Laser eye surgery and ITP

Anyone had laser eye surgery with ITP?

My eye doctor is (well I won't say it) but last time I was there she said no worries blah blah blah.

This time around finally agreed I needed new glasses (reading) used terms like almost doubled. For distance very little change. So I'll get my new bifocals in a week or two. Now last time she said she found Guttata this time she says i've had them since the 90's. (wish she would make up her mind).

Now at this visit she also informed me my cornea are thinning and I have a small hole in one of them. She's referring me to a eye surgeon to see if he feels laser surgery is in order to stabilized the hole.


So my question is has anyone had laser surgery and is there any concern I should have other than making sure my counts are decent before hand?


My other question has anyone ever heard of ITP treatments cause increased ocular pressure? Treatments i've had are: Pred (once) IVIG (many times) cyclophosimide (5) Rhogam(many many times) Rituxan (4 dose round).

Not the kind of surgery your doctor might do on you--but cataract surgery. No problem at all as far as ITP went. Ophthamologist didn't care what my platelets were.

Coincidentally, I'm in a similar position. Three weeks ago, my ophthalmologist told me I need laser iridotomy as a preventive measure for acute angle closure glaucoma. That very morning, my platelet count was 6, and I told him that. There is some risk of bleeding with this surgery in a platelet-normal person. He told me he would not consider it for me until my count is safer.

I'm a surgery-phobe, so I've been doing a ton of reading before deciding about this recommendation. I found that steroid drugs are a known trigger for intra-ocular pressure spikes (glaucoma). I had been on 20 mgs/daily of pred in the month previous to the eye exam; but in my ignorance, I didn't know to ask the eye doc about the relationship.

It's my understanding that different areas of the eyeball have varying degrees of vascularity and each would be subject to its own bleeding risk. Also, the type of laser used (Yag, argon, etc.) carries its own degree of risk. You would be wise to discuss it all with your own eye surgeon.

Narrow angle glaucoma can cause blindness - not a condition I would mess with. I know someone who had it and had surgery on both eyes, no bleeding or complications.

Midwest my friend was told to get in immediately of certain symptoms showed up - I hope you were too.

Thank you I knew if I asked someone would know something. Yes I will be talking to him about the risk of bleeding and about my low platelets.

At this point I do not even know if he will want to do surgery I just wanted to be fully prepared. Most importantly can't wait for my new glasses hopefully I see better.

My brother had glaucoma at approx. 40 years of age. So it puts me at a higher risk but so far nothing. There is a possibility I'll be diagnosed with fuch's dystrophy.

Thank you both again! This is why I love this site there is always someone with similar situation that can help!

Melinda wrote: Narrow angle glaucoma can cause blindness - not a condition I would mess with. I know someone who had it and had surgery on both eyes, no bleeding or complications.

Midwest my friend was told to get in immediately of certain symptoms showed up - I hope you were too.

Yes, I know what to watch for and that it can cause blindness. Unfortunately, so can the surgery. Also, only about 20% of people with narrow angles ever go on to have complete closure. Of those, emergency surgery within 24 hours will usually prevent blindness and result in almost total recovery.

The primary, huge issue for me is that I am already legally blind in one eye. The other can be corrected to 20/15, better than the average unaided eye. I have only one eye to 'sacrifice' to potential surgeon error, which scares me witless.

Given the hundreds of reports I'm reading in glaucoma-specific forums of the intolerable side effects of this surgery (which include loss of vision, livelihoods, and driving privileges), I'm getting the feeling it's less risky for me to do nothing. I do plan to get other opinions, though. Would never base such a tough decision on just one guy's take on it.

Guess it's obvious I have trust issues with the medical community, isn't it?

Winnifred, wishing you best luck with your surgery and with your platelets, of course.