Very safe. One of the most successful surgeries you can have, little or no pain. My mother had it done and she was a big baby about pain. Even she was glad she did it.
My mom had it, too. As said before, it was outpatient surgery, and she did great. She was thrilled at the results. You will be just fine and very happy you did it!
And also know many others. It's a routine surgery and I seldom hear of complications.
I had a lot of trouble with my left eye, but that's quite unusual and I've since had to have a cornea implant with follow up surgeries. So my situation is unusual.
If you're talking about routine caracts, I say go for it. Follow the aftercare instructions and don't bend down or lift for the time they tell you. One of my friends bent all the way over the morning after surgery and displaced the lens. Another person I know had severe pain and didn't call the doctor. If you have pain, please call right away because there shouldn't be pain and you don't want to toy with high eye pressure which can cause damage.
These kinds of problems are rare and most patients are surprised at the ease of the surgery and the good results.
My Mom had cataract surgery, both eyes, simultaneously. Woke up with 20/20 vision, even now at 80 does not wear any type of eyeglasses.
My Dad also had bilateral cataract and lens replacement surgery, used to treat very high diopter myopia (-20.00). 20/40 vision, at 77 years of age. First time in his life he could walk around without his eyeglasses.
My partner also had catarct surgery at a very young age due to congenital cataracts.. Has some issues with lens slippage, and irits. This was probably due to a botched reoperation, exacerbated by his (at the time) uncontrolled alcoholism.
Seems like, if you follow aftercare regiment by Eye Doc, you'll do well.
NyNeverMo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My Mom had cataract surgery, both eyes, simultaneously. Woke up with 20/20 vision
I have had cataract surgery in both eyes. No problems after a couple of years. My vision is good for distance but I have to use reading glasses for computer and close reading. The first thing I noticed was that all the colors were brighter.
For an extra $2,200 per eye they could have used a lens that adjusts more like the natural ones but it wasn't worth it to me.
My daughter developed a bit of cloudiness in one lens which was corrected with a simple laser procedure. They say this happens sometimes and will check for it in the follow up visits.
My wife and I have both had cataract surgery on both eyes. She sees better now than ever before. I also see well. My left eye started to cloud up a bit after three years or so, but it was cleared up with a short, painless lazer procedure.
For both of us, the procedure was entirely painless, and done on an outpatient basis. If you are in the Salt Lake area, we went with the Moran Eye Center. Dr. Mark Mifflin did the surgery. We were tremendously satisfied with the eye center and with Dr. Mifflin.
I had both eyes done a couple of months ago. I was pretty scared cause I've never had any kind of surgery. I posted here and this board was fantastic in their support.
I took a Xanax for the first one, a small dose to relax me. I really didn't need it, so didn't have one for the second eye and preferred the way it left me more awake and less time sleeping afterwards.
They put you on a gurney and roll you in, then tape your head to something so you can't move. The worst part of the entire thing was when they took the tape off, it stung for a second. You lay there for about 10 minutes while the doc does his thing, you can see weird lights and such but there's no pain or discomfort.
Then they roll you back out, give you some juice and make sure you're OK and send you home. Do not drive yourself. Once you're home, you want to sleep and take it easy, although I actually went out to lunch right afterwards, both times. But I did end up sleeping most of the day.
It takes a couple of days before you can really see well out of the eye, but then you walk around in a daze because the colors are so vivid and things are so clear and in focus. There's no pain, but some people have a bit of scratchyness, I didn't. But be prepared to immediately buy some reading glasses, cause you won't be able to see much closer than your elbow, not in focus, anyway.
It's hard for the two weeks' interim to do much, as you can see out of one eye and not the other because you can't wear your glasses. Be aware that I had really bad eyes and if you don't it won't be a problem. I did manage to drive but felt like a hazard. So take it easy. After the two weeks, you're immediately good after the second surgery, you can drive (but don't for the first day as your reaction time is too slow).
The two week's wait is so your first eye can adjust. They base the prescription for the second lens on where the first one ends up. I just wanted it all done at once until they told me this.
After the whole thing is done, give your eyes a couple of months to really adjust and your brain also. It's kid of odd sometimes, but you gradually get used to it. And odds are good you'll have to go back for the laser thing to removed the gray cloudiness. I haven't yet, but will. I was told that takes only a few minutes and no surgery, just in the office.
Hope that helps and good luck. Nothing to fear.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2011 11:53AM by lostinutah.
Most wonderful medical procedure I've even had done. Honestly it is like night and day. Couldn't see worth a darn, don't need glasses any more except for reading.
No pain. The whole thing feels weird, but that's the worst of it.
to have it done after meeting a delightful American lady in San Francisco last year. She'd had it done and wanted to send me an email from her doctor to my doctor so he'd know how to do it. I said we probably had competent doctors but thank you anyway. I'll let her know how I go.
It's just that short while when they take your still functioning lens out and you're blind and then have to rely on an artificial lens for ever... what am I talking about, I am old and doubt I'm immortal
My dad had great results and even got the operation on video ('no, Dad, I really... I don't want to see your video!?!' lol).
