subject: Cataract Surgery Can Be Frightening! Learn What To Expect Now [print this page] The idea of undergoing cataract surgery can be a scary prospect. If you know what to expect, however, you can overcome the fear and get the help you need.
Its recommended that the average person visits their eye doctor at least once a year, especially if youre advancing in age. This is because there are a number of eye conditions that can develop fairly rapidly, and many of these conditions can put you at risk of losing your eyesight. Cataracts are a fairly common complaint, especially from senior citizens, and the surgical procedure to remove them is a fairly common one. But any time youre dealing with an operation that involves one of your most delicate organs, its important to know exactly what youre getting into.
What Are Cataracts?
Have you ever taken a camera into a steamy room, like a sauna or a room with a hot tub? The lens instantly fogs up, and you cant see out of it. You can wipe it clean, and it will become clear for a few moments, but it will then quickly cloud up again. That is very similar to what someone with cataracts experiences on a daily basis. Patients with this condition suffer from a blurring of their vision, and they may also have to deal with light sensitivity. These symptoms are extremely uncomfortable, especially since we use our eyes at all times during the day.
Understanding the Surgery
If your doctor has said that you need to have cataract surgery, it is because the cataract that you have has caused a loss of vision so serious, your daily activities are being affected. Quite often an eye doctor will wait to perform surgery on a cataract, even though he knows that one is there, until the cataract has reached a certain state of readiness.
Your cataract surgery may be at the doctors office or it may be at a hospital, so make sure you ask your doctor where the surgery is going to be taking place. If it is going to be at the hospital, you will need to check in when requested. The procedure is handled on an outpatient basis, which makes the paperwork a bit easier to swallow, but you will still be required to provide your insurance information, likely before the procedure.
Once its time for your procedure to begin, a nurse will take your blood pressure and all of your other vitals, just as they would with any form of laser eye surgery. They will lead you into the operating room. You will not feel anything during the procedure, as you will be put under local anesthesia. During this amount of time the cloudy lens that is the cataract will be removed and replaced with an implant known as an intraocular lens implant. Once your surgery is completed, you will spend some time in a recovery area, then youll be released. You will have strict rules to follow, and a follow-up visit will be scheduled within a few days, during which time the patch that was put on during surgery will be removed, and the doctor will reevaluate your cataracts.
