There is little or no discomfort during cataract surgery. The eye is numbed with drops. You will be awake but calmed with IV medications during the procedure. In fact, it's likely you won't remember much of your cataract surgery.
Unlike most other surgeries that take a significant amount of time to recover from, cataract surgery typically has a rather quick recovery time. While vision in the operative eye can be blurry for a few days after surgery, you can usually resume your normal day to day activities. You will not be allowed to do strenuous activities for the first week and will need to avoid pools, hot tubs, or saunas. You will also wear a shield over the eye while sleeping to avoid accidentally bumping or rubbing the eye. After 1 week, typically all restrictions are lifted.
The sensations people can have after surgery can vary, and even vary between eyes. Some people have no discomfort, but the majority have at least a minor foreign body sensation for at least the first few days. This usually described as feeling like an eyelash or piece of sand in the eye.
To decrease the risk of infection and decrease inflammation, you will be on 3 different types of drops. If putting in drops is a worry for you, ask your doctor about the option of using a drop that contains all 3 types in one bottle.
You can usually resume your normal day to day activities the day after surgery. You will not be allowed to do strenuous activities for the first week and will need to avoid pools, hot tubs, or saunas. You will also wear a shield over the eye while sleeping to avoid accidentally bumping or rubbing the eye. After 1 week, typically all restrictions are lifted.
This is dependent on many factors – your eye anatomy and health, your visual demands, advanced technology chosen, and accuracy of the predictive equations. These are all factors that your doctor can discuss with you. Generally, patients will still benefit glasses for some visual activities but can be markedly reduced given the right combination of factors. If you are interested in being less glasses dependent, please ask your doctor what options might be right for you.
The intraocular lenses are designed to last for a lifetime. The same lenses used in adults we also use in children. The plan is for whatever is implanted to remain there for the rest of your life.
Yes! And hopefully for the better 😊 The goal of cataract surgery is to improve your vision and in the overwhelming number of cases, that is what happens. From our evaluation, we determine if the cataract is impeding your vision. While it may not be the only factor limiting your vision, if it is visually significant, it is worth considering removing. For some with other limiting diseases (i.e. macular degeneration, amblyopia/lazy eye, etc.), removal of the cataract will not correct these underlying issues.
Medicare and most health insurance plans will cover basic cataract surgery and standard intraocular lenses (minus your typical insurance deductibles, copays, and or co-insurance). There a considerable amount of new technology that can be used in cataract surgery which can improve the quality of your vision and potentially decrease your dependence on glasses. Medical insurance does not cover many of these technologies. If your eye is a candidate for some of the advanced technologies, your doctor will discuss these options with you.
As with any surgery, pain, infection, swelling and bleeding are possible, but very few people experience serious cataract surgery complications. In most cases, complications or side effects from the procedure can be successfully managed with medication or a follow-up procedure.
To reduce your risk for problems after cataract surgery, be sure to follow the instructions your surgeon gives you and report any unusual symptoms immediately.
Cataract surgery restores vision that has been diminished due to clouding of the eye's crystalline lens, which is located directly behind the pupil.
Because vitreous floaters occur in the posterior part of the eye (the vitreous body is located in the large cavity in the back of the eyeball, between the lens and the retina), removing a cataract and replacing it with a clear intraocular lens (IOL) will not diminish the appearance of vitreous floaters.
In fact, if you have vitreous floaters, the increased clarity of your vision after cataract surgery may make the floaters even a bit more visible for a period of time.
Vitreous floaters are common. Most floaters are relatively small and are only a minor annoyance under certain lighting conditions.