Cataract Surgery

RE: RE: RE: Cataract Surgery

Submitted by Gretchin on Tue, 2005-08-16 - 03:19

Adam I had both eyes operated on for cataracts. Steroids for anti inflammation in any dosage can cause cataracts. I had to go on and off steroids quite a bit for asthma and got - cataracts. I don't know how it's done in other physician's practices. I was terrified to have it done. I think any kind of eye surgery is frightening. Eyes/vision is so important I didn't want my eyes messed with. I waited until I could barely see colors but after it was over I kicked myself for waiting so long. My physician had a large practice. He had his own surgical suites too. I'll give you a quick run through of my surgery.--I entered and was asked to sign a surgical permit. Sat down in the waiting room with many others. A nurse came out and put eye drops in all of our eyes. That was repeated several times to dilate the pupil.--I was taken back to surgery holding. I went from station to station and finally into surgery. The worst part for me which I doubt you'll go through. There is an injection given I think into your optic nerve which is very grizzly. Everyone back there BUT me was put to sleep for about the 5 minutes it takes to inject. My asthma was too bad and they didn't want to put me to sleep. I'll tell you if I could get through that with very active sz'ing normally? I figure there isn't much I can't do. It didn't hurt. It was just gross, frightening.--I can't remember when but I was given some Valium. Everyone was. My neuro had spoken to the surgeon. Not long before I had my surgery I was also given IV Ativan. I have a LOT of drop sz's too BTW.--Once they anesthetized my eye I could only see in shimmery colors from that one eye and I couldn't move my eye around. Obviously in eye surgery you don't want to move your eye around.--I was given some humongous sized pill, we all were, to aid in not bleeding behind the eye I think. I could barely get that down. That was one of the worst parts of it, really. But I have a partially paralyzed throat and it's hard for me to swallow.--I was taken into surgery. My husband was asked if he wanted to watch, which he did on the other side of a glass. I was asked if I wanted a video tape. I did on one eye. --I was draped. Told all the way through what was going on. I had no pain. All I really experienced was changing colors and darkness and lightness. One eye took 14 minutes, the other 11 minutes. So the surgery itself isn't very long. Ask your surgeon how long it takes him/her. I think my surgeon might be faster than some. I recovered in a recliner for maybe an hour or so.--My eye was bandaged, a metal cup was placed over it. The next day I returned. They removed all of that. Some people I've heard see well right after, I couldn't see anything but smeary colors and was told that was more normal.--3 weeks later I had the other eye done.For about a year I had to get new lenses in my glasses every month or two. I went to Lens Crafters because they had a special cataract program where you buy the first lens's and all those thereafter are free. There are several chains that have this program. I'd check around that saved me hundreds of dollars.My vision in each eye returned. I can't remember now but they wouldn't have done the second eye 3 weeks later if I was still blinded in the first. I remember too with the second eye I went alone. Drove myself, and drove home. I sat there, no pain, and thought this is ridiculous. I went to work. My eyes felt kind of dry and scratchy for a few weeks. Hopefully you'll have the stitchless surgery. No stitches. When they put stitches in those stitches drove people nuts. I had to put drops in my eyes four times a day for awhile. After that course I still felt like I needed drops for that scratchy feeling and they had me use an oil based eye drop instead. Every once in awhile if I'm looking just right? I can see the edge of the artificial lens. It's not gross. It doesn't hurt and the relief of being able to see again is hard to express. I understand your fears but cataracts will only get worse. I did some reading about it. It's the most performed surgery in the US. One thing that irritated me though. I was never told that 40% I was told get a film or haze over the lens after surgery. I started loosing vision, went back to my doctor, not all that long after my surgery. He told me the above. The cure for that is there is a special laser that they use to zap away that haze. It's called a surgery but it's really more like a procedure. Again painless. I drove myself there, and drove myself home.I hadn't been diagnosed with epilepsy at the time but I was sz'ing quite a bit. An odd time. I was under a lot of stress then. THere is a lot of epilepsy in my family and the doctor I'd seen thought I had situational stress causing transient sz's. Needless to say I haven't been back to him.If you want to go to sleep then do but really? It's over before you know it and with general anesthesia then you have to recover from that. Good luck.Gretchen