Ellie eye surgery update

Yesterday Ellie was booked for eye surgery. We had to be at The RCH bright and early at 7am. Luckily enough Ellie was one of the first going in for surgery. We realised yesterday that sending Ellie in for surgery is harder now that she is older. She is more aware of things now, and that makes it hard.

After a chat with a nurse, surgeons registrar, and anaesthetist we sent Ellie in for her surgery, which was to take 1.5 hours. Luke went in with Ellie for the first part, where they put her to sleep with gas.

What surgery was done?

Ellie had surgery to remove a 12mm orbital implant. (This sits at the back part of her eye socket) and they put a bigger one in (16mm). The whole idea is that this will stretch out the back part/bones of Ellies eye socket, so we can fit a bigger glass eye in.

We were only in for half a day, and Ellie is doing quite well. She is quite a trooper when it comes to surgery. She doesnt seem to be in too much pain. Which is amazing, considering how swollen and purple her eye is.

Her eye lid is stitched closed, and she wont be able to wear her glass eye until she gets her new one, which will be 6-8 weeks, as her most recent glass eye now wont fit with the 16mm implant in.

She will have to see her surgeon in 2 weeks, to see how it is all healing up. She will then have to go back to The RCH in 5 weeks for a examination under anaesthetic as well as having a mould taken, so her new glass eye can be made.

As well as having her eye surgery yesterday, they also re-did Ellies grommits in her ears, as one had come out and one was not in the correct place. She had to have these re-done as she will be sitting some hearing tests in a few weeks as part of her assessment for a cochlear implant, and this will give more accurate results.