If you're squeamish about medical procedures, you're likely a little anxious about your upcoming cataract surgery at a clinic like California Eye Specialists Medical Group Inc. This commonly done procedure will only take a few minutes and your vision will be much improved. Here is what you can expect from this surgery and how it will impact your eyesight.
Preparing for Your Appointment
You will want to ask a friend to take you to your appointment and bring you back home afterwards. Some of the medications the doctor puts in your eyes will cause you to be sensitive to light, making driving dangerous for a few hours. You'll also appreciate some help when you get home, because you're likely to be tired and feel like resting for the remainder of the day.
If your anxiety over the procedure begins to make you uncomfortable, your ophthalmologist can prescribe a mild sedative that you'll take before you go to the clinic. You'll be less anxious and more relaxed, which will help the doctor perform the procedure more efficiently.
The Day of the Surgery
Once you check into the eye clinic, you'll be lead to a room and asked to sit in a comfortable chair that reclines slightly. The special chair gives your doctor better access to your eye.
The doctor or their assistant will move a couple of pieces of equipment near you for the procedure. One is a microscope, through which the doctor views your eye as they remove the cataract. The second machine is a laser or ultrasound device with which the doctor removes the cloudy lens.
The doctor will start by placing a few drops of medicine in your eye. The first is an anesthetic, which will deaden the eye so you'll feel no pain. The second medicine causes your pupil to dilate so the doctor can see the eye better. Once the drops have taken effect, the doctor will begin the procedure.
A small incision is made in the tissue covering the lens. Your doctor then inserts a probe that breaks up the cataract into small pieces. The pieces are then removed, leaving the tissue intact that contained the lens. Should the cataract be advanced and hard, a larger incision may be required so the lens can be removed in one piece.
Once the cloudy lens is removed, an artificial lens is inserted in its place. This lens is plastic and will have some correction built into it so your glasses or contacts prescription may change slightly. The artificial lens is also not subject to the effects of cataracts, so your eye will be free from that problem for the rest of your life.
Stitches are not required unless the larger incision is used. Then, only a stitch or two is needed to close the incision so it will heal properly. The smaller incisions heal on their own without stitches.
Once the procedure is over, you'll be taken to a quiet area to rest for awhile. The doctor will check on you and your eye to make sure you both are doing well. When they are satisfied with the status of your eye, you'll get to go home.
The Next Few Days After the Surgery
You'll have some mild aching from the surgery, which can be controlled with over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen. As your eye heals, you may experience itching in the eye. Your doctor won't want you to rub the eye so they may give you a bandage to place over your eye to prevent you from touching it.
In a day or two, the vision in that eye will clear up and you'll begin to see the difference. If you had cataracts in both eyes, your doctor will want to wait a few weeks to work on the other eye. As the vision improves in the affected eye, you'll appreciate having gone through the cataract surgery and will be eager to have the other eye done.
Share16 November 2015
Hi there, I am Sophie Moye. I would like to help you learn what to expect during your yearly eye exam. Whether you have perfect vision or need corrective lenses, you must have an eye exam performed on a regular basis. The eye exam also identifies health problems that show symptoms through your eye condition. Furthermore, your eye doctor can create a vision baseline that can be used to gauge loss or improvement in the future. I hope to discuss the tools and techniques used to complete the eye exam. I will also discuss symptoms that eye doctors look for during the exams. My site will cover all of the health conditions that can be diagnosed using an eye exam. Thank you for your time.
