Cataract Surgery 101

Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgery performed in the world and is a very low risk outpatient surgery. 

An eye surgeon will perform a full examination of your eyes including checking for glasses prescription as well as looking at your eyes to better visualize the cataract. A dilated examination will be performed to make sure the optic nerves, and retina are healthy. Additional testing including retinal scars, and topography may be done to make sure your eyes are healthy. 

The risk of cataract surgery is very low but include risk of infection, and dropped nuclear fragment in which part or all of the lens falls to the back of the eye during surgery. If there is a dropped lens fragment in the back of the eye, your surgeon may not insert a lens implant if it is not safe to do so. Other risks include swelling of the retina, and/or retinal detachment. Rarely, the cornea may swell up as a result of the cataract surgery in which case you may require a corneal transplant if it does not recover. All of these risks could result in needing more surgery, and permanent vision loss. 

After surgery, the patient is usually started on a combination of an antibiotic eye drops, a steroid eye drop and an anti-inflammatory for approximately 4 weeks. Restrictions include no heavy lifting, no bending over, and avoiding getting the eye wet. An eye shield is recommended for nighttime wear for 1 week. The vision typically is much better the following day and continues to clear over one week. 

Lens implants include the standard lens which is covered by medical insurance with (in most cases) the goal being distance vision. Most patients require reading spectacles after surgery. If you have astigmatism, the standard lens does not correct for it and you can expect to need glasses for clear vision even for distance vision. There are special lens that correct astigmatism if you require them. Additionally, new lens implants are now available that provide correction for both distance and near vision. These are referred to a multifocal lens implant. The multifocal lens have their own drawbacks such as reduced contrast sensitivity, and an increased incidence of glare and halos at nighttime. Your surgeon will talk to you about the different lens options and how they may be appropriate for you. Although the goal is to improve vision, glasses independence cannot be guaranteed for any cataract surgery result due to factors beyond the control of the surgery.