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Cataract post op advice

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zarim
zarim

Hello, my names Neil, i have just had a cataract operation on each eye, my left eye was done just over 18 days ago, and my right eye was done on Tuesday, 4 days ago, so in the space of 15 days ive had both eyes done, Iv'e been told i am quite young to have had cataracts at 49. and due to being self employed and needing to get back to work asap, i have been really lucky to get both eyes done in such a short space of time, but what a stressful time its been, since the first eye was done, i have had a black arc in the corner, is this normal? at the 2nd eye op, i asked the surgeon if this was normal, he said it was, i now have the same in my other eye,if this is just settling down symptoms, how long is this likely to last? my short vision in both eyes is really good, but the long vision is very hazy, is this normal, i did ask the surgeon about this and he said it may stay the same, and said its very hard getting both short vision and long vision good together. i fully understand it is very early days and that i have been very lucky in getting both eyes done so quickly, but the after effects since the operations are very worrying, is this just normal settling down problems? any advice is good advice, and would be very appreciated.

Neil

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • ethel1955
    ethel1955 zarim

    Posted

    Neil, I had my right eye done a year ago in February.  I never had  a black arc in my eye, so I cannot relate to that.  The vision in my right eye is 20/20 but I have a smudge l'm looking through, for the lack of a better way to describe it.  I had a friend of mine to suggest wearing a mask at night.  This seems o have helped her dry eye which is a side effect of cataract surgery.  I haven't gotten one yet, but I am to see if it will help my situation.  I'll post my results after a couple of weeks.  The continued use of eye drops has not seemed to help at all.

    • zarim
      zarim ethel1955

      Posted

      hello, thanks for your reply, it doesn't sound nice at all having smudge on the lense and having to look through that all the time, and its been over a year since your op, since ive posted my post, ive been reading through alot of posts, and its quite scary reading the problems everyone's getting or had, i dont think ive read one yet, with something good, maybe ive been unlucky and missed those, like someone said in a post, time is the great healer i guess, but any problem people are getting is a worry, and when its the individual having these problems its hard to get the consultants to take much note, makes you feel like screaming i guess, hope your smudge clears up :-)

       

    • edfru2
      edfru2 ethel1955

      Posted

      From what I have read, some people eventually may experience that smudge or cloudiness which is a buildup on the lens caused by the body. You may need what they call YAK laser surgery to clear off that lens area.
  • Sue.An
    Sue.An zarim

    Posted

    Hi Neil sorry you’ve had to deal with cataracts at 49 which is young for them.  I had to deal with them at 53. It is a shock to be diagnosed with cataracts when you’re not expecting it.  All I thought was I needed stronger glasses.  Had both surgeries in July and Aug 2017 six weeks apart.

    I think what you may be experiencing is something called negative dysphotopsia.  People often describe the arc which you are seeing.  It can also be that people who are younger have pupils that dialate more than older people do your pupil could be dialating beyond edge of IOL and you may be seeing that.  Are you noticing it more in dimly lit situations?   As you age this may become less noticeable.   You are also in early days and this may go away on its own in time or brain adjusts and tunes it out.

    What type of lenses did you get?   Some IOLs are smaller than others in diameter although most I think are 6mm

    Hope you are able to see your doctor to inquire further and get some answers.

    • zarim
      zarim Sue.An

      Posted

      Hi Sue, The black arc is there in the morning when i wake up, and it is there throughout the day, but doesn't seem as bad, and it is there when i am getting tired in the evening, that might make a lot of sense to other's that it's just settling issues, but its still a worry when you can see it, to be honest, when i was told that i needed cataract operations about 6 months ago, and its a must that i get them done, for my future eye sight, i left all faith in the hospital and surgeon and never really asked much about lense type etc, i drive for a living, so did make them aware many times of this and just put faith in them, i don't like hospitals/operations at the best of times, so didn't dwell on it to much, thing is from day one i was always long sighted, and needed glasses only for reading, then after a visit to the opticians about 3 years ago, i was told i had pressure in the eyes and it went from there, i have a post op appointment on the 20th so will ask more then and try to get answers, very early days, but still a worry, thanks very much for your advice :-)

    • Sue.An
      Sue.An zarim

      Posted

      Might be good to jot down your questions and take them to your appointment.  I find sometimes if I don’t write my questions down I forget to ask.

      If they didn’t discuss lens options with you and you told them you drive st night you likely have monofocal lenses targeted for distance or sometimes they target one for .50 diopter in to give s person more useful intermediate vision,  some can even read quite well with that setup.  If cataract surgery a must the surgery and the monofocal lenses are covered under NHS (for UK).  I live in Canada so my surgery was covered by our Medicare system.

      I found my eyes were settled at about the 6 week mark.  Experienced a lot of glare and starbursts which did diminish with time.

      At the 6 week mark you can visit your optometrist to get an exact prescription and will give you a baseline for future visits.

      All the best Neil.

