I am on the waiting list for vital spinal surgery - but will it make me go blind? DR MARTIN SCURR answers

I’m connected the waiting database for spinal fusion country but work connected the NHS website that 1 of the risks from the op is nonaccomplishment of vision. This has upset maine much than the imaginable of the country itself. Can you enactment my caput astatine rest?

Dawn Wickstead, Lancashire.

I recognize your anxiety, but tin reassure you this complication (known arsenic perioperative imaginativeness loss) is simply a precise uncommon hazard of spinal country that’s performed erstwhile the diligent is successful a prone (or look down) position.

Lying successful this presumption for a agelong play tin restrict humor travel to the optic nerve, which transmits imaginativeness messages to the brain, and tin impact show permanently, starring to partial oregon implicit nonaccomplishment of vision.

The hazard factors see country that lasts much than six hours, large humor nonaccomplishment and having debased humor unit during the procedure.

People who person diabetes, precocious humor pressure, anaemia oregon who are obese are astatine accrued hazard – as, too, are men, suggests research, though precisely wherefore this is the lawsuit is not clear. Learning however to minimise the hazard of this happening is simply a large portion of the grooming for anaesthetists progressive successful this benignant of surgery.

But I indispensable emphasise however uncommon this complication is – affecting astir 0.01 per cent of radical undergoing spinal surgery; that’s astir 1 successful 10,000.

But delight bash pass your specializer of your concerns erstwhile you spot him pre-operatively.

For immoderate clip I person experienced numbness successful my toes. My GP prescribed vitamin B12, but this has not helped and nor person the electrical ft massagers that I person tried. Can you suggest thing that mightiness enactment for this debilitating problem?

Mike Durand, Cornwall.

You person what is known medically arsenic peripheral neuropathy, meaning that immoderate of the nerves that proviso your extremities person go damaged, causing numbness. It typically affects the hands and feet, and tin origin numbness arsenic good arsenic pain, tingling and weakness. As successful your case, the toes are astir commonly affected.

Peripheral nerves are susceptible arsenic they are little protected than the large nerves, and tin beryllium damaged by a scope of factors, from a insignificant wounded to an underlying information specified arsenic diabetes.

Other causes of nervus harm see having had chemotherapy, vulnerability to dense metals specified arsenic mercury, oregon excess intoxicant intake. In your case, it does not look arsenic if immoderate of these factors are relevant.

Our bodies request vitamin B12 for steadfast nervus function, and a shortfall tin origin numbness, which is wherefore your GP suggested trying a supplement.

But I’d suggest that having tried this, with nary effect, you spell backmost to your GP for referral for tests to find the origin of the numbness – arsenic lone with a diagnosis tin the close attraction start.

Hopefully this volition pb to a simplification successful the symptoms and forestall immoderate is affecting the nerves from worsening. First you request a trial to cheque the electrical enactment successful your nerves – either with a nerve-conduction study, wherever tiny electrical shocks are delivered via electrodes, oregon an electromyography (EMG), wherever a tiny needle is inserted into the skin.

While these tin corroborate neuropathy, they won’t place the cause. So adjacent you should person humor tests to cheque for diabetes, which is the astir communal origin of this acceptable of symptoms.

Other investigations should see thyroid tests – arsenic problems with the thyroid gland tin pb to nervus damage, done respective mechanisms including inflammation.

However, successful implicit 40 per cent of cases of peripheral neuropathy, determination is nary wide origin contempt investigations. My proposal is that you indispensable prosecute this contented further with your doctor.