# Another cataract surgery question- need answer fast **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216 "2015-01-07T13:36:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/1 "2015-01-07T13:36:10Z")
My mother had cataract surgery yesterday and she said it was extremely painful. She told the doctor afterward that it was “torture.” She had no headache or discomfort afterwards; she meant that she felt the procedure itself and it was quite painful. This is my question and why I need answer fast: we’re going back this morning for followup, and I want to ask the doctor about the pain. At this point she’s not likely to want to have the second one done. I’m on my kindle, and it would not be easy to search/read all the cataract threads to find out if this experience is common. I can’t remember what people have said specifically about pain. I’m definitely going to tell him, but wanted some perspective on it. I’m wondering if it’s like a dentist I used to have, where if there was a lot of pain, you told him and he gladly paused and gave you more novocaine. He did not want you to be in pain, and wanted you to tell him if you were so he could fix it. My mother is 90 and of the old school-- the dentist/doctor is supposed to hurt and you’re supposed to suck it up. OTOH, she does have a cranky, resistant side…was she exaggerating for dramatic effect (sorry, Mama)? This was done at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, and we’re headed back over there to see the doctor in a couple of hours. Thanks for any help. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/2 "2015-01-07T13:43:19Z")
I have no personal experience (and IANAD), but I did find [this NYT article](http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-cataracts-expert.html)on a quick google search. Specifically about pain during surgery, it says: > [@](#): > > Q: Is cataract replacement surgery painful? > > A: No. Most routine cataract surgeries are done using anesthetic eyedrops to numb the eye, instead of an anesthetic injection. Although most people don’t like the idea of someone working on their eyes, they actually feel relaxed and drowsy during the procedure, thanks to receiving a sedative. People don’t see the surgery while it is being performed, just a lot of bright light and colors. We use a little spring device to gently hold the eyelids open, so they don’t have to worry about blinking. Perhaps she didn’t receive a sedative? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/3 "2015-01-07T13:45:44Z")
I can’t tell you if she was exaggerating, but I can tell you that I had no pain whatsoever during either of my surgeries. I can also tell you that I wanted to be knocked out for mine, but my doc talked me out of it. I can’t recall exactly what they were, but he had some good reasons for doing “conscious sedation” rather than being entirely unconscious. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/4 "2015-01-07T13:56:28Z")
Thanks for the prompt replies. This is exactly what I’ve read/heard: no pain. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/5 "2015-01-07T15:38:39Z")
Just because it’s not supposed to be painful doesn’t mean it wasn’t. Maybe the doc seriously fucked something up. I had to have one of my surgeries repeated, because the lens slipped loose from where it was supposed to stay. It wasn’t a painful fuckup, but it was a relatively serious one. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-cataract-surgery-question-need-answer-fast/709216/6 "2015-01-08T02:03:25Z")
Long day. When we saw the doctor, she told him it was excruciating, and he said you should have told me, and I asked you to tell me. This is 100% consistent with how I know my mother is. She will not speak up, but then she will blame you later. It’s a family joke that she was born to be a martyr. I asked her while the doctor was there, do you believe that you can get the second eye done and if you tell him you are in pain, he will stop and give you more of whatever it takes to make you pain-free? She grudgingly said yes, but I don’t know if she _really_ believed. Glad that’s over.