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Cataract Surgery: What is it?
What To Expect Before And During Cataract Surgery:
Post Op Examination: What Your Eye Doctor Will Look For:
What You Can Do:
When To Call Your M.D.:
Prognosis: Will I See Better?
Once your eye doctor has diagnosed a cataract that is affecting your vision, using surgery to remove the cloudy lens is the only way to treat it. In small -incision
surgery, a very small opening of about an eighth of an inch is made in
the eye, and an ultrasound instrument breaks the cataract into small
pieces and then removes them. Once a permanent, clear, artificial
lens implant is then inserted inside the eye in place of the natural
lens to help focus light. A stitch may or may not be used to
close the small opening in the eye at the end of the operation.
Your eye surgeon performs this extremely delicate surgery with a powerful magnifying microscope.
Once you
and your eye doctor have decided to have your cataract removed, your
eye will be measured in the office for the new artificial
implant. Your surgery will usually be an outpatient or same-day
surgery, meaning that if your surgery goes well, you will come to the
hospital the day of the surgery and go home after the operation on the
same day. You will be asked not to eat or drink after midnight
the night before your surgery to avoid having an upset stomach during
your surgery.
Most patients are not put completely to sleep for cataract surgery, but instead may be given intravenous sedation to relax, as well as numbing eye drops or a numbing injection around the eye. During the surgery, you may hear your surgeon speak or the sound of instruments working, and you may see bright lights and changing colors, but you will not see the details of the actual surgery. Near the end, the microscope light may become very bright as your lens implant is fitted inside your eye.
Once the surgery is over, your doctor may put a small shield over your eye to protect it. You will also be asked to use special eye drops after the surgery. Your eye doctor will most likely see you the next morning and several times afterward. You will likely need a new glasses prescription several weeks after your surgery.
If you have cataracts in both eyes, only one eye is treated at a time. Usually the second cataract can be removed several months later.
Most patients are not put completely to sleep for cataract surgery, but instead may be given intravenous sedation to relax, as well as numbing eye drops or a numbing injection around the eye. During the surgery, you may hear your surgeon speak or the sound of instruments working, and you may see bright lights and changing colors, but you will not see the details of the actual surgery. Near the end, the microscope light may become very bright as your lens implant is fitted inside your eye.
Once the surgery is over, your doctor may put a small shield over your eye to protect it. You will also be asked to use special eye drops after the surgery. Your eye doctor will most likely see you the next morning and several times afterward. You will likely need a new glasses prescription several weeks after your surgery.
If you have cataracts in both eyes, only one eye is treated at a time. Usually the second cataract can be removed several months later.
During your
eye exams after cataract surgery, your eye doctor checks for
inflammation, infection, and proper position of the lens implant.
Make sure
you take all medicines and eye drops as directed. After surgery,
your doctor may ask you to wear glasses during the day and an eye
shield while sleeping to protect your eye. Avoid dusty or dirty
areas, and do not bend over at the waist. Ask your doctor when
you can return to driving and your usual physical activity.
While
cataract surgery usually goes very well, every surgery has risks of
complications. Possible complications of cataract surgery include
bleeding, infection, needing further surgery, a poor cosmetic result,
retinal detachment, high eye pressure, and extremely rarely, even loss
of vision, or the eye itself. After surgery, you should call your
eye doctor immediately if your vision worsens, if you have eye pain not
relieved by over-the-counter pain medication, if you vomit, if you
injure your eye, or if anything seems worse.
Cataract
surgery is one of the more successful surgeries performed today, and
visual improvement is often excellent. Sometimes other eye
problems, such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, or macular
degeneration, can limit your potential vision. However, even with
such limits, cataract surgery can still help make your vision brighter
or improve your side vision.
Above: A Cataract Operation. Click For A Bigger View-Warning-Extremely Graphic.