OT: Cataract Surgery

[8893]

Everyone keeps saying how important the eye drops are ... is that for pain, or part of the healing process.

I don't recall. I don't remember pain. Maybe mild discomfort. I have had to follow eye drop regimens after so many of the surgeries that it is hard to recall which was for what, but I know in a few instances the drops were for dilating the pupil. Not sure if that was the case here. I'm a super-dilater, meaning that my eyes stay dilated longer than most, so that was the only thing that sticks out in my mind about the drops.

The thing I remember most of was walking down the driveway that Sunday morning after picking up the newspaper, and being totally blown away by what colors I was seeing, seemingly for the first time.

One other thing to note about cataract surgery is that most people who have high intra-ocular pressure beforehand, including Glaucoma, find that it is reduced if not eliminated after the surgery.

 

[SallyH]

Everyone keeps saying how important the eye drops are ... is that for pain, or part of the healing process.

I had to wear an eyepatch for one day. I had four different drops - one of which was an antibiotic. But one set of drops lasted four weeks. I don't recall having any pain, but then again, I took it easy for a week or so.

 

[Dove]

I've watched a few cataract surgeries before.

They cut your cornea open like a tin can and peel the flap back. They insert hooks to hold back the iris, then use a drill to carve up your existing lense, vacuuming out the pieces as they go. Then they insert the new lense, take the hooks out, and close the cornea flap. Not much to it.

Most ophthamologists will do 5 or 6 in an afternoon. It's very routine.

You left out the series of five 7" needles used to both drain and numb the eyeball.

 

[temery]

You left out the series of five 7" needles used to both drain and numb the eyeball.

The father of a friend of mine had detached retina "surgery," and frequent follow ups. Apparently they use a very fine needle to tack the retina back in place. He swears he feel nothing. No thank you.

 

[Storrsbred]

Do you come out of the surgery wearing a patch for a day or two?

Wore eyepatch 1 week per eye, only when sleeping. Guarding against a sleepy eye rub in the middle of the night.
Drops are for healing. I never had any pain.

Never had ANY needles!

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Dr. Alan Solinsky - Solinsky EyeCare | 5 Connecticut Locations

My mom was legally blind in her right eye because of a cataract. Dr. Solinsky had to use femtosecond laser surgery to remove it. Her left eye also had a dense cataract that was removed.

It sounds like your condition is not quite as bad. The journey to get my mothers vision back took almost a year because of post surgery corneal and macular edema. This was a result of the size of the cataract.

She now can see 20/25 in the left eye. The right eye has good vision also! This doctor is great. Highly recommended!

Good luck!
BDH

 

[SallyH]

My parents were both optometrists - they couldn't perform this surgery of course - but my mother would talk about her first patients asking her if she would pull their eyeballs out and scrape behind them. After assuring them that no one had done this to them, they were positive that the "old doc" had indeed scraped behind their eyeballs. My very smart mother finally told them that she used newer techniques and she didn't need to do that any more.

 

[gtcam]

Is this your application for a Trump cabinet position?

nope - he heard it from Hilary who read it while curled up on her couch at her home with her rented dog while Bill was sitting at his desk calling Iran on the only cell phone Hillary ever used looking for more money while getting pleased by their Sandinista maid who has full security clearance

 

[RichZ]

Anyone here have cataract surgery?

Please share you experience.

Thanks

During my terrible period of multile eye surgeries following a detached retina a few years ago, one of the 11 operations I had was a cataract surgery in my troublesome right eye. Not so much that *I* could see better, but so that the surgeon could see into my eyeball better during surgery.

Surgery was a breeze and there was no pain that I can recall.

 

[sledog]

I'm taking notes as I have this problem as well

I would suggest you interview a few opthos, and ask a few Qs like: how many have you done? what is your 'success' ration? Where did you go to school, and where was your post--grad training. etc...

 

[temery]

During my terrible period of multile eye surgeries following a detached retina a few years ago, one of the 11 operations I had was a cataract surgery in my troublesome right eye. Not so much that *I* could see better, but so that the surgeon could see into my eyeball better during surgery.

Surgery was a breeze and there was no pain that I can recall.

Were you awake got all surgeries?

 

[7774]

Reminds me of the owner of a restaurant where I tended bar long ago. He taught me a very unorthodox method of clearing wax from your ears, and cautioned that after he did it, he regretted it because he was able to hear his wife all throughout the house and the restaurant.

And he was spot on. I had a headache for the first couple days because I was hearing like Jaime Sommers, and as a bartender in a very busy bar it was more of a curse than a blessing for a while. The sound of the change hitting the cash drawer made me jump.

That's pretty crazy. What was the unorthodox method?

 

[RichZ]

Were you awake got all surgeries?

"Twighlight" level anesthesia. Awake to follow instructions. except for the scleral buckle surgery (a silicone "rubber band" around the eyeball, under the outermost layer.) and the time they screwed up the retrobulbar block and anesthetised my brain.
But the cataract surgery was done with a peribulbar block and I was pretty much wide awake for that one.