    • zarim
      zarim Sue.An

      Posted

      Hi again Sue. An, yes I’ll write all my questions down at my post op appointment, strange how we have  all these question to ask, then come away and didn’t ask everything, good advice ty.
    • jt71410
      jt71410 Sue.An

      Posted

      Hi.  I'm 52 and heading in to a London clinic this coming weekend to have my first lens replacement - as you say, it's a bit of shock to be having this at this age but there you are.  My question is about the recovery period.  I was contemplating going to a ski resort a fortnight after the operation.  How quickly does the eye heal normally please?  JT

       

    • Sue.An
      Sue.An jt71410

      Posted

      First of all I wish you all the best for your surgery.

      Recovery does vary person to person.  For the first week you will wear an eye shield overnight (and naps).  I actually wore it at night for 2 weeks as I am a sound sleeper and was concerned I would rub my eye during the night.

      I was fortunate in that I could see well within 24 hours after surgery but some can take weeks.  You’ll have at least 2 diffferent eye drops to take for 4 weeks. For some people these drops can make eyesight blurry.

      I was able to manage the 6 weeks between surgeries by poking out a lens in my glasses. Will you need 2nd eye done?

      You could feasibly be able to ski but you may be very sensitive to light for weeks.  I had to wear sunglasses in the house even for a few weeks as everything was bright.

      Be careful not to bump that eye - lol hopefully you are a good skier!  

      Even if no complications the iol takes about 6 weeks to settle into place and adhere.  You will likely experience slight differences in how you see as it moves and settles into place.  

      What type of lens will you be getting?

      All the best to you.

  • julielyn
    julielyn zarim

    Posted

    Hi Neil. I’m 48. I had my cataract surgeries one week apart in December 2017. I also experienced the rim effect for a while ( few weeks) after surgery, it gradually went away. I think, because of our age, our pupils dialate more and allows light to catch the edge of the lens. As we age our pupils will not dialate as much. My lenses are restor 2.5 multifocal toric in right eye and restor 2.5 multifocal in left eye. I had a lot of problems the first month or so with pain and light sensitivity, so added natural tears or lubricating drops daily to my recovery and that has helped tremendously. Also I’m a previous lasik patient so I am not able to see precisely just yet. I’m also developing a second cataract quite quickly in right eye.  The YAG procedure is in my future. Most people gave me the same response as you, you’re too young to have cataracts. Well, no I’m not. I had major problems in low light conditions, now things are easier. I don’t mind the concentric rings around lights at night. A much better choice than the glare and starbursts that i used to experience. Hang in there, healing takes a while, even for us young oneswink 
    • zarim
      zarim julielyn

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply and advice Julielyn, 2nd cataract that’s not good is it, didn’t realise you could get them again, after these ops it certainly sounds like a long settling down period, my black rims were coming and going yesterday, hopefully that could be a sign of settling, it was only the 2nd time I’ve been out the Home yesterday, it’s a shock with all the different light issues being out, rather than being at home in a darker situation, my eyes feel very strained this morning, also after the first op, I had hardly any pain at all, but since the 2nd op, my whole side of my face hurts, my teeth ache, my temple aches, feels like I’ve been kicked by a horse, funny how different surgeons work 🤔

  • julielyn
    julielyn zarim

    Posted

    Yes, light sensitivity was unsettling at first. Going into a large department store filled with florescent lighting caused a lot of flickering, that had also disappeared. I also had sinsus issues. Pain, but nothing unbearable. But again, I can contribute that to my reaction to the steroid drops prednisone. The tear ducts and sinsus and ears are all interconnected. Are you still on antibiotic drops as well at this point? Could be a reaction to them as well. For me, in had a lot of inflammation still at 5 weeks post op. Healing just takes time. Now, at 9-10 weeks out things are better, but I have a long way to go because of being a previous lasik patient. I will need lasik again, then yag . And perhaps a lens exchange before all of this. I’ll know more at the end of the month at my 3 month follow up. Hang in there. Things change daily at first, then gradually become more clear
    • zarim
      zarim julielyn

      Posted

      Hi Julielyn,  yes I am still on antibiotic drops, got another week with those twice a day for the first eye, and another 3 weeks with the 2nd eye, the steroid drops are just 4 times a day for another week in the 2nd eye, the pain around the 2nd eye which was operated on last Tuesday, seems to be getting worse, from the bridge of my nose, all around my eye socket , my temple and right through my jaw, this pain started up about 2 days after my operation and seems to be getting worse, suppose it’s all the bruising coming out, but my first operation took only about 25-30 mins, the 2nd eye took a good 50 mins, and the sturgeon did a lot more work than was done with the first eye, and I’ve had no pain after the first  eye operation at all,  I suppose we all heal differently, I just hope the healing/settling down process quickens up, as I need to get back to work, I’m self employed as a courier and started up a small business 6 months ago, so I need to get back on the road ASAP. And over here in England it’s not easy at the moment. I have family in Seattle, USA,  so not to far from Canada, all the best with your eyes 🙂

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