Weight of your gold weight

[badyellowvette]

Just wondering what is the weight is of your gold weight for those that have them. I was just to my eye lid Doctor in Pittsburgh trying to get a heavier one and he don't want to do anymore surgery on my eye. Still does not close when I blink. After 5 eye lid operations over the past 18 years maybe it is enough. Just wish it closed more. I have a 2.2 in there now.

[nancyann]

Hi there.  I have a 1 gram platinum weight in.   The doc checked the amount of weight needed by putting an external weight on my eye, then had me close the eye.  Then they tilted back the chair I was sitting in & had me close my eye again.
My eye doesn't close all the way either when I blink, so I blink a little harder & it closes;  & I realize when I go to sleep my eye isn't closing all the way.  I may start using the eye bubble again.  I have an appt. 1/9/08 so I'll ask the doc about it then.   My eye is still swollen however from surgery 11/20, so I'll give it more time.

[tony]

OK the doc might be right on that one
There is an option to keep increasing the weight
- but at some point your eye may not open properly...
Maybe talk through the other option
There is an eye-lid lift option where the lower eyelid
is raised slightly towards the nose
The net effect is that the eye closes near 100%
because they meet together better
I cant say for sure that this is good/the right one/the best option
for you - it really is for someone qualified to take a look
My suggestion is you start making the enquiries
- and see what they suggest
Its a simple OP - one stitch-  home same day..
Best Regards
Tony

[badyellowvette]

MY eye closes the same way as yours nancyann. I had the 2.2 weight lower in my eye lid and my eye closed perfect but I could feel the weight on my eye ball and it really bugged me. Hurt when I closed it at bed time. I will have to check into the lower lid thing. My Doctor never mentioned that.

[nancyann]

Hey badyellowvette:  Sounds like your weight could be too heavy if it hurts the eyeball.   I thought I needed a heavier weight but my docs said no.  So push down harder when I blink it is  (they were concerned with NOT putting in a too heavy weight).
Some eye surgeons put in a piece of cartilage from behind the ear or a piece of palate from the mouth into the lower lid to assist with keeping the lower lid up.
At this point I'm not a candidate for that since the lower lid is not drooping, but, who knows months, years from now when gravity/paralysis takes over again.....
Always good thoughts,  Nancy

[nancyann]

I found out yesterday at my opthomologist's office that I had a 0.8 gram weight put in, not 1 gram;  this may be why my eye is NOT closing when I blink hard & am having to use the NITEYE bubble at night again...    I'll find out 1/9/08 why they put less weight in.   My doc said my cornea is dry & to increase the amount of lubricant I'm using.  He wants to see me in 1 month to re-check the cornea....   Here we go again....

[Joef]

I think mine is 1.7 grams .. the doc did not want to go higher because he said 1.7 was the highest he has gone!... its still not perfect.. but its a huge improvement instead of without any....

before the surgery, he had stick on weights he tried out ... I think he started at 1 gram .. let me sit for 15 min .. come back and look at me.. try again with a higher weight... and repeat the test.. and ending up at 1.7 grams...

[nancyann]

Yeah, I think my weight is too light,  the opposite of badyellowvette's problem.  Joe, it sounds like your doctor did the most thorough testing I've heard - I like it.  Worse comes to worse, I'll have my doc put in more weight down the road, after I talk to Dr. Byrne in Jan.,  no biggy.  That should be the worst thing, huh?
Otherwise, I'M SO HAPPY WITH MY FACE, NO DROOP, & it still isn't healed all the way - another 4-5 months to go.

[dsuvb12]

I believe mine was 1.2.  I had a lot of redness before the surgery so it has helped alot.  My eye does get red sometimes still but not to the extent that there was before the weight.  Is anyone else's scar visible b/c they told me that I wouldn't even be able to tell but I have a purple mark from it.

[nancyann]

Hi 23:  Is the purple mark directly over the weight?  & is the upper lid still swollen?   How long ago did you have the weight put in - gold?   I ask because
I had to have my gold weight removed because the lid remained swollen & there was a reddened area directly over the weight - the docs think it
was an allergic reaction (very rare to have happened).   I recently had a platinum chain put in, the lids are still swollen (1 month out), but there is no redness on my eyelid.    Nancy

[dsuvb12]

Hi Nancy!
That's too bad about the allergic reaction!  My purple mark is right at the bottom of my eyelid.  I wouldn't really call it swollen but you can see a big difference between my two eyelids b/c of it.  The platinum chain is really interesting!  What did it look like?

[nancyann]

Is the purple mark right over the weight?  If so, I'd probably want the doc to look at it.   My redness/swelling never went away, so 8 months after it was put in the doc removed it.   I don't know what the chain looks like, my opthomologist never heard of it, & he asked me to get info from my surgeon when I see him 1/9, whick I will do.
I just figured it looked like a little chain - but since my opthomologist follows me for cornea care, I'm going to get more info for him (& me).

[dsuvb12]

You should reply back what you find out about the chain.....i'm very curious!  And I will for sure talk to my Dr. when I get fitted for my BAHA about the purple mark.  Thanks for the information!

[TP]

I had my gold eye weight removed about a month ago. My DR gave it to me and I am planning on making a piece of jewelry out of it (in memory of this whole ordeal). It has three little small holes in it (where they stich it in your eye lid) and was thinking of putting some little diamonds and making a necklace. I checked to see how much it weighed but on the back the only thing I see is "14" which I assume means 14 carat gold. It is little heavier from what I recall. It looks like the thickness of a wedding band and is about the 1/3  to 1/2 inch long with a curve.

When I close my eye it is not the eye lid that doesn't close as tight it seems that my face which has paralysis makes my eye feel goofy. My eye Dr says that my eye is only a little drier as the other so I do put a few drops in my eye a day. I don't care for the drops because I can't see anything out of that eye for about 20 minutes.

I am just so glad I have the weight out, I can wash my face and put make up on and it feels normal again. I don't have that bump on my lid any longer.

 

[nancyann]

TP:  glad to hear about your weight removal - does this mean your tone/movement is returning & you don't need the weight?   Love the jewelry idea, a piece of 'overcoming difficulty' jewelry....
dsuvb12:  I googled platinum chain eye weight & saw a picture of it - it supposedly has benefits over the gold weight, 1 being because it's a heavier metal the weight is smaller & less noticeable; also less side effects (though they didn't mention allergy to gold as one of them).