The blurry vision and fuzzy halos around lights have gotten to be too much to deal with. Your eye doctor has recommended cataract surgery to replace those cloudy lenses. This is a quick procedure that is done as an outpatient in your doctor's office or clinic and you will begin to see your vision improve soon after the procedure. Here is what you need to know about this surgery and your recovery from it.
Before the Appointment
Arrange to have a friend or family member take you to your appointment and bring you back home after the surgery. The medication the doctor puts in your eye will make you sensitive to light and it won't be safe to drive for a few hours. You will also appreciate a little help at home during the first few hours after the surgery while your vision clears up in the affected eye.
Cataract Surgery
You'll be seated in a comfortable chair that reclines slightly so the eye doctor has good access to your eye. They will put drops in your eye to numb it so you feel no pain during the surgery. A second set of drops are used to cause the pupil to dilate, which makes it easier for your doctor to work on your eye. Once the anesthetic drops take effect, the doctor will begin the procedure.
A small incision is made with either a scalpel or laser in the tissue membrane that contains the cloudy lens. The lens is then broken up into small pieces for easy removal. This may be done with a laser or ultrasonic probe inserted into the lens. The pieces of the original lens are removed, leaving the tissue membrane intact.
With advanced cataract surgery, where the lens has become so hard that it can't be broken up, a larger incision must be made. The lens is then removed in one piece, again leaving the membrane intact that contained the lens.
With the original lens removed, an artificial lens, called an intraocular lens, or IOL, is positioned in the tissue membrane. The IOL acts like your natural lens, focusing light onto the retina. Like a contact lens, the IOL will have some vision adjusting capability, so you may experience a change in your eyeglass prescription after the surgery.
If the cataract was advanced, requiring a larger incision, a suture may be used to close the incision. Otherwise, the small incision will heal on its own.
With the lens in place, your doctor will put antibiotic drops in your eye and have you be seated in a quiet area for a few minutes. The average cataract surgery will take roughly 30 minutes to complete.
The doctor will check on you and your eye, and once satisfied that you are not having any negative reactions to the procedure, you'll be free to go home.
After the Surgery
For the remainder of the day, your vision will be blurry in the affected eye until the swelling subsides. As the inflammation goes away, your vision will clear up and you'll see the improvement.
You may have a slight ache in the eye that can be treated with an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen. You may also have some bruising around the eye and some redness in the white part of your eye.
As the eye heals, you may have some itching. To prevent you from scratching or rubbing your eye, your doctor will give you a bandage to cover the eye while it continues to heal. Contact a company like Northwest Ophthalmology for more information about this procedure.
Share12 December 2015
My name is Natalie Hunter. I am 29 and an elementary teacher. I created this website because I recently discovered something and wanted to share it with others. I had been suffering headaches for the past year that seemed to be gradually growing in severity. I had tried over-the-counter medications, homeopathic remedies and even made appointments with my doctor. I was given a CT scan and tried prescription medications. Finally, the doctor asked if I have had my eyes checked, as eye strain and eye issues can also cause headaches. I made an appointment with an optometrist, received a prescription for eyeglasses and suddenly, my headaches went away. It seems easy, but I had no idea. If you have headaches, I hope my website helps you understand what to expect when visiting an optometrist and how it can help with your headaches.