Cataract - Description of the
Procedure
The procedure is performed on an
outpatient basis at the Clinic. You will be able to
go home after the procedure, but you will need to arrange
for someone to drive you home and bring you back the
next day for a follow-up visit. The procedure generally
requires twenty (20) minutes of operating room time,
but the actual duration of the procedure may vary according
to the type and amount of correction needed.
After your arrival at the Clinic,
your vital signs will be recorded and some eye drops
placed in the eye. Some of these drops cause the pupil
to dilate, making it easier for the surgeon to remove
the cataract. Other drops guard against infection, while
others may be used to numb the eye.
You will wear a hospital gown instead
of a shirt or blouse; however, you can wear your own
pants and shoes. To maintain our sterile environment
in the operating room, you will wear a surgical bonnet
and shoe covers.
Shortly before your operation,
you will be escorted to the operating room. A mild sedative,
such as Valium or Ativan, may be taken to help you relax.
Eye drops will be placed in your eyes to numb them.
During the procedure, you will be lying on the bed or
reclining chair and your eyelid will be heldwith
a device called a lid speculum. You will be asked to
focus on a special fixation light in a microscope. The
doctor and his surgical team will guide you through
the surgery. All you have to do is relax and look at
the light in the microscope. The surgeon and his team
will do the rest.
Cataract surgery removes the cloudy,
natural lens of the eye. Once the natural lens of the
eye is gone, another means is needed to bring light
rays into proper focus upon the retina.
A tiny artificial lens, called
an intraocular lens is placed inside the eye to clear
vision. The lens is made of inert materials that do
not trigger any rejection responses by the body. Through
the use of careful measurements of the eye taken before
surgery, your doctor may be able to select a lens power
to correct for nearsightedness or farsightedness, helping
to reduce dependence upon corrective eye wear after
the surgery.
After the procedure, your surgeon
will likely place a patch over the eye to protect the
eye and reduce discomfort while healing. After a brief
recovery period, you will rejoin your family or friends.
For the first few days after the
procedure, you may experience discomfort, ranging from
scratchiness, to actual pain. During this time, your
vision will be blurry and/or may fluctuate between being
clear and being blurry.
You should not drive for at least
twenty-four (24) hours after the procedure, and in no
event should you drive until your vision is clear.
You may need glasses or other corrective
lenses after the procedure on a temporary or permanent
basis. Cataract surgery will not prevent, and may unmask,
the need for reading glasses.
You will be asked to consent to
having the procedure recorded, videotaped and/or photographed.
The procedure may be video taped for clinical purposes
and may also be photographed for research and academic
purposes. These recordings are not available for patient
use or reproduction. The procedure can be performed
without being recorded.
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