As I approach my six-year anniversary, it's interesting to note that the only lasting side effect of the surgery has been the vision troubles. I've generally returned to the same physical shape I was in before, the scar has faded into irrelevance, I rarely think about my heart outside of my cardiology check-ups (I was a repair, so no blood thinners or mechanical noises). But all these years later, I still get flashing lights EVERY time I exercise. Even when not exercise, anything that might raise blood pressure (bike rides, climbing stairs, playing with my kids, etc) will result in some sort of visual distortion: double vision, compressed sight lines, vertigo. Bright lights and sunshine are a secondary trigger. If not vision trouble, it manifests as what I can only describe as intense bouts of deja vu or dreamlike states: i've had dreams and old memories replay in my consciousness as if I was watching a TV show. It used to freak me out the first few years, but now I've realized it is no threat, and will always pass.
I mentioned in a previous chain that Propranolol has helped mitigate the frequency and power of the episodes, although it has not altogether cured them. It is just something I've wrapped into my daily life experience.
It's not that doctors dismiss the connection between the surgery and the vision troubles, it's just that they don't really care. As long as the heart is OK, everything else seems unimportant to them. But I am surprised and annoyed that the medical community has never looked into this more deeply, as there is such an obvious connection between the bypass machine, Versed (and other anesthesia drugs) and vision troubles. Over time, I stopped even asking doctors about it. They just didn't have answers, and weren't interested in finding them.
Regardless, we have this community, which remains as important to me as the day I first learned (out of the blue) I had an aortic aneurism, a bicuspid valve and needed immediate surgery. The visual migraines are a small price to pay, I suppose. If we keep supporting each other and sharing information, eventually we'll figure it out together.