Cataract Surgery: What to Expect
Cataracts are a clouding of our natural lens in our eyes. Our lens functions are similar to a camera’s lens. It adjusts our focus, allowing us to see clearly.
Our lens are made up of water and protein. The protein acts sort of like a cleaner does. It arranges itself in a way that helps keep the lens clear and allows light to pass through it. But sometimes this protein begins to form in clusters and this is what is called a cataract. The cluster begins to grow and in time makes the lens cloudy which makes it harder for us to see (Picture a pair of glasses being smog up, this is a similar effect.)
What can be done to remove these cataracts? There is only one option, surgery.
How is the surgery performed?
A tiny incision is made in the eye. Most doctors prefer to use the ultrasound method. When using this method, a small instrument will be inserted into the eye and the ultrasound device will gently breakup and remove the cloudy lens from your eye. After the cloudy lens is removed it will be replaced with an artificial lens. It is that simple.
The surgery is usually performed right in the eye surgeons office. The entire time usually takes between 2 and half hours up to 3 hours. But most of this time is prep time. The actually surgery will take about fifth-teen minutes.
If you have no heart condition, you will have to take an EKG a few days before your surgery. Sometimes, especially, if you have had heart problems or problems with high or low blood pressure, you may be given an EKG the day of your surgery. Do not let this scare you. Different doctors do things differently.
The day before the surgery, you will have to put eye drops in your eye, about four times a day. This eye drop is a special drop usually given through a prescription. It is used to help keep your eye from getting infected.
You will not be able to eat anything past twelve o’clock the night before your surgery. This is because you will be put under general anesthesia. You will of course feel little to no discomfort during the surgery.
Before surgery will begin, the staff will put different eye drops in your eyes. These drops are used to help keep you from getting an infection and inflammation.
The day of the surgery, you will of course, have to have someone to drive you home. Then you will be told to rest for that day. For the next week, you will also be told not to bend any more than necessary and to wear an eye shield over the eye at night, to keep you from accidentally rubbing or scratching the eye.
For the next four weeks, you will be given a schedule for using two different types of eye drops. Again, these drops are to help keep your eye from getting infected or inflamed. Most eye doctors, also would like to see you within a week after the surgery and then again the following week. This is just a quick check to see how well the eye is healing.
The good news is that most people begins to see better within a week. Some even find that they see better out of the eye that had surgery without their glasses. The lens that the doctors will place in the eye also seem to help people with their far-sightedness. The ability to see color will also start getting better within a week. After having the first eye done, many patients say it is weird but things appear brighter and more colorful out of that eye than the eye still awaiting to have surgery.
Usually, patients wait four to six weeks after the first eye has healed before having the cataract removed from their second eye.
Millions of people have cataract surgery a year. They want to be able to see our colorful world in all of its glory.
If you have cataracts, don’t be scared. You can have them easily removed and then you too can enjoy our colorful world.
