Preparing To Have Cataract Surgery

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You've scheduled an appointment with your ophthalmologist to have your cataracts removed and you're a little nervous about the procedure. No one likes the thought of having surgery. But this procedure is so common that it's done right in your doctor's office. You'll experience no pain during the surgery and you'll see the results in a couple of days. You'll be excited to get your clear eyesight back and glad you had the procedure done. Here is what to expect from your upcoming cataract surgery.

Planning Ahead

You'll need someone to take you to the appointment and take you home afterwards. The eye drops the doctor uses will cause you to be sensitive to light, making it difficult to drive.

Plan to spend a couple of hours in the eye clinic. The procedure doesn't take long, but you'll spend some time in the recovery area resting until you feel like going home.

Have a light meal the night before or morning of the surgery to help with any queasiness you may experience during the procedure.

The Day of the Surgery

If you're having a lot of anxiety about the procedure when you arrive at the eye clinic, a place like Alta View Eye Care Center, your doctor will give you something to help you relax. This may require you to stay a little longer in the recovery area as the medication wears off before you go home.

The procedure is done while you sit back in a reclining chair, much like the one in a dentist's office. Your doctor will look through a microscope into your eye as they do the procedure.

Your doctor will put drops in your eye to anesthetize it. You'll feel a little pressure during the procedure but no pain. Once your eye is numb, the doctor will remove the old, foggy lens and replace it with a plastic, acrylic or silicone artificial lens, called an intraocular lens (IOL).  

Once the procedure is done, you'll be lead into a recovery area where you can sit and relax before going home. At this point, your eye is still dilated so your vision will be blurry and you'll be sensitive to light. Your doctor will check on your eye and, once they are satisfied that the incision looks good, you can leave.

After the Surgery

Your eye may itch slightly as it heals. Your doctor will give you an eye shield or some cotton gauze to put over your eye to prevent you from rubbing it. You'll have eye drops to put in the eye for a few days to prevent infection and swelling.

As your eye heals, you'll begin to see the improvement in your vision with the clear lens. You'll visit the doctor a few days after the surgery, then a few months after that. You may need to wear prescription glasses to have clear vision without your eye muscles straining.

The artificial lens is a permanent part of your eye. Because it isn't natural tissue, it will not become foggy so you'll never have cataracts again.

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