Please Tell Me About Your Cataracts Removal Experience

[MIGrandma]

I will be having my left cataract removed in July, then the right one in August. I’m already nervous about it, so would love to hear about your experience when you had yours removed. I know I will need some good, relaxing drugs for sure. I would love to be sedated for the procedure but not sure if that is an option or not. I was hoping to get Toric lenses, to correct my bad astigmatism but my surgeon said they don’t make them strong enough for me so I will still need glasses. Bummer.

 

[aboveH20]

I absolutely positively know how you’re feeling. Thinking about it is so much worse than the actual experience. I was afraid I would blink during the operation and make the knife slip. I should have known that the very first thing they do (after sedating, of course) is to use a gadget to prop your eye open.

The other thing I didn’t know was the frequency of eye drops following the procedure. Best if you have someone who can do it for you, unless you’re good at giving yourself eye drops. I had a total of 236 eye drops!

I recently had my annual exam and commented to the doctor how nervous I was before the operation and how much easier it was than I expected. He said everyone says the same thing.

The physical part is much easier than the mental part!

 

[KPeterso]

I just had my one eye done 4 weeks ago. I am young to have needed the procedure and only had an issue in my right eye (but it was really bad). The specialist I saw noticed my anxiety about anything doctor and eye related (seriously just getting 1 drop in my eyes is a nightmare) and immediately told the assistant that I would have to be put under general anesthesia. That is not the normal procedure, but was 100% necessary for me. So the last thing I remember was being told how cute my stuff Pluto was and to have a good nap. I honestly have not noticed a big difference (everyone says how much brighter colors are but that was not true for me since I was probably compensating with my other eye). I got for the 1 month follow up next week.

 

[MIGrandma]

I absolutely positively know how you’re feeling. Thinking about it is so much worse than the actual experience. I was afraid I would blink during the operation and make the knife slip. I should have known that the very first thing they do (after sedating, of course) is to use a gadget to prop your eye open.

The other thing I didn’t know was the frequency of eye drops following the procedure. Best if you have someone who can do it for you, unless you’re good at giving yourself eye drops. I had a total of 236 eye drops!

I recently had my annual exam and commented to the doctor how nervous I was before the operation and how much easier it was than I expected. He said everyone says the same thing.

The physical part is much easier than the mental part!

Thank you so much! I thought they would definitely use something to keep the eye open, I mean it’s our natural thing to blink every few seconds and that would be bad during the procedure . The paperwork I was given yesterday did mention all the eye drops. I don’t mind doing that. I am trying not to worry too much, several years ago I had to have a small procedure on my back and my blood pressure was 190/101 before it. They didn’t seem at all concerned, and after the procedure was over I felt stupid for getting so worked up over it. Thank you again for taking the time to tell me about your experience, it really helped

I just had my one eye done 4 weeks ago. I am young to have needed the procedure and only had an issue in my right eye (but it was really bad). The specialist I saw noticed my anxiety about anything doctor and eye related (seriously just getting 1 drop in my eyes is a nightmare) and immediately told the assistant that I would have to be put under general anesthesia. That is not the normal procedure, but was 100% necessary for me. So the last thing I remember was being told how cute my stuff Pluto was and to have a good nap. I honestly have not noticed a big difference (everyone says how much brighter colors are but that was not true for me since I was probably compensating with my other eye). I got for the 1 month follow up next week.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it. I am trying not to worry too much about it.

 

[Disneypeach]

Had mine done last September. Went very well, was a quick surgery only took about 7 mins each time. Of course, pre-op takes the most time as they want to dilate the eye as wide as possible.

My surgeon offered a new way to handle the medication after surgery. He injected the steroids and antibiotic directly into the eye eliminating the need for all those eye drops. (sounds scary but I didn’t even notice when he did it during surgery)

I wish I had done the surgery sooner as they fixed my staggering nearsightedness so I only need reading glasses now instead of the “coke-bottle” ones I’ve had to wear for 50 years.

 

[longboard55]

It is pretty weird, but totally painless, just don't think about it. Life is so much better when you can see.

