Living with CSCR (Central Serous Chorioretinopathy)

Here I am, back again because of my friend CSR. It’s pretty obvious now that this is all happening because I used corticosteroids...

swiftscout8 said:Here I am, back again because of my friend CSR. It’s pretty obvious now that this is all happening because I used corticosteroids...

Huh :-<
Cortis are supposedly terrible for CSR. I really hope you have a very good reason for sticking with them :-/
For years, I used a nasal spray for my sinuses that contained cortis. Everyone insisted it was fine and wouldn't cause issues, but the truth is different. Once this eye issue popped up, I stopped the spray immediately on my own. A few months later, I tried using it again, and things went downhill within days. I haven't touched it since. My allergies have been much worse because of it, but I'll take bad allergies over this crap any day.

Actually, the exact same thing started happening in my other eye, which totally freaked me out. My right eye developed a small spot, and then the left one started showing signs too. To make matters worse, I moved abroad, so managing follow-ups and doctors has become a huge headache.

Been stuck in this exact same spot for two months now. Honestly, the worst part is feeling like things are actually getting worse while the doctors just shrug and tell me to sit tight. It feels like everyone I meet dealing with this is just watching their vision slip away without any real progress. Trying to stay positive, but man, it’s tough, haha.
The craziest part? Some days I feel like I'm seeing sharper than ever, like things are finally clearing up. But then, the second I get stressed out, that pressure hits my eye and I'm right back at square one—or even lower.
So, folks, does this actually pass or am I just cursed? Also, has anyone had luck with supplements, vitamins, or anything like that?

lonejackal61 said:Been stuck in this exact same spot for two months now. Honestly, the worst part is feeling like things are actually getting worse while the doctors just shrug and tell me to sit tight. It feels like everyone I meet dealing with this is just watching their vision slip away without any real progress. Trying to stay positive, but man, it’s tough, haha.
The craziest part? Some days I feel like I'm seeing sharper than ever, like things are finally clearing up. But then, the second I get stressed out, that pressure hits my eye and I'm right back at square one—or even lower.
So, folks, does this actually pass or am I just cursed? Also, has anyone had luck with supplements, vitamins, or anything like that?

For supplements, you could try Dietpharm Makulin plus or Nutrof total. You can actually find Nutrof total a bit cheaper if you head over to a nearby pharmacy in Canada..
Stress is absolutely the worst part of this diagnosis, but like you said... it's hard to avoid :-/
That fluctuation where you feel better and then suddenly worse might mean something else is aggravating the situation. Are you taking any corticosteroids?
If you’ve had a vessel burst in your eye, it is incredibly important to avoid heavy lifting, moving furniture, or any kind of physical strain.
We're all basically just unlucky with this diagnosis, unless you're one of the lucky ones where it clears up in three or four months and never comes back.
So, there's still a real chance you're in that group where it improves over time and stays gone. Those of us who struggled with this for a long time have a much higher chance of it recurring multiple times. 😢
Bottom line: stick to your treatment (if you have one) and hope that in a month or two, you'll be past this! =)

Well, my Edem is back... :-(
First, I had some light sensitivity for a few weeks, almost like someone was constantly shining a high-powered flashlight right in my face. I knew immediately it wasn't just about the light. Then, a little spot appeared a couple of days ago, and today, there's a full-blown circle in all its glory. When I read, I can clearly see that the image is darker in that eye, though thankfully I can still manage to read. I haven't lost my vision like I did last year (at least not yet).
Looking through your old posts now, it seems like many of you dealt with this returning back then too, though maybe not as intensely, and it cleared up on its own. But last year, they told me mine would clear up on its own as well, so now I'm starting to panic a bit... Should I head to the doctor or just wait it out? What if waiting just makes things worse?? I really don't know what to do. 😕

My mom was just diagnosed with CSCR in her left eye. She was prescribed Naclof drops, three times a day, but it doesn't say how long she needs to keep using them. Her follow-up appointment isn't for another 4 or 5 months. Does anyone know if she should keep using the drops until that check-up, or what?

coastaltiger7 said:My mom was just diagnosed with CSCR in her left eye. She was prescribed Naclof drops, three times a day, but it doesn't say how long she needs to keep using them. Her follow-up appointment isn't for another 4 or 5 months. Does anyone know if she should keep using the drops until that check-up, or what?

