From the length of time, you’ll be required to take off work to driving following surgery and how to expedite your recovery, this guide covers everything you need to know.
How much time is required for cataract surgery?
Cataract surgery, also known as phacoemulsification, is a simple and rapid technique that may be performed on a day case patient. When you arrive at the hospital, your eyes will be prepared for operation by the surgical team. This procedure is placing drops in your eyes to dilate and widen your pupils.
Additionally, you will be asked to sign consent forms and provided a surgical gown to wear.
Once in the operating room, your cataract surgery will take around 15 minutes, and you will be released from the hospital when you are ready to go. You will spend no more than four hours in the hospital. learn more about cataract surgery in Sydney at https://www.personaleyes.com.au/cataracts.
Cataract surgery can be conducted under local anesthesia or using eye drops to numb the region. If the procedure is performed just with eye drops, you will be required to wear a clear shield over your eye until you return home.
If your surgeon administers a local anesthetic, you will need to continue wearing an eye pad and shield for many hours longer until the anesthetic wears off.
What are the risks associated with cataract surgery?
Your eye will feel watery and slightly gritty immediately following surgery; this is typical. Your vision will be somewhat impaired, and your eye may also seem red or bloodshot due to increased sensitivity to light.
The drops used to dilate your pupils before surgery will wear off within 24 hours. During this period, you’ll notice that your pupil seems bigger than usual. Additionally, your eyesight will be obscured while you wait for the drops to wear off.
How long does it take to recover?
24 hours following surgery, your eye will feel normal again. Your sensitivity to light, on the other hand, may last a few more days.
Your eye will entirely recover in four to six weeks.
Will I be required to take time away from work?
It is not suggested that you return to work immediately following cataract surgery.
Each patient is unique, and the time frame for returning to work will vary according to the nature of your employment, the strength of your spectacles, and whether or not you require new glasses.
If you use very powerful glasses, you will notice a substantial change in vision between your two eyes after cataract surgery in one eye. This will make the job more difficult. This imbalance will be corrected if you get further cataract surgery in the opposite eye.
Your surgeon will be able to advise you on the appropriate amount of time to take off work depending on your particular circumstances.
Is it safe for me to drive following cataract surgery?
To drive a car, you must be able to read a number plate from a distance of 20 meters. Additionally, you must demonstrate that you can read the 6/12 scale on an eye test chart with both eyes open. Your optician or ophthalmologist can arrange for this exam.
If you have no additional visual issues, you should be able to read both immediately following cataract surgery. Due to the fact that only one eye will be operated on at a time, you may be assured that driving is safe — just drive cautiously at all times. learn additional visual issues by clicking here.
Certain patients will require new glasses to comply with legal driving standards. It is recommended that you wait four to six weeks before scheduling an eye exam for a new pair of glasses.
If you use really strong glasses, you may need to wait until your vision has been balanced in your other eye. After that, you will need to wait for both eyes to recover completely before getting a new prescription for your glasses.
What can I do to expedite the healing process?
To ensure a speedy recovery following cataract surgery, it is critical to follow your surgeon’s instructions.
When you leave the hospital, you will be given eye drops. These will aid in the healing process and help avoid infection. You should continue to use these drops in the operated eye for as long as your surgeon recommends.
You should take precautions to avoid eye injury. These precautions include refraining from touching your eye, covering your eye from direct sunlight, and washing your hair with an eye shield. Additionally, you should refrain from swimming until your eye is totally recovered.
Additionally, your surgeon will advise you on how to wipe your eye properly during the first two weeks, as it may feel sticky. This is completely normal and is a result of the eye drops and the healing process.
Unless a multifocal lens was implanted during surgery, you will require reading glasses following your cataract surgery. These lenses will be of a different strength than the ones you wore before surgery.
Renew your glasses once your eye is completely recovered. In the meanwhile, consider getting reading glasses from a drugstore or supermarket.
Is cataract surgery permanent, or will I require a repeat procedure?
Cataract surgery is permanent – you will not require the same procedure in the same eye in the future.
10% of individuals develop debris buildup behind the new lens implanted following cataract surgery. This can be corrected with a quick outpatient laser surgery.
After cataract surgery, will I be able to bend over and lift objects?
Patients were previously instructed to avoid bending, lifting, and heavy exercise following cataract surgery.
Now that contemporary cataract surgery allows for a very little incision in the eye, the recommendation has changed. Following surgery, you will be able to resume normal activities, including sports (although note the instructions above regarding driving).
Will I still require glasses following surgery?
If your surgeon corrects your cataracts with a conventional fixed-focus or monofocal lens implant, you will require reading glasses. Additionally, you may require glasses to see clearly at a long distance.
Alternatively, if you get a multifocal lens implant, the likelihood of you having glasses is considerably decreased.
How long will it be until I am able to undergo surgery on my second eye?
If your first eye heals rapidly following cataract surgery, you can have your second eye operated on within a week.
Depending on the strength of your prescription for glasses prior to the first operation, you may choose to delay the second procedure until you require it. This is the situation if your glasses have a low prescription, meaning there is minimal change in vision between the two eyes.
If you require really powerful glasses, the visual disparity between your two eyes will be too significant following your initial operation. It is recommended that you get your second operation to rectify this eyesight imbalance.