After Iridotomy - eye pain and headaches 2 months later

I’m 74 y/o. I had Covid in Jan 2022. About a month later, I began to have itchiness in my left eye. I began to see a retina ophthalmologist. My vision began to deteriorate and in September I had a vitrectomy with membrane peel. Prior to surgery my vision was 20/80. Post surgery 20/25. I still have distortion of vision, and require reading glasses, especially in dim lighting. I’m off of all eye meds. Overall, I believe my result is as good as I could have expected. For members who have had this surgery, I wonder what the longer term prognosis is ? I’m also curious if any members have developed uveitis Post Covid. Good health to all.

Hi Tony, Do you still experience pain ? I had laser iridotomy done on my right eyes and still feeling ache, pain after 2 weeks its also driving me nuts...i dont really know what to do know. Do you have any advice ?

I had both eyes done and the pain was excruciating for about 2 weeks. Light sensitivity was off the charts! One night it was so bad I was looking up (with great pain and strain) remedies for the pain and found that coffee could help. Mind you it was 2:30am but at that point I'd try anything! I was journaling all this in the dark, wearing sunglasses over my glasses with TV light because that's about as much as I could take. By 3:30am I was able to finally fall asleep. Along with the coffee I used OTC dry eye drops and prescription neomycin eye drops. I don't know if it was the coffee or a combination of them all but who cares! Lol! Hope you're feeling better at this point. Praying it eases off sooner than later! God bless! I haven't had any problems since the surgery back in November.

I just had yag done on both eyes for narrow angles. The right eye didn't hurt at all. The left eye hurt a little. Everything was fine in fact I drove home a 35 minute drive. I only saw what seemed to be a line in left eye for about an hour. During the night I kept waking up with a headache or pain in my left side of head and ear area (not my eye.) This morning everything was fine. It's only been one day exactly so I can't comment any further. I may update if something occurs.

It's absolutely terrifying to read the testimonials here. I overcame Lyme disease a year ago and thought that I had fixed all my major issues. I was told I had a condition that needed an iridotomy procedure when I went to get eyeglasses which I hesitated about as I distrust mainstream medical practices immensely but I decided to get it done at a reputable ophthalmologist clinic in Oakville, On. to avoid drops for the rest of my life if it developed into a pre Glaucoma issue. I can no longer look out a window comfortably (annoying while driving) due to a weird misdirected light in my eyes and this impacts walks, etc. and every day above my right eye I get pressure headaches that feels as though there's something about to explode behind my sinuses/eye. It eventually spreads to the left side. I had zero issues with my eyes prior to this procedure and simply went by their expertise and now I have this mess. Did anyone find a way to fix it? I think I may try going on an all fruit (and some greens) raw food diet to try to rectify it, if it's to do with pressure and inflammation. The body can heal itself from so many ailments with this type of diet...if it works, and it could take months/years, I'll let you guys know. We need hope.

Hello everyone, glad I found this group. Like others, I was told I needed to have the iridotomy done in both eyes as prevention of angle closure (acute or chronic). At first I hesitated, as I have read that most people will not proceed to angle closure but when the doctor said I needed it within 3 months, I assumed he suspected I was at risk.
Well I wish I listened to my gut. It's been 3 weeks since the procedure and I feel my eyes are getting worse as the weeks go by. I have blurry vision, see black and white spots when outdoors and a general heavy feeling in my eyes. Oh not to mention, I never needed glasses to use my computer or cell phone and now do. It is very frustrating and upsetting to hear that so many of us are told to have this done prophylactically.
For now I am using dry eye drops and hot compress several times a day but will go back to the doctor and share my concerns. This isn't what I signed up for. There were no side effects mentioned to me only that I would be cured! Now I ask, cured of what?
Wishing everyone better health and wellness.

I have the same trouble. Left eye was a breeze, but right eye not so. At one point there was sharp pain. I too have a high pain tolerance. It went away, but I had severe headaches along the right side of my head for several days. Advil did manage it. I talked to my doctor and she said something about maybe a nerve got irritated (I didn't really understand what she said) because the headaches subsided nobody seemed concerned. But they are back intermittently. Not as bad and because I have bad allergies that affect my sinuses, I figured maybe that was the cause. But the pressure and right side headaches are different than my allergy headaches. I never have had that kind of headache before the LPI.
Does it eventually go away? I too am worried.

Hello, I saw your post and am also in Toronto. Do you mind sharing the name of the doctor you saw that you mentioned was Head of the Department of eye surgery? Do you have any side effects from the laser iridotomy?

Same thing here, I walked in casually to have my power checked to my opthalmologist. There started my unfortunate journey to Yag laser peripheral iridotomy for narrow angle closure Glaucoma which was, my dr. assured me , a breeze, and it was ,for a month. Did on aug 1 st 2024. But sept.1 st exactly a month later developed acute eye pain in the left eye, throbbing pain around eyes and eyebrows, which just didn't go away at all!!!! Visited my opthalmologist who checked and declared that no blockage was there, it was a perfect iridotomy, my sinusitis was to be checked and if that wasn't the issue , then a neurologist to be consulted for migraine. I went to my physician who checked my bp and found it to be extremely high, ( I'm 64 yrs, have never had high bp , no diabetes) and started me on bp medicine.
Again , My eye pain started visited my opthalmologist, she , ofcourse assured me that iridotomy was not the issue should be neuroligical. But I feel it is the laser treatment side effects. Has anyone affected got a solution so far? Am I in danger of losing my eyesight inspite of iridotomy or because of it?

Yes. Exactly similar issues I fundego till date. I had my LOI done on aug1 st, from September
5th , head aches, eye pain and high bp. Opthalmologist insists that LPI is perfectly done and there is no blockage. But not addressing the acute eye pain and migraine like head ache which I never had previously. Neither did I ever have high bp in my whole 64 yrs of life till September 5 th. I pray there is some remedy for this obvious side effects of LPI, which the opthalmologist didn't inform at all. CST , I'm going to try, but alternative treatments for bp, eyepain, I'm hesitant to start.