A Few Things You May Want To Know About Having Cataract Surgery
If your cataracts make your vision dim or blurry, then surgery might help. Cataract surgery is a routine procedure done in your eye doctor's office and the recovery time is fairly fast. Your vision will be much clearer once the cloudy lenses are removed and replaced with artificial ones. Here are some things you may want to know:
One Eye Is Done At A Time
If you have cataracts in both eyes, you'll probably just have one eye done at a time. When one eye is healed, the second one will be done. This means the surgeries may be spaced a few weeks apart. One reason for this is because after the surgery, you have to wear an eye shield and you wouldn't want to have both eyes covered at the same time.
The Procedure Is Done Using Anesthetic Eye Drops
You won't need a general anesthetic to have cataract surgery. The eye doctor numbs your eyes with anesthetic eye drops instead. You won't feel any pain or discomfort throughout the procedure. Your eye doctor may offer a sedative if you're nervous about having the surgery done, but the medication just helps you relax. You'll always be awake and alert so you can leave the office soon after the procedure is complete.
Your Vision May Not Improve Right Away
Your vision might be blurry after the surgery and after the blurriness goes away, you may not notice a big improvement in your vision until your eye has had time to heal from the surgery. However, it's possible you'll notice some improvement right away. Your vision might be brighter, but it usually takes a few weeks for your eye to fully heal and for your vision to adjust.
You May Need New Eyeglasses
One reason you'll need a change of glasses is that the lenses your doctor puts in your eyes during the surgery may be able to fully or partially correct your vision problem in the same way lenses in eyeglasses do. Depending on the type of vision problems you have, you may not need to wear glasses after you have cataract surgery. It's also possible you'll need them, but have to wear them less often. If you still need to wear glasses, you'll most likely need a new prescription that accommodates the change in your vision. However, you'll probably need to wait a few months to have your eyes tested for glasses. Your eyes have to be fully healed first and if you have surgery on both eyes that could take a few months since the surgeries are done weeks apart.
Although it takes your eyes a few weeks to heal, the recovery is usually easy to endure. The first few days, you may have itching in your eyes, which is one reason you wear the eye shield. You'll also need to put in eye drops and avoid strenuous activities, but you'll be able to do many of your usual activities right away. Before long, you'll notice improved vision which means you'll be safer and be able to enjoy reading and driving at night again.