Anyone have Salzmann nodular degeneration?

Posted by Dee @udas, Jun 22, 2022

Does anyone have this condition? Have you been treated to correct your vision? How was it treated? Did your vision improve?
I have had cataract surgery and my vision is worse than before the cataract surgery and supposedly that is due to the Salzmann nodule condition. Are there any new procedures that will correct the situstion? I am interested in any comments from people with this condition.

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Welcome @udas. This article describes some of the treatment options available.
- Salzmann nodular degeneration: prevalence, impact, and management strategies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6663077/

Were you only made aware that you have Salzmann nodular degeneration after the cataract surgery failed? Did your ophthalmologist say that corrective surgery may be possible for you?

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I was told I had Salzmann Nodule, but not told it might affect my vision after cataract surgery. I was told by Wolfe Clinic that they would not guarantee better vision if they did my other eye for cataract surgery. no mentionwas made of an ability to fix the eye that has had the cataract surgery.

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Wow, reading your notes is concerning, but I'm thankful you posted. I've had a Salzmann nodule for years. While it does cause stinging and feels like a foreign body in my eye at times, my optometrist told me they are harmless unless they become too large and interfere with vision then they have to be removed. I have early cataracts, so will be asking about this before any cataract surgery. I just read from the link above that more often than not it's bilateral. I was told I would probably never get it in my other eye. See better out of the eye with the nodule even though that eye has a more advanced cataract than the other. I've had my nodule a very long time. Did all of you have just one or more?

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My son (41) has advanced SND in both eyes. He is getting the surgery done at Stanford on May 16th, on the first eye. His vision is so poorly on his "bad eye days", that he has to leave work. Some days he can't drive. He is an RN and his job entails computer work/charting, for his patients. It will be scraped off. I sure hope it will be successful!!

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@di341

My son (41) has advanced SND in both eyes. He is getting the surgery done at Stanford on May 16th, on the first eye. His vision is so poorly on his "bad eye days", that he has to leave work. Some days he can't drive. He is an RN and his job entails computer work/charting, for his patients. It will be scraped off. I sure hope it will be successful!!

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I'm so sorry to hear about your son. Can I ask for a detailed description of exactly what happens to his vision on his bad days? What is he seeing or not seeing? Thank you. I would also appreciate you posting a followup after his surgery to let us know how the procedure was and the outcome. Prayers for your son.

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On his bad vision days, his sight was so blurry that he couldn't make out anything on his computer screen. Sometimes he suffered double vision. He used warm compresses every morning and night. He does wear glasses.

He had his surgery on May 17th. He had his worse eye done. The surgeon elected to do it all by hand, no lasers. She said that she has better outcomes. Yesterday she removed the "contact bandage" from his eye. His vision in that eye is still very blurry and poor. She said to give it a month. At one month, he needs a new prescription for his eyeglasses. Like she said, his vision won't be any better than his normal vision was. The difference will be his consistency of vision. With the right glasses, he should see much better. He is struggling right now and questioning but it's early days. He is impatient to heal and was hoping by now it would be cleared up a bit. I'll keep you posted.

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@di341

On his bad vision days, his sight was so blurry that he couldn't make out anything on his computer screen. Sometimes he suffered double vision. He used warm compresses every morning and night. He does wear glasses.

He had his surgery on May 17th. He had his worse eye done. The surgeon elected to do it all by hand, no lasers. She said that she has better outcomes. Yesterday she removed the "contact bandage" from his eye. His vision in that eye is still very blurry and poor. She said to give it a month. At one month, he needs a new prescription for his eyeglasses. Like she said, his vision won't be any better than his normal vision was. The difference will be his consistency of vision. With the right glasses, he should see much better. He is struggling right now and questioning but it's early days. He is impatient to heal and was hoping by now it would be cleared up a bit. I'll keep you posted.

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Thank you for the response @di341

So very scary and frustrating for your son. I can understand his frustration as vision is key. Still in my prayers. Zebra

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Hi, how is your sons vision since his procedure?

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Time for an update on my son. As predicted, the vision continued to improve over months. It finally settled and he will be able to get a correct pair of glasses for that eye. He is THRILLED to have a consistent vision in that eye. No more waking in the morning and wondering if he will see that day.

Tomorrow it's back to Stanford to get surgery on his other eye. We're ready this time, knowing what we know about what to expect.

They did not give him pain meds last time, as it is very hard to control pain on the surface of the eye. Tylenol did not do enough for him directly after surgery, as it also created a huge headache. We got him some Norco which was a Godsend. It controlled the headache and helped him to get some sleep. He used it for 48 hrs. following the surgery.

So, here we go again. He knows it will be very painful but we have the pain meds ready and hopefully will avoid the migraine "like" headache.

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