Cataract surgery pain
Posted , 12 users are following.
How much pain will I have during and after cataract surgery ?
0 likes, 23 replies
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Notes on Cataract surgery pain
David24601 donald16398
Posted
i can only speak for my own experience the pain was absolutely minimal slight sting from the numbing drops and that was it i was most nervous that i would start looking all over the place when the doctor was operating and screw something up but all my worrying was for nothing it was essentially painless and took about 20 minutes total I never experienced any pain after the surgeryat worst the next day when i went for mu followup and the doctor dialated my eyes there was some tightness probably just from so much activity on my eye over the previous few days
i did have some disappointing side effects the doctor said that my retina tore during the surgery and some pieces of the old cateract went inside my eye now i have a dustlike trail of debris i can see, plus a few larger pieces in my field of vision not sure if these are what they call "floaters" because several of them don't seem to move while i definitely see better out of the eye, i feel like i traded one eye issue for another in addition to the floaters i understand that a torn retina can lead to blindness if not watched closely and never heals anyway, more than you asked and don't want to worry you but I wish id known about some of these possible side effects before i moved ahead with surgery
good luck!
Hudsongrl donald16398
Posted
During the surgery I was given numbing drops plus an IV with a mild sedative. i was totally awake and remember all of it. The only pain I had was mild pinching in the outer corner of my eye I think from the clamp used to keep eye open. Afterwards very slight pain from the clamp that was controlled with tylenol the first 24 hrs. So, pain was minimal.
phyllis31515 donald16398
Posted
I had no pain at all with my first eye surgery. I had a little soreness in my left eye the day after the second surgery because my eye became a little bloodshot due to the anesthetic. It did not effect my vision at all. No pain whatsoever during the actual surgery process. I had Symfony lens inserted in both eyes and now I have clear vision at all distances without glasses.
mrsmop donald16398
Posted
Hello Donald, I have had both of my eyes done now, both as a result of steroid use. I had my 2nd eye done in 2017 & had no pain at all. I was amazed. I had the first one done under a General, it was 30 years ago, the 2nd one was under a local.
Good luck, I wish you well.
soks mrsmop
Posted
Hi mrsmop,
I think it is fantastic that your surgery was done 30 years ago. I am 43 so I am hoping for the implant to last long for me.
Have you had any YAG or other work necessary for the surgery done 30 years ago?
Thanks for sharing.
mrsmop soks
Posted
Hi soks, I had YAG on both eyes, the first time it was about 6 weeks post op, the 2nd time was at the same time as the op.
Regarding preservative free drops, I have been prescribed Hyabak pres free drops & they come in a bottle that holds approx 300 drops & because of the way it has been manufactured, you can use them for about 3 months before disposing of the bottle. I tend to go through a lot, so they have been finished before I reach 3 months! They are lubricating eye drops.
I'm not certain what country you are in, I am in the UK
Preservatives cause a lot of problems. All my drops are pres free.
I wish you luck with your operation
Sue.An2 mrsmop
Posted
I will have to look for that brand of drops in Canada. I will be in UK this summer so if I can't find here perhaps can pick some up there. I assume these are over the counter - no prescription needed?
mrsmop Sue.An2
Posted
They are otc drops. The 300 drop bottle is 10mls
They are expensive but then, I don't know how much the other drops are in comparison. Amazon sells them in multiple packs, as well as singly.
Sue.An2 mrsmop
Posted
Thanks will look into it. Always a question of customs and duty charges when shipped through Amazon - I sometimes get dinged 1/3 of the price with customs charges.
soks mrsmop
Posted
Hi mrsmop
Did you have glare issues 30 years back? I am guessing you must have been younger for cataract at the time causing pupil to dilate more than the lens.
Did you lose near accomodation with the monofocal lens at the time?
Thanks.
mrsmop soks
Posted
Hi Soks
I did have glare issues but that was probably connected with the chronic uveitis that I have had for a very long time, the lens that they used has always suited me. I don't know what it was, except that it was coated with something, to stop it sticking to the iris. They didn't tend to tell patients much in those days.
My eyesight is still remarkable considering my eye condition.
Sue.An2 donald16398
Posted
Hi Donald - have you had a consult yet with your surgeon? Go with a list of questions as usually inly one consult granted (at least here in Canada). I was undecided about lens choice so did go back for 2nd visit to ask more questions but that delayed my surgery a month. But better to have your questions all answered.
In canada where I live only numbing drops to the eye administered - no IV. Was offered Ativan to calm my nerves which I did take.
I didn't feel any discomfort during surgery. I feel worse pain going to the dentist for a cleaning. After first surgery eye frlt a little scratchy like sand or something was in there. Nothing unbearable - artificial tears took care of that. Second surgery I had no side affects at all.
Good luck - don't worry about procedure - be more concerned with surgeon selection and choice of IOL. Read up and do some research.
soks Sue.An2
Posted
Hi Sue
I bought systane non-preservative on amazon. I love them. But you have to throw them after one use and it still has about 8-10 drops left.
Sue.An2 soks
Posted
Oh good to know. Likely better pricing on Amazon too versus Walmart. Went last week and they were sold out.
Likely more sanitary to use this way even if you have to throw away each time. Thankfully I don't need them every day (several times a say) like in the beginning.
Glad you put me onto the preservatives in these. Long term use of medications never been good for me!
mjcg donald16398
Posted
Hi Donald! I had cataract surgery on my left eye just about 12 weeks ago and really had no pain at all. The surgery was quick and my recovery successful. Be sure you follow all the pre- and post-op instructions from your surgeon and all should go well!