My mom has been her eye doctor's longest healer. One eye had a mild infection and has taken a long time to heal. From my mom's perspective, it has just meant eye-drops in that eye, everyday for about a year... but she still has the benefit of the great vision with no pain, irritation ... nothing negative. Only her eye doc 'sees' the infection. Even though my mom was her doc's 'worst case' it is not a bad result at all... and she'd do it again in a flash.
My husband and I have both had the surgery. The surgeon "slipped", but his eye healed fine. The doctor's nurse measured my lenz incorrectly so my sight was not good and never healed properly. Scar tissue grew over the lenz-had to be lazered off, but will never be right.
In 1990, my MIL came to live with us. She lost the sight in one of her eyes because of complications of diabetes. The internal pressure was off the charts and they were afraid the eye would die and have to be removed. Fortunately, a skilled eye surgeon in Salt Lake City was able to do laser surgery on that eye and reduce the pressure in it so she was able to keep it even though she couldn't see out of it.
She had cataract surgery in her other "good" eye. It was done at the Eye Institute of Utah. They took very good care of her. She was so pleased afterwords because she could see to read again. She had always been an avid reader so not being able to read was very hard on her. She used to get books on tape, but that just wasn't the same. Afterwords, she always had her nose buried in a book.
If I had to have any surgery, cataract surgery would be the one I would choose. It is a relatively simple procedure and most people have good results.
Very bad experience with immediate pain. It's so unusual they don't believe you have pain. Better after 24 hours but I still feel lied to. I was offered a Tylenol when I spoke up, in tears, close to breakdown. Not helpful at all
Last October my mother had cataract surgery on her left eye. The doctor broke the lens as she was removing it. A piece of the lens floated down to the back of her eye.
The doctors said they didn't have the equipment to remove the shard here in xxxxx. They sent us to a larger hospital system two and a half hours away.
We went there every month until they finally were able to remove the lens shard.
Now we were sent to another hospital to check on her healing, and to finally finish the process that should have taken a couple of hours.
This is a university hospital that has its own Eye Center. A straight shot down the freeway.
They installed a new lens then examined the eye the next day.
We've done several followups with many more to come.
The doctors say she's healing up well. She says that she still can't see worth a shit.
A bit of advice if they say its only a catract dont let them do lots of stupid stuff with the back of the eye or anywhere else. I had mine done one went well ish the other is so bad I had to have a fake eye eventualy. It's a simple sergery so if it gets bodged sue.
Both of my parents and my grandma had cataract surgery in the late '80's to mid 1990's. Mom & dad had it done at the local hospital and grandma at a specialized hospital, Wills Eye, in Phila. all 6 eye surgeries went well. My dad was always a total wuss about surgery but afterward, he said he'd wished he hadn't put it off so long.
It means something is not right. The eye pressure might have spiked or some other complication is probable causing trouble.
I had considerable problems with my first cataract surgery. It caused oozing of an opaque gel from the back of the eye to the front and caused temporary blindness and pain. I had to go in to the doc every two or three days and take five or six kinds of drops many times a day for weeks.
The second catact surgery went much better.
Within a year or so my vision again started to deteriorate. The first symptom was not being able to differentiate between black and navy, a problem I'd had from the cataracts. This went from bad to worse so that I could not read and was worried about driving.
It turns out I had Fuch's syndrom and needed cornea transplants. Having had the cataract surgeries meant I had a 50% chance of additional complications with the corneas. I've had five cornea related eye surgeries since January 5 and I'm becomming increasingly tired of medical people poking me in the eye with sharp intruments and telling me not to blink or flinch.
Pleople tend to confuse the words cataract and cornea. Cataract surgery is a short outpatient procedure. Cornea transplants take about three hours and I had to stay over in the hospital although most people go home after half a day or so. Following cornea surgery, the patient must remain flat and immobile for most of three days and curb normal activities for several weeks to months. Cornea replacement never restores sight to 20/20 levels but is fairly reliable and usually stops progrssive blindness. Cataract and cornea conditions are quite different.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/20/2011 08:05AM by Cheryl.
Had both eyes done 8 weeks apart in 2010 ..Best thing ever --Cost about $5,000 total -- See great and depending on your age will last a really long time.. No outward signs of problems no pain --just felt like some sand in my eyes for about 3 days but after that clear sailing..
I had cataract surgery on both eyes, about 9 months apart. This was done at the Wilmer Eye Institute of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore MD.
Everything went well with no complications. For many years my uncorrected vision (without eyeglasses) had been about 20-250 (legally blind!). After the cataract surgery my vision is 20-20. I passed the drivers license eye test without glasses.
My opinion is that getting a highly experienced doctor is the best way to avoid complications. Since the surgery my eyes seem more sensitive to bright light such as sunlight outdoors. Now I always wear sunglasses when I am outdoors. That is really no bother.