Patient Experience
"Once I learned how this surgery could straighten my left eye out from its significant misalignment, and had an opportunity to meet with the doctor and her team, this solution looked like my very best bet at returning to a normal life as a man in my 40’s."
After doctors explained the risks of surgery alongside the likely positive outcomes, Alf said the decision to proceed was obvious. One of his favorite parts of the procedure was waking up in the operating room and being asked to participate in the final alignment procedure with his surgeon and her team at Mass Eye & Ear. They carefully adjusted the angle of his left eye so that it pointed precisely straight ahead. His surgeon then cut the remaining ends of both sutures before the knots on each side retracted back inside the eyelid structure. His doctor communicated with him throughout the process, answered his questions, and completed the procedure with complete success.
Alf recalled wearing an eye patch for about a week and using eye drops periodically during recovery. There was some redness around the eye, but it diminished quickly as he followed the recovery instructions and took the prescribed medications. Within less than a month, he began returning to normal activities such as driving, sailing, walking, and full use of a computer. He was advised to avoid high-impact activities such as dancing and jumping in the short term, but those too were permitted again shortly after his follow-up examinations.
Patient Advice
1. Scope it out, assess your opinions, and obtain references on your prospective surgery team.
2. Ask any and all questions along the way, take notes on that, and discuss it with your trusted family and friends and your primary care physician.
3. Most importantly, choose the best team close to you in the area where you live.
4. And of course, follow all their instructions on the recovery cycle very carefully and confidently.