Cataract Surgery

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  • #595192
    always here
    Participant

    Did you or someone very close to you have cataract surgery? Care to share?

    #742884
    aries2756
    Participant

    I was recommended to one of the top surgeons that most of the great Rebbeim go to, for my mom. He was excellent.

    What do you want to know?

    #742885
    always here
    Participant

    specifically– I’m wondering how bad one’s vision need be to have it done. I’m aware that it’s THE most common surgery… but surgery nonetheless. My optometrist recommended it for both my eyes & wanted to perform the surgeries in March. I pushed it off ’til after Pesach (May), but I’m wondering if I should wait until my vision’s a REAL disability. my left eye is twice as bad as my right eye. I plan on going for a second opinion, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see if I could get some feedback here. ..thanks.

    #742886
    always here
    Participant

    (hmmm.. or is she an ophthalmologist?)..

    #742887
    aries2756
    Participant

    Only you know how badly you are affected. Can you see to drive? To Read? How quickly are you deteriorating?

    #742888
    the.nurse
    Member

    I work in a cataract surgery center.

    Complications are rare, and if there are, can usually be corrected with laser or retina surgery.

    Where i work, the pre-op takes about an hour: it mostly involves dilating the pupil of the eye which takes time. various drops are put into the eye, and the area of the eye is numbed.

    The actual procedure takes between 10-30 minutes (depending on the surgeon and how dense the cataract is). post-op is about 15minutes, just giving you something to drink & making sure you are stable before you go.

    Once you’re home, again, it depends on your surgeon. some cover your eye with a patch, some don’t cover it at all. some have you do nothing until you see the doc the next day, some have you begin putting drops in your eye before you see the doc the next day. either way, you will be putting drops in your eyes for a few weeks post-op (antibiotic drops to prevent infection, & other drops to help with healing).

    The most common things people complain about the first few days after the surgery are unclear vision, itchiness in the eye, a feeling of grittiness in the eye (as if there is an eyelash or sand in the eye), discomfort in the general area, and a headache. 99% (not an exact percentage) of ppl have these resolve in a few days. Many people don’t have any of these symptoms at all, and have perfect vision as soon as they leave. Every eye is different, so even if you may have one experience with one eye, you may have a completely different experience with the other.

    Most people are nervous when they come in, and when the procedure is over (avg surgeon takes 10-15 min), they are usually sooo surprised at how short it took and how good they are feeling. Many will say something to the effect of, oh i have to tell my friends how easy this whole thing was! I was so nervous for nothing! So, yes, of course you are worried because it is your eye they will be working on, but the relief people feel after having the surgery and being able to see properly again is amazing.

    (i don’t know where you live, but the facility i work in is in the tri-state area and has a great reputation. there are about 20-30 surgeons that work out of the facility. if you want more info, pls contact me thru the mods).

    Hatzlacha!

    #742889
    always here
    Participant

    THANK YOU for your responses!

    aries~ #1. I don’t drive. #2. reading, & just seeing, is like I have a thin veil over my left eye, but it doesn’t seem THAT bad. #3. last yr’s vision in left eye was 1350, this yr. it’s 1800. she said I’m legally blind w/o my glasses 🙁 but I certainly can still see… hence, my dilemna/dilemma.

    the.nurse~ it was comforting to read your response, especially cuz this happens to be your area of expertise! I could google it all I want, but somehow coming from a human here, it’s more reassuring. my eye doctor said there’d be improvement in my vision after the surgery, but I’m wondering if I should do it now– when it doesn’t seem THAT bad– or postpone it ’til I REALLY can’t see out of my left eye….

    I also have moderate basement corneal dystrophy in said eye.

    I’m in Brooklyn.

    #742890
    guy-ocho
    Member

    I got cataract surgery on one of my arms and both of my legs. was pretty painful.

    #742891
    Health
    Participant

    Always here – Why wait? It’s same day surgery. In and out. 1800 is bad. Everyone needs to see. You can’t walk around without being able to see properly and you definitely can’t cross a street. What are you scared of?

    #742892
    always here
    Participant

    Health~ same day, in/out.. it’s still removal of your lens & replacement. how long is the replacement viable? are they gonna need replacement again in 10-15 yrs like my knees? 🙁

    I CAN see.. that’s my vision without glasses.. the right eye is 850 w/o glasses. I CAN cross the street/I CAN see… that’s why my hesitation: I’m wondering if I should wait ’til it’s reallyy bad; meanwhile, it’s just like a thin veil over my right eye (to me/it’s not visible to others). my green eyes look absolutely normal to me or anyone else.

    that’s why I’m going for a 2nd opinion. // thanks for your response 🙂

    #742893
    the.nurse
    Member

    always here,

    no, it does not need replacement. once it’s in, it’s in for life. (assuming there were no complications from the onset, like i mentioned before, which are pretty uncommon and can usually be corrected).

    #742894
    always here
    Participant

    whew! ok, thank you, nurse 🙂

    #742895
    oomis
    Participant

    My husband had it done recently, and the results were immediate. It is done by an opthalmologist (optometrists don’t do surgery), and you have to properly prepare the eye (I would never do both at one time) for a few days before and on the day of the surgery, with eye drops. It is really not a difficult procedure. Hatzlacha.

    #742896
    always here
    Participant

    thank you, oomis.

    my eye doctor said they’d be done about 2 wks. apart.

    happy to hear it went so well for your husband, B’H. just curious: were you able to see the cataract (dense?opaque?) prior to his surgery?

    #742897
    Health
    Participant

    AH – “I CAN cross the street/I CAN see”

    Look I have a lot better eyesight than you without my glasses and I hesitate to even walk around my house without glasses because I might trip on something, for sure not cross the street. It’s not worth the chance. Cataract removal is minor surgery.

    #742898
    always here
    Participant

    I hear you, Health.. thanks.

    #742899
    the.nurse
    Member

    We have a lot of patients that do the 2nd eye 2 weeks after the first. That way you get it done with all at once.

    I also had a husband and wife have it done on the same day, one right after the other. It was pretty cute.

    A piece of advice, your eye will most likely be very sensitive to the sunlight for a few weeks after the procedure, so investing in a pair of sunglasses is a good idea.

    #742900
    always here
    Participant

    thanks, nurse.

    that reminds me that my (costly) prescription sunglasses aren’t strong enough anymore 🙁

    #742901
    mom12
    Participant

    My husband had surgery on both eyes..a few years apart.

    the actual surgery of thecond one took about 5-10 min.

    it was done with a robot with the doc in control, of course,

    it was amazing! my husband saw and heard everything.

    he was able to resume normal daily activity right away including go to work. He had to go in the next day to have checked.

    They give you those large dark sunglasses so really no need to purchase, its probably preferable not to cuz the glasses they give you are closed up on all sides.

    I would suggest do asap, why not be able to see and then there is the Hagada on Pesach..

    #742902
    always here
    Participant

    mom12~ I’m happy it was amazing for him, B’H! thanks for the tip on the dark glasses they hopefully provide.

    I didn’t want to rush into it cuz I figured all the cleaning for Pesach would not provide a good atmosphere for healing… OTOH, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to clean for Pesach efficiently w/ good eyesight.

    glad to be getting good feedback. .. thank you! 🙂

    #742903
    the.nurse
    Member

    mom,

    it depends on the doctor if they provide the sunglasses or not. that’s why you should find out before or buy a pair.

    #742904
    mom12
    Participant

    maybe you r right but my husband had each surgery done by different doctors and my mom also had it done in recent years by another dr…

    They all provided glasses.

    It doesnt hurt to find out..

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