Cataract operation

[crossing]

my mother has no sight in one eye due to a detached retina and a cataract in her other eye.Would you recommend her to have the cataract op,she is terrified of something going wrong and losing all sight. she is 86.

[Graham-W]

My mum had it done earlier this year. She is only 84 though;-))
She is hailing it as a miracle. She loves reading to her great grandchildren. Convince her to have it done.

[Old_Geezer]

Whilst I don't have personal experience of the operation I know my grandmother had the operation many years ago and all went well; and a friend of mine went through it last year and it worked o k for him also. I think it is one of those things that if you can grab your courage in both hands, take a deep breath, and go through it, then it turns out not to be as bad as one feared beforehand, and you are really glad to have got it done. By all means I'd recommend it.

[crossing]

Just a youngster then! It's just a worry if-there were problems. also I think Eye has to be covered after op that would be difficult. thanks for advice .

[old-wos-is-name]

my mother had it done 4 years ago, she was 90 on august the 8th. this year. She thought the worst bit was when the nurse told her She must not have sex for at least 6 weeks after the op. that is a fact! ( I think She may have been confusing sex with going to bingo or something) She found it all o.k no pain, no problem at all.

[LoftyLottie]

My mum had both eyes done when she was in her 80's. Done by a day procedure (I went with her). No problems whatsoever and the results were amazing. Loads of people have their cataracts done and I personally have never heard of anything going wrong. It's a routine small procedure.

[york310]

Is she symptomatic? Is she still able to do what she wants and needs to do?

Weighing up the risks of surgery (1 in 100 come out with complications that could not be managed within the surgery) I would recommend only to have it done when she feels she is beginning to struggle or she feels her quality of life is affected.

[york310]

Btw, it may be one of the most commonly performed surgeries done on the NHS but it is far from routine. Especially when you consider that the fellow eye is blind due to detachment. There are many things that can and do go wrong with cataract surgery and the ophthalmogist willl only be happy to operate when the patient feels the surgery is necessary and understands the risks involved.

Just reread my initial post and it should state that 1 in 100 operations have complications than COULD be managed within surgery and I believe 1 in 1000 have very serious complications which cannot be resolved. The best person to discuss this with is the ophthalmogist who would be operating or get a private appointment for specialist opinion.

[smurfchops]

A cataract op is not major surgery, your mother can have a local anaesthetic and she won't see or feel a thing. The op takes about fifteen minutes. If you are near London I would recommend Moorfields every time.

[boxtops]

My mother had both eyes done (at different times) in her late eighties, and is was successful and gave her a new lease of life. I wouldn't like people messing with my eyes but it seems well worth while!

[Jemisa]

I've had both my eyes done, one 6 months after the other. I felt as if someone had washed the world. Today one can have it done in the morning & be home for tea. No pain, just a bright light to look at, 25 mins tops.

jem

[Sqad]

I would agree totally with york 310...totally.

A difficult one.

Look at it this way.......you are asking whether your mother should have an operation in her only functioning eye.

Take york's advice.............step slowly and gently into the unknown.

[rowanwitch]

two of my mum's best friends...she is totally blind... he is blind in one eye...cataract in other eye.... he had it done but the surgeon admitted it was the first time he'd been worried as it was the only eye between two people... the change for them both has been amazing as he is now confident taking her out and about...

[crossing]

Thank you all so much ,all advice very much appreciated. She is starting to struggle now with limited sight so maybe it's time to be brave.

[atalanta]

My own doctor has had a cataract operation, and she think the result is wonderful. She boasts that she no longer wears glasses at all ( she is about 60)
She says it is the best operation you could possibly have.
By the way, my father had 2 cataract operations well after the age of 90. No problems