1. Community
  2. Eyes
  3. Cataract

Surgery experience..1st eye vs. 2nd eye

Posted , 7 users are following.

Shae280
Shae280

My Mom had laser cataract surgery 2 weeks ago. Everything went well. She had an IV drip for sedation. She remembers nothing. Today she had the other eye done the same way with a totally different experience. She remembers Everything and said if that eye was the first one done she would not have been so quick to do the other one. Has anyone else had this experience? 

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

Next
  • at201
    at201 Shae280

    Posted

    I remember everything, but that in itself may not mean much. Unlike a majority of the people undergoing cataract surgery, I opted not to take any tranquilizer. I knew exactly what was going on throughout the surgery, but did not feel any pain at any time.
  • lin59
    lin59 Shae280

    Posted

    Yes, I had a way worse experience the second time. I read an article online that said it's a somewhat common occurrence for the 2nd surgery to be worse than the first, partly because of lowered anxiety after the first surgery going so smoothly (I'm not sure what the science is behind that, but that's what the article stated). I'll try to find the article again and send you the link.

    • Shae280
      Shae280 lin59

      Posted

      I also had read something about the second eye. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this experience on this forum. 
  • lin59
    lin59 Shae280

    Posted

    Here's the article if anyone is interested in reading it "Study confirms “second eye” effect in cataract surgery"

    • Sue.An
      Sue.An lin59

      Posted

      Thanks Nina - that is very interesting.
    • lin59
      lin59

      Posted

      Also, I not only had a worse recovery the second time, but like it mentions in the article, I had a worse experience during the actual surgery (much worse) and my second eye had a much milder cataract.
    • Shae280
      Shae280 lin59

      Posted

      My Mothers second eye was also a much milder cataract. It seems you and my Mom had similar experiences. Tomorrow cannot come soon enough. She is so distressed over not seeing. Hopefully everything will be ok after her Doctors visit.
    • lin59
      lin59 Shae280

      Posted

      I hope so jillie, be sure to let us know.
    • Shae280
      Shae280 lin59

      Posted

      Feeling relieved  after seeing the Doctor this morning. Even though my Moms vision is still blurry we were reassured everything looks good. Her eye is still quite dilated and she has some swelling of the cornea which will get better. We go back to see the Doctor on Tuesday. I am feeling confident she will be ok. 
  • Sue.An
    Sue.An Shae280

    Posted

    How is her vision?
    • Shae280
      Shae280 Sue.An

      Posted

      We have only been home for 5 hours. She had been sleeping for the past hour. When she just got up she said her vision is very blurry. When she had the right eye done she was able to see better almost immediately. I would think her not seeing clearly after 5 hours is normal but I can see she is upset and that is concerning me. We go to the Doctor tomorrow so I am just hoping for the best.
    • lin59
      lin59 Shae280

      Posted

      After my first surgery I could see well right away. It took at least 24 hours after my 2nd surgery for my vision to get less blurry and then at least 2 weeks more for it to get even more clear. It's now 4 weeks after my 2nd surgery and I can say my vision is finally almost as good as my first eye.

    • lin59
      lin59

      Posted

      Oh and my distance vision in my 2nd eye was clear around 24 hours after my 2nd surgery...it's my nearer vision in my 2nd eye that took 3 or 4 weeks to clear up totally.

    • Night-Hawk
      Night-Hawk lin59

      Posted

      Yes, I am expecting to wait up to 4+ weeks for full healing to take place and the vision to fully stabilize.  Especially to see how much focus range I can get out of a monofocal toric set for good distance vision - if I could get good intermediate computer monitor distance vision out of it that would be excellent at 24-30" or so...

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.