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Eye discomfort after cataract surgery

Posted , 36 users are following.

derek76
derek76

I had cataract surgery five days ago. On taking the dressing off the next day my vision was brilliant and no discomfort.

On the morning of the third day (Saturday) it felt as if I had something in the outside corner of my eye and that the clarity of vision was somewhat less. As it didn't wear off I called the out of hours ophthalmic nurse. She first asked me to check for an eyelash or anything in the eye. Her second suggestion was that I could have a sensitivity to the cheapo NHS eye drops with preservative in them.

We agreed to leave the situation until after applying the next eye drops. Things were no better when she called me back. She offered to get the on call eye doctor to see me at the hospital.

I did not feel that it was urgent enough for that and that I would leave it until today ( Monday)

The discomfort worsened over night and I called the daytime contact number. They took my details and will pass them on to the eye clinic and someone will call me back...but it might not be today.

The feeling is rather like when many years ago I wore contact lenses and I put one in wrongly.

Has any other reader had the same sensation?

3 likes, 101 replies

101 Replies

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  • Carol_V
    Carol_V

    Posted

    I had a cataract removed yesterday on my right eye and your symptoms are the same as mine, it's as if I am wearing contact lens, there is a sharpness on the outside ring, like it is catching, also bloodshot eyes and there is too much glare lights and sun. I am hoping it will all settle down. What is the latest news with you?
    • gayle34096
      gayle34096 Carol_V

      Posted

      Hi carol I had a cataract lens and macular hole surgery done six weeks ago.  I have the sharpness on the outside ring of my ear and also if I touch my eyelid it's sore.    Does this go away am I expecting it to heal too soon.  Don't know whether to ring hospital or not
  • derek76
    derek76

    Posted

    Early days, they told me that it takes up to a month for everything to settle down that is why you cannot get your eyes tested until then.

    I had the second cataract done on October 7th. I did not have the same discomfort after that one and in the past week the discomfort in the first one has eased. I was assured that the new lens is well inside the eye and cannot be felt and that the problem is down to dryness. I was away for a few days and forgot to take the artificial tear eye drops with me did not feel the need for them.

    Last week the first eye became rather bloodshot for a few days but probably nothing to do with the procedure.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi I had a cataract operation and an implant fitted in my left eye my vision has improved somewhat, after about one and a half weeks I started to get a sort of flickering light sensation in my left eye when I move my eyeball left to right, and also had the feeling something was catching the same as one of you, it started to get rather annoying, after the 4th week I had my eyes tested and there was quite a variation from one eye to the other I told the optomatrist that this flickering was driving me nuts but she said its just my eye healing and it will settle, my retina is fine no issues there at all, its been 5 wks now and the flicker is no better and although my eye isnt red it feels a little watery and is still a little sensative to bright lights Ive been in contact with others who have also had this flickering sensation and they said they had it too, Im still waiting for my glasses its been 2 weeks now, I cant sit to read a book or read a menu at a restaurant which is an embarrasment having to have someone read it out to you, I suppose I have no patience as I wanted it done and dusted, Ive got another week off work making 6 wks in total which for some sounds an awful lot ,but I know from experience Im a slow healer as I have other healing issues too, Im not diabetic or anything its just me ? But at least I can drive my car now as I followed the guide lines in not driving for a month. Im 62 soon and I suppose as we get older our healing abilities get slower, so if you experience any flickering sensations its part of the healing so they say ? but for how long.???
    • vera42649
      vera42649 Guest

      Posted

      Hi, I had my left eye operated on 5 days ago and am experiencing the same flickering when I look from side to side particularly if the light source is to my left.  Very annoying flickering but my visual acuity is super.  Has your symptom improved with time? I'm almost afraid to ask!. I read somewhere that it took a person with similar symptoms from 9 to 12 months to resolve itself.
    • Carol_V
      Carol_V vera42649

      Posted

      Thank you for telling me that as it gives me hope, which is such a precious thing.  No I am 5 months since the operation and I still have a very damaged eye.  Sorry. 
    • vera42649
      vera42649 Carol_V

      Posted

      Carol, I am so sorry you are going through such a trying time.  I'm not a physician but I'm wondering if you could be allergic or sensitive to the drops?  

      I've been (what we in the US call nearsighted) since I was 5 years old but have worn contact lenses most of my life and have been satisfied except now with the cataracts I went for an operation.   I'm going a bit crazy with the flickering light symptom that was immediate after the procedure.  My husband says to ignore it...easier said than done. especially since I go for my other eye operation in a week, ugh!

      It was good connecting with you and wish you well. Let me know how you are doing.

