There is no need to be “out” at all. I have assisted with hundreds of cataract operations, and most were done under local anaesthetic ( drops ). Takes about 15 minutes with an expert, longer with a learner. You should enquire who is doing the surgery, and how much experience they have. Good idea to talk to a previous patient of their’s first.
Sedation or a GA should only be given in exceptional circumstances.
Laser surgery is starting to be used, so you should enquire if the procedure is to be 100% manual, or if laser is going to be used.
All physically able patients for a local procedure walk in and once out of the theatre can walk again. Taken out in a wheelchair as a routine precaution.
That is in my country- might be different in yours.
Ask the surgeon about post op pain and when able to work.
You have “starbursts” (what are those? Something like an ocular migraine?) in the eye that was worked on? Don’t like the sound of that. Don’t like the sound of having to “get used to something” in the eye that was fixed.
LEARNER?!? I know they have to practice on someone, but I don’t want a learner. :eek:
If somebody is coming at my eyeball with a sharp object, I am going to jerk away with all of my might unless I am totally out of it. I know intellectually I shouldn’t. And I know the doctor will tell me it won’t hurt. But I can’t understand how the average person could just lie still while someone attacks their eyeballs unless they are heavily sedated.
If you are paying for a consultant, of course you shouldn’t be getting a learner, but you should still talk to a previous patient if possible.
I have worked with many consultants, but some of them were horrible people, even if they could suck out a cataract at the speed of light. Personally, I’d choose someone that was slower, but did a good job, over someone that is going for the cataract speed world championship.
Before the op, you have eyedrops. You can’t see anything in that eye, except, apparently, a bright light. If you are that nervous, they might give you a block, which involves having a blunt needle inserted behind your eye, or in some cases a sharp needle. That paralyses the eyeball, and it can’t move.
If you are really nervous, by all means have sedation, or even a GA, if you can afford it, but the after effects are probably worse than the op, plus you have to wait in hospital longer. Also, people can die from a GA.
During the op itself, your other eye is covered and you can’t see anything.
If you have ever had an eye examined under a slit lamp, you have already experienced what happens in a cataract op, without, obviously, having an op.
Seconding Doggo’s comments. I never got contacts because the very idea of poking something in my eye gives me the creeps.
Since the eye is thoroughly anaesthetized, you feel absolutely nothing. It seems like someone is holding a very, very bright light just above your eye. No sensation of even touching at all.
Myself, I was still extremely anxious, and if I ever get another eye surgery I will tell them that the “conscious sedation” they used was too low a dose; it didn’t seem to affect me at all. But there was definitely no pain at all during the operation.
I wasn’t sedated the second time and it is no worse than putting drops in your eyes, My eye was held open with an instrument, and the doctor had me turn my eye to the left, right up and down.
Did the OP have surgery yet? I, too, am in my mid-fifties and need cataract surgery in both eyes. They’re gotten bad enough that I can’t get full correction using glasses anymore, and I get frustrated to the point of tears at not being able to see well. For context, my mother only just had hers done, so I sympathize with being “too young” to have cataracts.
I read that Tamoxifen can rarely cause cataracts following 5 years of treatment, which fits my history, so I’m curious if others here in their fifties also took Tamoxifen.
I have to say I’m excited about getting bionic eyes soon. I meet next week to decide which type of lenses to get and to schedule the surgeries.
There have been several threads about this recently. I had mine several months ago. In addition to fixing cataracts, it also corrected my vision (which was -13 to -14 diopters myopic) to 20/20. The only thing is, I opted for non-multi-focal lenses, so to read small print I need glasses. I am now basically about +1.5 diopters farsighted. I needed those simple lenses since there was a bit of astigmatism to correct.
As for surgery itself - went very smooth, they sedate you but you’re awake/groggy, no pain, just kinda weird being there while they’re working on you. Recovery was 24 hrs. Can’t do some things, like carry weights, for a couple of weeks afterwards.
Of course, my experience reflects no complications.
I’m getting closer to it… today I started the pre-surgery eye drops, Tuesday is the big day. Trying not to be scared, but it’s hard.
I have opted for remaining near-sighted- able to see up close and needing my glasses for distances as that is what I have been all my life, and I do a lot of up-close hobby stuff.
Good luck, PapSett! Personally, I’m not scared about the surgery, but I’m really scared of not having a good result, and then being stuck with that for another 30 years. This, for us, is different than having the surgery in our 70’s.
I’m worried about giving up my near-sight. Like you, I do lots of closeup work, and for a lifetime it’s been reassuring to know that when I can’t see well with my glasses, I can take them off and see up close really well. I’m not sure I can adapt to the opposite of that.
I used to work for a group of Ophthalmologists who specialized in cataract surgery. I was there for 4 years.
The bad results were few and far between. I only remember one patient who got an infection, and that guy’s hygiene was questionable at best. In 4 years, only one patient had to be operated on a second time. Most of the people who had problems had tiny bits of their cornea floating around which got zapped by lazars. I understand that was a painless light show.
Seriously, I loved it. People would come in so blind that they couldn’t read street signs, would have surgery and come in the next day for a check up and they were reading books and driving their own cars and so happy that they were almost dancing.
I saw several surgeries and while the patients were able to respond to directions, they didn’t seem to be in any discomfort. They mostly seemed to be happy. The doctors also used Versed which blocks the memory, so the patients usually didn’t remember anything that happened between getting the shot and then drinking juice in the recovery area.
PapSett, I logged on just to tell that you need to post tomorrow night to say how happy you are. Your eye be covered with a shield, but you will still be able to see through it.
Trivia that one of the surgeons told me. Monet, who painted with beautiful, bold splashes of color, developed cataracts. They blocked most of the light and he went into his “blue” period. After he had the cataracts removed (around the time of WW1), he was suddenly painting with vivid colors again.
Do let us know. I know that you will have wonderful results, but I’ll send a prayer your way anyhow.
wonderlust, your surgery will be easy and you will be really happy. PapSett will tell us this tomorrow.
That really was a great job because I got to see people have a pretty minor and routine surgery (Yes, I know that its not minor or routine to those who are doing it, but medically speaking…its not brain surgery) that instantly improved their lives.
They could READ again, they could DRIVE again, they could read cookie recipes and bake stuff for us and were so happy that we often got treats when they came back for their 3 day check.