Luke's Vitrectomy

The vitrectomy, overall, was a success.  The doctors were able to remove the vitreous fluid as well as the topo/jelly medicine that was in the vitreous cavity of the eye.  It was slow going at first, but in the end things went well.

The negative part of today is the side effects the topo/jelly combo did while inside the eye.  Luke has a detached retina, a hole in the macula, and he had some bleeding (hemorraghing) behind the retina.  From what I've read, it sounds typical that once a macular hole forms, vitreous fluid is able to seep into the retinal membrane, causing the retina to swell.  Thus, the retina will often tear away due to the swelling.  I think these all 3 go hand in hand. 

The hole in the macula means Luke will have some central vision loss.  It isn't clear at this point how severe that will be.

While the Dr.'s were performing the vitrectomy, they also removed approx. 90% of the largest tumor that was in his eye.  Normally tumor's aren't removed this way because it is too invasive.  Lasers and the localized chemo are the standard way to treat the tumors.  (I think) since they were already inside the eye, they decided to remove what they could of the tumor.  Secondly, with the detached retina, they won't be able to laser for a little while, and this was a good chance to remove the tumor so they don't have to worry about tumor growth, giving the retina a chance to heal.

Repair:
Hemorrhaging - While in the O.R., they cleaned up the bleeding behind the retina.

Retina - The Dr. was able to put the retina back into place, but it will need to heal on its own. 
How?  Once the vitreous fluid is removed from the eye, it is necessary to fill the cavity with another liquid.  Today, Luke's vitreous cavity was filled with a saline solution and an oil.  The oil was necessary due to the detached retina and the hole in the macula.  This oil will help to keep pressure on the retina/macula, hopefully allowing them to heal properly.

Macular Hole - This macular hole will eventually scab over, if the vitreous fluid can be kept out of it.  How does one keep the fluid out of the back of the eye you wonder?  By laying on your stomach...


Recovery:
The difficulty in the recovery process is that Luke needs to be face down as much as possible for the next while (hopefully just a few weeks).  For example - while holding him, he needs to be face down, tummy on your arm, type of position.  When sleeping, he needs a face down position.  I am sure you can imagine this is a difficult task for parents of a 4 month old.  Luke will also have steroids and antibiotic drops that will need to be administered every few hours.

The oil will need to be removed at some point from Luke's eye.  It is anticipated that the oil will remain for 3-6 months, but possibly up to a year before they'll do another surgery to remove it.


What is the Macula?
The macula is responsible for your fine, detailed vision.  It is part of your 'central' vision.  Great video clip below.





(Disclaimer - I'm just a regular mom trying my best to decipher what I hear and research - feel free to correct me if I am wrong!  I am not a doctor!  -Emily)

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This is tough stuff to handle.  I think we will all agree that Leslie and Richard need a break.  Being a self-appointed PR rep, I am able to filter through many messages of hope and support given to the Low's.  I know they want to tell everyone thank you so much for the love and support.  I want to say, keep it coming.  :)  They need all the prayers they can get about now...