    • derek76
      derek76 vera42649

      Posted

      What were you told at your follow up examination as to the cause of the flickering?
    • vera42649
      vera42649 derek76

      Posted

      Hi Derek:  My doctor examined me the day after, which is usual in the US and as I continued to complain, he examined me yesterday (3 days later) again.  He gave me an extremely thorough exam and said that there was nothing he could attribute the phenomenon to and believes that with time it will diminish or completely disappear. He could not assure me that it would not occur  in my right eye when operated on in a week's time. 

      If I look down my nose at whatever or whoever I am looking at I don't see the flickering as much but  that's a bit awkward!  Well, I'm off to see Midsomer Murders which are popular here in the Northeast as are so many series from the UK.

      Be well.

    • derek76
      derek76 vera42649

      Posted

      As I understand it, he cannot actually see the problem on examination and the phenomena is only visible to the sufferer? When he shines a bright light into your eye to examine it does that worsen it?

      Does the flicker of the TV affect it?

      Do you get Midsomer on PBS or a regular network? I've grown rather tired of their unlikey story lines and my favourite character is now the dog:-)

    • vera42649
      vera42649 derek76

      Posted

      The dog is actually very cute. We get the British programs on PBS only.   The phenomena occurs with a light source to my left.  The operation was on the left eye.  The sense one gets is that the light is reflecting through jelly within the eye, that's as best as I can describe it.  Like a flicker throughout the eye. When the doctor shines a bright light into the eye I don't see the the flickering.
    • vera42649
      vera42649 derek76

      Posted

      Hi Derek76: I received your M.Men email but could not answer via the same method as it said there was a computer error.  But I agree, lots of time went into it but this is the last season!
  • Carol_V
    Carol_V

    Posted

    Day one After the operation, very bloodshot eye, everything too bright, rushed out and brought some cheap sunglass, even reading the paper, black on white difficult, also sharpness/pain on the outer ring. However I have been short-sighted since I was 10 and wore glasses, now with just this one eye (my weaker eye) it is now my best eye and I am walking around, driving without glasses.

    Day 2 Same as above, using the drops as prescribed, eye feels dry, gritty and sore, but watering a lot, I am worried.

    Day 3 Have just woken up, even with the eye pad on and drawing the curtains I knew everything was not as bright and now writing this is more comfortable, I think my vision may not be quite as good, which for me would be okay, because for the last two days I have had to sit a long way from the computer and papers to see, and I managed this because of my other eye which I have not yet had done. Eye still bloodshot, watery and sore.

  • Carol_V
    Carol_V

    Posted

    Can anyone tell me the size of the lens they put in for a Cataract?

    Under the NHS, are they modified for an individual, e.g. astigmatism, measurement of eyeball etc? or is it just about prescription strength and then one size fits all?

    • lyn78652
      lyn78652 Carol_V

      Posted

      Hello, I've been following the posts here and I have a couple of replies.  First, the dr should use a very high tech machine to measure your eyes before this surgery to determine your size.  This should have been done at an appointment before the surgery.  And second, I have found that these surgeons have a high volume of patients - some factory like operations- and a very low quality of after care.  If your eye looks good......no inflammation or vision problems, they send you on your way with a shrug.  I just had the surgery in my right eye 6 weeks ago and I've had the worst recovery.  I think I had a bad reaction to the drops, which got into my nasal cavity.  I probably didn't hold my eye the right way to block the duct when I applied all that barrage of toxicity into my eye and ultimately down into my nasal cavity.  I now have a blocked ear, blocked up right nostril every morning, pain, extreme eye sensitivity so I can't even watch tv at night (I've adjusted all my tv's for hardly any backlighting).  And the roof of my mouth from the hard palete back to the soft palete is sore, and feels ulcerated.  I just started taking my herpes Acylcovir and I am hoping I don't get a big outbreak from all this trauma and irritation.  I ordered F4 tint daytime glasses to wear at night to watch tv.  I have to go back to my optometrist and get the lens redone in my glasses so I can see with the new vision.  I am NOT getting the left eye done....maybe never.  I am waiting to see what happens.  The dry eye drops wihtout preservatives give me a grit feeling in the eye so those are out.  I don't know what else to try.  And last...................my dr. is absolutely unresponsive to all of this, as I see others have said too.  

      Funny, I just saw a TV ad last night.  A 30 minute infomercial kind of medical interview with another surgeon here.  He kept stressing "we are not a high volume practice and we have excellent, caring staff and after care, I make sure I call all my patients after surgery and their comfort during recovery is a top priority".   I wonder if he knows that this is something important to stress because it is so lacking everywhere else.  

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