Theoretically, yes, until the check-up. But waiting 4-5 months for a follow-up seems odd.
What did her OCT show? How bad are the results?
It doesn't seem practical to use Naclof for that long without a follow-up to see if there's actual progress.

And I honestly have no clue how bad this actually is. It says here:
OCT macula: left eye NS elevation

FOD: PNA clear borders at the level of the surrounding retina, retina is attached, no threatening changes in the periphery, macula is normal

FOS: everything same as FOD except for the macula with RPE obstruction

So, I guess I just wait until the follow-up...

coastaltiger7 said:And I honestly have no clue how bad this actually is. It says here:
OCT macula: left eye NS elevation

FOD: PNA clear borders at the level of the surrounding retina, retina is attached, no threatening changes in the periphery, macula is normal

FOS: everything same as FOD except for the macula with RPE obstruction

So, I guess I just wait until the follow-up...

Hmm... that word "detachment" could mean anything from minor to severe. The OCT report doesn't specify the exact extent. And I don't quite grasp how much your mom is struggling visually... is it just a slight annoyance, or has her vision plummeted?

I’d suggest she keeps up with the drops for at least a month or two. That should give enough time to see if things are improving or worsening. If her vision gets better, she can gradually taper off and stop. However, if her vision takes a massive dive, she needs to go back sooner. Go straight to the eye ER, tell them her vision dropped drastically, and demand a re-evaluation. Still, I assume the results aren't catastrophic if they just scheduled a routine follow-up. At least, I hope so...

It’s just a bunch of images on this report, I don't understand any of it 😊
The visibility isn't great, and honestly, it took way too long for them to actually give her a diagnosis.

Thanks a lot for the advice and the help.

Chloe Morgan13, would you mind sharing which ophthalmologist you saw for your CSR checkup? A few months back, I dealt with a nasty sinus infection, and ever since then, my left eye has been acting up. One morning, I just woke up and everything looked blurry in that eye. I went to see a doctor a couple of days later, and sure enough, they diagnosed me with cataracts in both eyes that apparently need surgery. But here's the thing—with my left eye, it feels like that blur is actually shifting around, and from what I understand, cataracts aren't supposed to move like that. They did a fundus exam and told me everything looks fine, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this "moving" spot in my left eye. Looking at what others have posted, it seems like a lot of people have run into similar issues with this diagnosis.🙏

Is anyone even out there?

A retina specialist over at Johns Hopkins Hospital diagnosed my mom with CSCR.
The optometrist told her she has a cataract, but the folks at Johns Hopkins say it's negligible and doesn't actually have anything to do with her vision issues.

coastaltiger7, can you tell me which retinologist you're talking about? All I ever hear from the residents is some talk about cataracts. They went ahead and operated on my right eye without the lead surgeon even giving me a proper once-over; he just handed me off to some junior doctor who decided my right eye was weaker, even though that cataract had never actually bothered me. Then, out of nowhere, my left eye just turned cloudy overnight—right after a sinus infection and a massive spike in work stress—but it’s like nobody cared enough to actually send me in for an OCT. Now, I’ve been dealing with complications in the operated eye for over two months, and they can't seem to fix it.

Keith Morris3 said:Chloe Morgan13, would you mind sharing which ophthalmologist you saw for your CSR checkup? A few months back, I dealt with a nasty sinus infection, and ever since then, my left eye has been acting up. One morning, I just woke up and everything looked blurry in that eye. I went to see a doctor a couple of days later, and sure enough, they diagnosed me with cataracts in both eyes that apparently need surgery. But here's the thing—with my left eye, it feels like that blur is actually shifting around, and from what I understand, cataracts aren't supposed to move like that. They did a fundus exam and told me everything looks fine, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this "moving" spot in my left eye. Looking at what others have posted, it seems like a lot of people have run into similar issues with this diagnosis.🙏

Hi Keith Morris3, sorry... you sent this right when I was also struggling with sinus issues...