 

[cvjw]

Both of my parents have had both eyes done in the last year. Both said it was so easy. My mom just had hers done. One week apart. Neither need glasses anymore. Both said they wished they had done it much sooner.

I think the thought of the procedure is much worse than the actual procedure!

 

[tvguy]

I absolutely positively know how you’re feeling. Thinking about it is so much worse than the actual experience. I was afraid I would blink during the operation and make the knife slip. I should have known that the very first thing they do (after sedating, of course) is to use a gadget to prop your eye open.

The other thing I didn’t know was the frequency of eye drops following the procedure. Best if you have someone who can do it for you, unless you’re good at giving yourself eye drops. I had a total of 236 eye drops!

I recently had my annual exam and commented to the doctor how nervous I was before the operation and how much easier it was than I expected. He said everyone says the same thing.

The physical part is much easier than the mental part!

I have a cataract in my right eye, my vision can only be corrected to 20/40 in that eye so eye Doctor says I am probably 7 years away from surgery. I asked a friend who had both eyes done at the same time and he said the procedure was shockingly quick, less than 20 minutes, and mentioned the only hassle for him was wearing the eye protection for a few days after surgery, and 4 eye drops a day in each eye for a month.

 

[SueInBoston]

I had both done (about a month apart) a couple of years ago and I wish I could've done it earlier. My dr uses one of those surgical center and I was totally under. I was good with my drops before and after so no issues there. After recovery, my eyes were very sensitive to air and I was concerned. Then the optician explained that because I've worn contacts pretty much all my life, my eyes always had a layer of protection against air and that's why it took time for my eyes to adjust. He was correct, my eyes have adjusted. I think my only mistakes were I was so excited after surgery that I went and spent a bit of money on nice progressive glasses and sunglasses that I don't wear. I now wear one low power contact lens for reading. I will put on reading glasses if I'm reading a book or doing a lot of computer work, but most of the time I just have my one contact in and I can read small prints.

 

[Darcy03231]

I had mine done 2 years ago and thought it was a breeze. The only thing I made sure to ask for was Zofran as I have trouble with any kind of sedation/anesthesia (nausea).

I'm surprised you're unable to get the Toric lenses. My prescription is really bad and I was able to get them.

 

[cayennews]

My mother just had hers done last month. She was very nervous but it ended up being a breeze. You are given some drugs. She had no worries and was not feeling nervous at all when she had her second eye done.

 

[Princesca]

Not cataracts, but I had LASIK done a couple of years ago. Zero regrets. I was nervous, so I took advantage of the valium. Didn't really feel much. The only thing that was just a little bit unsettling (and I tell you this so it doesn't catch you off-guard) was the slight scent of burning that comes with the tool they use. It was so fast, and they hold your eye open with a device of sorts so blinking isn't really an option (which is what I was afraid of doing). Each eye was over in seconds.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Both eyes done 2 weeks apart 5 years ago. Correction from 20/220 to 20/20 in one eye 20/30 in the other. I now need glasses for reading only. As someone with glaucoma, I’ve had a good ongoing relationship with my ophthalmologist and he is a gem. Having confidence in your doctor helps getting through the procedure itself… which is surprisingly quick. Recovery was uneventful… I take eye drops anyway so that wasn’t a big deal.

As someone who spent their whole life completely dependent on glasses it has been transformative.

 

[goofyernmost]

Thank you so much! I thought they would definitely use something to keep the eye open, I mean it’s our natural thing to blink every few seconds and that would be bad during the procedure . The paperwork I was given yesterday did mention all the eye drops. I don’t mind doing that. I am trying not to worry too much, several years ago I had to have a small procedure on my back and my blood pressure was 190/101 before it. They didn’t seem at all concerned, and after the procedure was over I felt stupid for getting so worked up over it. Thank you again for taking the time to tell me about your experience, it really helped

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it. I am trying not to worry too much about it.

The thought of it is the worst by far. You are given a dose of something to calm the nerves and it works well. You are awake, so to speak, but feel absolutely nothing except a slight non-painful bit of pressure. It is so worth it though. The difference in vision is shocking. I know my wife had it done and her vision was so bad all her life that she needed glasses to find her glasses. After the surgery, no longer needed glasses for distance. My eyesight previous to the surgery was fairly good, close to 20/20 in both eyes, after the difference in clarity and the brightness of colors was totally unexpected and great. Don't worry, just image how much better you will see. At the age of 86 my mother had her's done and the next day she went to a casino.

