Cataract
Surgery Basics : Types, Expectations & Recovery
Cataractsareacommonconditionthat affectsthevisionofmanyolderadults. Cataractsurgery,orlensreplacement surgerycanimproveyourvision significantlyifyouhavecataractsandwant toregainyoursight.Whilecataractsare morecommonlyseeninolderpeople,they canalsooccurinyoungerpeoplewhomay haveexperiencedtraumatotheireyesor beenexposedtocertainchemicalsover time.Aswithanysurgery,therearerisks andbenefitsassociatedwithcataract surgery,soit’simportanttolearn everythingyoucanbeforemakingthisbig decision.
Things to consider before deciding on cataract surgery: Beforedecidingtohavecataractsurgery, youshouldfirstevaluatewhattypeofsurgeryisthe bestoptionforyourneeds.Therearethreetypesof cataracts:nuclearscleroticcataracts,cortical cataracts,andposteriorsubcapsularcataracts. Nuclearscleroticcataractsarethemostcommon typeofcataractthataffectsbothadultsandchildren. Thisconditionblockslightfromenteringtheeyeas wellasproducinghazyorblurryvisionwhentrying tofocusonnearobjectsorfarawayobjects.Cortical cataractstypicallyaffectadultsintheir50sor60s whohavehaddiabetesformanyyears.Itis importanttonotethatthesecataractscanalsobe seenamongpeoplewhohavenotbeendiagnosed withdiabetes.Posteriorsubcapsularcataractsarethe second-mostcommonformofcataractandoccur whentoomuchproteinbuildsupinthelensdueto agingordamage.Thesetypesofcataractsusually affectadultsover40yearsold,buttheymaybe morelikelytodevelopifanindividualhasafamily historyofdevelopingthemorhasbeentaking certainmedicationssuchascorticosteroidsor diureticsformanyyears.
What happens during cataract surgery?
Thecataractisremovedfromtheeyebya surgeon.Thiscanbedonethroughasmall incisiononthesideofthecorneaorthrougha processcalledphacoemulsification,wherethe outerlenscapsuleispuncturedwithan ultrasonicprobe.Thesurgeonthenremoves anylensmaterialfrominsidetheeyeand replacesitwithanartificialintraocularlens. Thisnewlensactslikeanartificialnaturallens forfocusinglight.Forpeoplewhoare nearsighted,farsighted,orhaveastigmatism, glassesmaybeprescribedpostoperativelyto improvethequalityofvision.
The day after cataract surgery: Thedayafter surgeryisoftenatoughtime.Youreyemaybe painfulorfeeldry,yourvisionmaybeblurry, youreyelidsmightfeelheavyoryourhead mighthurt.Thesesymptomsareallpartofthe healingprocessandwillgetbetterasyouheal.
It'salsoimportantthatyoudon'tuseany eyedropsormedicationswithouttalkingto yourdoctorfirstbecausetheycaninterfere withthehealingprocessanddelaypain relief.Useover-the-counterpainrelieversif necessarytohelpeasediscomfort. Youcanexpecttohaveblurryvisionfora fewdaysaftersurgerybutthisdoesn'tmean thatthingswillstayblurryforlong!
Mostpeoplewhoareacandidatefor cataractsurgerywillhaveoneormoreof thefollowingsymptoms:blurredvision, poornightvision,glare,orhalosaround lights.However,sometimesthesesymptoms canbecausedbyotherthingslikediabetes andage-relatedmaculardegeneration.If you'reunsureifyouareacandidatefor cataractsurgery,visitthe best eye hospital for cataract surgery andtalktoaneye doctoraboutwhetherthisissomethingyou mightwanttoexplore