Preparation and result of cataract surgery

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 2:33 pm Post in Vision Surgery

Cataract only needs surgical removal when the patient’s daily activities are severely affected, such as driving, reading, watching TV, artwork and so on. Some people who need sharp vision for work may want to get their cataracts removed as early as possible. Astigmatism can be addressed during the same cataract surgery. Cataracts in one-eyed patients involve more risks since there are potential complications. These patients should carefully balance the benefits against potential risks. Extremely mature cataract requires more skill from the surgeon, so that patients should never wait too long before a cataract surgery.

Cataract patients who are on certain medications should get a second opinion about cataract surgery. They should make their surgeons know of the current medical conditions and medications, in case of certain postoperative implications. For example, blood thinners increase the risk of bleeding complications after cataract surgery. Timing between cataract surgeries in one person can vary from several days to months. In most cases, topical anesthesia will be used solely with eye drops and sometimes enhanced with intravenous sedation.

After cataract surgery, burry vision may last several days or weeks. It is important to follow the doctor’s instructions such as eye drop administration everyday and avoiding lifting heavy objects and frequent eye rubbing. Other restrictions involve driving, flying, swimming, scuba diving and so on. The recovery period is based on the patient’s general health and visual outcome from the surgery. Normal activities such as walking, biking and shopping can be immediately recovered after the surgery, while athletic activities such as cycling require prior consultation with the doctor. At least, patients should go back the see the doctor the next day after the surgery and then a month later.

The visual acuity after surgery depends on postoperative conditions and how the actual surgery went. In some instances, eyeglasses are still needed. Cataract removal is permanent, although sometimes the posterior capsule can become opacified and cause blurry vision. This opacification can be cleared by a YAG laser. Anesthetic injections for eye numbness could possibly cause black eye. Dissolvable sutures will go away on their own, while non-dissolvable ones require external removal.