Cataract Operation?

[lilacben]

I would like an honest opinion on having a cataract removed?..... mainly really worried about the injections to numb the eye first...and how long after before it heals.? Many thanks

[Jackdaw33]

I'm in the same boat as you, terrified at the thought of someone taking a knife to my eyes. I think I would prefer to go gradually blind.

[BAKERS DOZEN]

Have had both cataracts done in the past year and can honestly say I never felt a thing. Your eyes are numbed with drops not injections and it takes about 15 mins each eye. Naturally they were done about 5 months apart. The only aftercare is eye drops for several weeks afterwards. Nothing at all to worry about. They even offered to improved my eyesight with a better lens if I wanted it. People pay hundreds of pounds for that privately. All done on NHS.

[jno]

I've had both eyes done. No way I'm letting a needle near my eyes, at least not while I'm conscious, so I asked for a general anaesthetic and there was no problem - a substantial minority of patients seem to feel like me. They did the GA patients at the beginning and end of the day.

You get an eye patch to wear for about a week. They only do one eye then leave it 3 months or so before doing the other one, just in case anything goes wrong; but the success rate is about 98%.

I found one effect was to make the world seem bluer - the cataracts cause a yellow cast. It also means that I still need reading glasses, but not for seeing anything more than about 6ft away, for which I used to have a wide range of specs.

First eye was perfect. Second one still very slightly out of focus when reading, so the reading glasses lenses each have a slightly different prescription. Nothing to worry about, though.

I was delighted with the ops.

[Mamyalynne]

I haven't had cataract surgery but have had procedures on my eyes that required anaesthesia, if an injection should be required then usually drops are given first.

The fear really is worse than the reality, you really wouldn't prefer to lose what vision you have.

[BAKERS DOZEN]

Wasn't having a general anaesthetic. Would take too long. In and out in about two and a half hours.

[BAKERS DOZEN]

As far as I know I only had drops to numb my eyes. If there were any needles involved then I neither saw them of felt them. Did have an injection in my eye in the outpatients months before when I first attended but had drops in first and never felt a thing. Not to say that I wasn't worried at the time but they were brilliant.

[bookbinder]

I've had both eyes operated on, a few years between each operation. The first one involved an injection into a corner of my eye, just a little prick, really. That numbed the eye so that I could not see, so I never saw a knife coming towards the eye. The operation took about 20 minutes. My eyesight returned after a few minutes, and I had to wear a special eye patch in bed for a while (so that I didn't accidentally poke my eye with a corner of the pillow). The operation went well, and I had no worries, neither before nor afterwards. I can honestly say that I am pleased with the result, and therefore I was not apprehensive when the time came to have my other eye operated on. You'll be OK, lilacben!

[snowshoe1]

I HAVE CATARACTS IN BOTH MY EYES. I HAD THE RIGHT EYE DONE FIRST. THEY PUT DROPS IN YOUR EYE AND THEM THE DOCTOR INJECTED JUST BELOW MY EAR WITH A NEEDLE..THE DOCTOR USED A LASER TO REMOVE THE CATARACT AND REPLACE IT WITH A EYE LENS..IT TOKE ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES AND I DIDN'T FEEL A THING. MY LEFT EYE WAS DONE(2-14-2018) THE SAME WAY..I CAN SEE SO MUCH BETTER..

[vetuste_ennemi]

Don't believe this knives and needles stuff, LilacBen.

I'm the world's biggest coward, have had both eyes operated on for cataracts, eye drops, twenty to thirty painless minutes each timer. None of this Freddy Kruger stuff. My experience pretty much as Baker's Dozen has described his(hers?).

And the result? Absolutely brilliant.

[ummmm]

My nan had hers done, no problems at all except she was mortified by the dust in the house that she hadn't been able to see.

[SlackAlice]

Just had my right eye done about 10 days ago, left was done about 5 weeks ago.

No needles, no pain. Just a couple of drops to the eye for anaesthesia. Walked into the operating theatre and wheeled out 30 minutes later, procedure took about 20 minutes. Nothing much to see or feel other than stare at a bright white light.

Have to wear a clear eye patch during the night for 2 weeks and drops 4 times a day for 3 weeks. Slight discomfort for a couple of days but definitely no pain.

Had a post op review on my left eye which came back marked as perfect vision. No longer need glasses to drive, will need them for reading small print. Now the other eye has been done all colours back in balance, no more dark and dingy.

Like you I was worried about someone jabbing me in the eye with a knife, but my worries were just fantasy. Go for it, absolutely amazing difference.

[lilacben]

Oh Thank you all so much for your experiences of your eye Op. From what you have all said I feel ok about it now...lol internet is very good except when you watch an eye Op! I am not squeamish at all for anything else but my eyes! So now I feel ready ...Thank you again. X

[Pete65]

My experience of cataract ops is much like Baker's Dozen.
Eye numbed with drops.
You can't really see anything, just vague shapes and shadows.
Think I was in the theatre for about 15 minutes.
Had to wear a patch overnight for one day.
Everything went very well, with a dramatic improvement in vision.
I would encourage you to go for it!

[BAKERS DOZEN]

To vetuste I'm a her. Back to the op - I had even forgotten about wearing the eyepatch in bed for a few nights but as bookbinder said that is only to stop you poking yourself in the eye with your finger or the corner of the pillowcase or sheet. Had my op on the Thursday and had to go back on the Friday for the routine checkup and was advised there was the possiblity of weekly Friday check ups for about 4 wks afterwards but the following Friday they were happy with my eyes and my next appt was in 3 months. I was given some eye drops to use at home on the Friday am before my 1st check up and they did sting a bit but they were a one off. Eye sight much better now. Don't know if all doctors offer to improve the lens they put in your eye but well worth asking about if it is not mentioned. Good luck.

[Huderon]

Don't be put off by what follows, cataract operations really do have a very high success rate and this tale is one where it wasn't quite as successful as one would have liked.

My wife developed a cataract in one eye following an op to fix a detached retina (a cataract is a possible side effect of that op).

In a consultation before the op, it was decided to give her a lens which would leave her short sighted and close to her other eye. They lost the notes of that consultation, and put in a perfect vision lens. Not ideal, but could be lived with.

Two days after stopping the drops (Boxing Day) she was back in A&E in extreme pain and eventually got to see the eye people. She had a form of uveitis which affects the front of the eye. So, back on the steroid drops, along with drops to lower the eye pressure. She is still on the eye drops 7 moths after the operation.

Since then the vision in the eye which was operated on has been getting worse - she is developing a cataract again. Oh, but that's all right - it can be fixed with a laser procedure. Except for one minor problem in that there is a risk that fixing the new cataract will lead to a detached retina, which was what started this all in the first place.

Mrs H is not a happy bunny.