 

[dogpause]

I've watched a few cataract surgeries before.

They cut your cornea open like a tin can and peel the flap back. They insert hooks to hold back the iris, then use a drill to carve up your existing lense, vacuuming out the pieces as they go. Then they insert the new lense, take the hooks out, and close the cornea flap. Not much to it.

Most ophthamologists will do 5 or 6 in an afternoon. It's very routine.

Sign me up.

 

[buddy]

Wore eyepatch 1 week per eye, only when sleeping. Guarding against a sleepy eye rub in the middle of the night.
Drops are for healing. I never had any pain.

Never had ANY needles!

You likely had the needle, but were sedated for its insertion and don't remember. They had to use some sort of block to numb the eye and immobilize it. Either retrobulbar or peribulbar block. They usually give you something intravenously, nowadays likely propofol, to knock you out for a minute or so while they do the block.

 

[Kibitzer]

Anyone here have cataract surgery?

Please share you experience.

Thanks

I had it done (right eye) 4 months ago at VA in West Haven. Surgeon was a resident from Yale-New Haven and a grad from Yale Med. School. Some tolerable discomfort for about an hour (prep and surgery). No needles (except IV).

Result: 20-20 in right eye, unnecessary for left eye (20-40). Glasses discarded after 30 years. YAY!

I say go for it!

 

[uconnfan68]

Make 100% sure you know that the result you want is doable. There are pluses and minuses. If you want distance, be prepared for reading glasses. If you sit at a computer for hours on end, maybe that's not right for you. Good luck with your decision and better luck with the outcome.

 

[80shusky]

I'll do it for free. I have no idea what I am doing so you will never be able to see again. Prior to the procedure please give me your logins for the BY so that I can ban @Deepster and @August_West so the rest of us don't have to watch them fight like little girls anymore. I'm also going to turn off the profanity filter. You're welcome Boneyard.
I love you all (including the people I just picked on for no reason at all) and I mean this in the best possible way.

 

[temery]

Sound plan, but we may need @August_West for the anesthesia.

I'll do it for free. I have no idea what I am doing so you will never be able to see again. Prior to the procedure please give me your logins for the BY so that I can ban @Deepster and @August_West so the rest of us don't have to watch them fight like little girls anymore. I'm also going to turn off the profanity filter. You're welcome Boneyard.
I love you all (including the people I just picked on for no reason at all) and I mean this in the best possible way.

 

[August_West]

Sound plan, but we may need @August_West for the anesthesia.

I got your back.

 

[huskiemaniac]

I've watched a few cataract surgeries before.

They cut your cornea open like a tin can and peel the flap back. They insert hooks to hold back the iris, then use a drill to carve up your existing lense, vacuuming out the pieces as they go. Then they insert the new lense, take the hooks out, and close the cornea flap. Not much to it.

Most ophthamologists will do 5 or 6 in an afternoon. It's very routine.

I worked in an OR for a few months last year and they did eyes 1 or 2 days a week and they'd do around 12-15 each day. Very routine and highly successful.

 

[Storrsbred]

You likely had the needle, but were sedated for its insertion and don't remember. They had to use some sort of block to numb the eye and immobilize it. Either retrobulbar or peribulbar block. They usually give you something intravenously, nowadays likely propofol, to knock you out for a minute or so while they do the block.

I am 100% positive I did not have any needles as I was conscious the entire procedure. Prior to the day(s) of the operation, in the docs office , I was told no needles. Drops were used to numb. My eyes were not immobilized as I had to look in specific directions at command so the doc could orient the lens.

 

[Earls & Kings]

I'm still taking the drops for the second surgery in four weeks. One of the three drops burns like a b every time, one burns some of the time and the last one is benign. I was told that the order you take them doesn't matter, so I use the burners first and mitigate their impact with the benign one.

I can see every detail on the leaves in my back yard but it hasn't helped me see the keys on my computerwithout "readers".

My doc told me that the lenses they put in may not be mt exact prescription because they are pre-fabricated to cover the range of site without nailing every possible prescription in between. So they should get everyone closer to 20:20... but some will still need glasses.

 

[8893]

That's pretty crazy. What was the unorthodox method?

It was basically taking the bulb-shaped ear syringe from a store-bought ear wax removal kit and using it directly contrary to the warnings and instructions. Instead of gently flushing the ear with warm water, you fill the syringe with hot water and blast it with as much force as possible directly in the canal. You'll know you've got it when a knuckle-sized chunk of wax falls out.

And you will realize within a few hours that the wax is the body's way of protecting the ear drum, and you just removed it.

 

[Palatine]

Anyone here have cataract surgery?

Please share you experience.

Thanks

Piece of cake, both eyes, one at a time about a week apart.

They twilighted me, not knock outed, literally zero pain. Took about twenty minutes, wife drove me home. Worn clear plastic eye cover for about a day.

Results were immediate and AWESOME. Life changing.