 

[MIGrandma]

I had mine done 2 years ago and thought it was a breeze. The only thing I made sure to ask for was Zofran as I have trouble with any kind of sedation/anesthesia (nausea).

I'm surprised you're unable to get the Toric lenses. My prescription is really bad and I was able to get them.

That’s great you were able to get the Toric lenses. My ophthalmologist told me I would be happier with those, but the surgeon said they aren’t made strong enough for my astigmatism so must be mine is even worse than yours. I was really hoping to only need reading glasses.

 

[jlundeen]

I had both done a month or so apart a few years ago, at my eye doctor's office (full service- Opthalmologist, Optometrist, Optitician). I had worn glasses since I was very young, and went several years with contacts, but evntually went back to glasses.

I had really poor distance vision, but could see well very close up - not really well for reading though. I chose to have the distance vision corrected in both eyes and eventually got bi-focals that just corrected reading distance, top part is just glass. (They gave me the option for correcting one distance and one close up, but I had tried contacts like that at one time, and didn't like it at all.)

Procedure was painless, local anestetic. No pain at all, during or after. First thing I noticed was how BRIGHT and colorful everything was. The biggest issue was trying to wear glasses between first eye and second eye, as one no longer needed distance correction.

 

[goofyernmost]

That’s great you were able to get the Toric lenses. My ophthalmologist told me I would be happier with those, but the surgeon said they aren’t made strong enough for my astigmatism so must be mine is even worse than yours. I was really hoping to only need reading glasses.

Mine didn't affect my need for reading glasses, I needed them before and I still do, but the overall benefit was well worth it. I didn't realize how poorly I was seeing things before the Cataract surgery.

 

[CynBeth]

I just had my one eye done 4 weeks ago. I am young to have needed the procedure and only had an issue in my right eye (but it was really bad). The specialist I saw noticed my anxiety about anything doctor and eye related (seriously just getting 1 drop in my eyes is a nightmare) and immediately told the assistant that I would have to be put under general anesthesia. That is not the normal procedure, but was 100% necessary for me. So the last thing I remember was being told how cute my stuff Pluto was and to have a good nap. I honestly have not noticed a big difference (everyone says how much brighter colors are but that was not true for me since I was probably compensating with my other eye). I got for the 1 month follow up next week.

My DM had cataract surgery in both eyes a few weeks apart maybe 5 or 6 years ago. She also was too nervous to be awake for it. They were able to correct her visit on much more than they originally thought. She used to wear these thick lenses and could not see without wearing her glasses and now she has these really thin lenses and can take them off if she needs to get up in the middle of the night.

 

[ronandannette]

It is pretty weird, but totally painless, just don't think about it. Life is so much better when you can see.

Not to poo-poo anyone's anxiety, but this is really the perfect way to put it. It's just that simple.

Not cataracts, but I had LASIK done a couple of years ago. Zero regrets. I was nervous, so I took advantage of the valium. Didn't really feel much. The only thing that was just a little bit unsettling (and I tell you this so it doesn't catch you off-guard) was the slight scent of burning that comes with the tool they use. It was so fast, and they hold your eye open with a device of sorts so blinking isn't really an option (which is what I was afraid of doing). Each eye was over in seconds.

For anyone nervous about cataract surgery - this is NOT something you will experience. It's an entirely different procedure.

 

[leebee]

Local anesthetic... so do they inject your eyeball or something? Also, were there limitations on air travel post-surgery?

I am calling my eye doctor first thing on Monday. I have a cataract in my left eye. In early July the eye doc said it was almost in the field of vision and would probably need to be dealt with in the next year. Well... I've noticed it getting harder and harder to see clearly (some fuzzy spots in my otherwise good/corrected vision) and I have had 3 optic migraines in the past 2 weeks (I can't remember the last time I had one). Definitely time to call the eye doc again, but thought I'd check here first to see what DISsers' experiences with cataract surgery were like!