can do these days. Every year new advances in eye health!
Keith, yes, it’s amazing what they can do with eye health. That said, my surgeon told me that strabismus surgery is still done basically the same as when I had it done 63 years ago, with the exception of the adjustable sutures. I’m so glad Ethan had the necessary surgery also to correct his double vision. And, yes, he may need to have it redone at some point in his life. I know cataract surgery is coming for me at some time also as they are already developing. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Praying for your continued healing. I had no idea those details would go into eye realignment surgery. It sounds like you are an incredibly brave woman. I personally struggle getting my teeth cleaned because of claustrophobia. I can’t even imagine what you are going through. I was squirming just reading about it.
Most people aren’t aware of this type of surgery, part of the reason I wrote about it. You do what you must sometimes, right? I repeated Psalm 46:10 in my head as I was about to go into surgery.
One of my favorite verses. I say it often myself!
It’s a powerful and comforting verse.
Good to read all the positive updates on your eye issue I’d never heard of. And you’ve experienced it twice! I don’t even want to think about routine cataract surgery. Giving thanks for excellent caregivers and doctors!!
I hoped my sharing would inform others. And, yes, I am thankful for gifted and caring medical providers. I had a great team at M Health Fairview Surgery Center and Clinics on the U of M campus.