Sinus problems are exactly why your eyes want to quit on you and start aching. That was my experience... for three days, I could barely even open my eyes because of the pain. I just stayed in bed, squinting or sleeping. It was brutal...
My eye situation got worse immediately; a spot appeared and everything. But while I was debating whether it was worth heading to the ER or not, things started to subside slightly, so I'm hoping it settles down again.

I don't believe a sinus issue can cause cataracts, but I'm no doctor...
Cataracts affect the front of the eye, whereas CSR affects the back, and ophthalmologists often specialize based on that. Basically, a very small number of specialists focus on the posterior segment. So, I can't tell if that doctor is clueless, uninterested, or if the diagnosis is actually correct... I'm seeing Doc Bosnar at Holy Spirit. He is a true specialist for the posterior segment. He's an excellent doctor—I've noticed people go out of their way to see him for every little thing, creating huge crowds at the hospital, even for us who show up with serious eye trouble, but oh well....

coastaltiger7 said:A retina specialist over at Johns Hopkins Hospital diagnosed my mom with CSCR.
The optometrist told her she has a cataract, but the folks at Johns Hopkins say it's negligible and doesn't actually have anything to do with her vision issues.

An optometrist is just there to measure vision, not to treat eye disease. Don't take their diagnoses seriously.

coastaltiger7, thanks for the heads-up. I’ve spent years dealing with lupus, popping steroids and taking all sorts of "miracle" supplements like Resochin and whatnot. They told me I had cataracts in both eyes, though honestly, I wouldn't have even known if my ophthalmologist hadn't pointed it out—they weren't causing any real trouble. But then, a few months after a sinus infection, things got weird. My left eye started getting this cloudiness, like these little floaters just drifting around in there. Over at Johns Hopkins Hospital, they decided to operate on the right eye because they claimed the cataract there was worse than the left one. The kicker? Before the surgery, they just did a basic exam on both eyes without an OCT, which is the only thing that actually could have confirmed the diagnosis. Now, ever since that surgery, I'm just dealing with a mountain of complications in an eye that used to be perfectly fine, aside from being nearsighted. And you know, CSCR also causes cloudiness, but that clears up with treatment and doesn't require surgery. Sadly, I found this forum way too late. If I had stumbled onto this sooner, I definitely wouldn't have just blindly swallowed their diagnosis. I would've gone looking for a second opinion, because a cataract doesn't just suddenly start messing with your vision overnight in only one eye.

I'm not sure if that last post was meant for me or for Vidi ;-)
In any case, you hit the nail on the head. CSR doesn't just pop up overnight, but it certainly causes problems fast.
On the flip side, CSR never drifts around the eye. It’s a spot—or a blur, as you call it—but it stays fixed in one place. It might change shape, grow, or shrink, but it won't move up, down, or float around like those little white spots that tend to wander...
Which hospital are you seeing for your eye issues?

Keith Morris3, sorry, just saw the question. The doctor's name is Kresimir Mandic.

Chloe Morgan13 said:An optometrist is just there to measure vision, not to treat eye disease. Don't take their diagnoses seriously.

I don't think that's quite right. The eye doctor I go to doesn't just measure sight; they perform fundus exams too. They work through insurance referrals, basically just like any other clinic you'd visit.
And obviously, you don't expect them to fix major issues, but being sent to the hospital with advanced cataracts when the specialists find only minor ones is a bit concerning, I guess.

Anyway, none of the drops have helped my mom, and her vision is still pretty blurry. She’s going in for a follow-up this week, so we'll see what the doctor says. But honestly, it feels like that might be it—not much hope for things getting better.

Chloe Morgan13. I had surgery over at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and honestly, it took those doctors six whole weeks just to figure out I was having an allergic reaction to a preservative in my artificial tears. To make matters even more fun, I also had H. pylori running around in my system at the same time, though I didn't actually find that out until three months later after getting a gastroscopy.