Cataract operation

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Northerner

Northerner

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I'm having a cataract operation at the end of the week and trying not to be absolutely terrified by the prospect 😱 Any experiences people can share? Positive ones only, please, I don't want any horror stories! 😱
 
My partner had one last year and it was a complete success. He's now waiting for the other one to get ripe enough (dreadful expression but that's what they said at the hospital) to have that done too. He can't wait!
Sending you lots of best wishes x
 
Northerner said:
I'm having a cataract operation at the end of the week and trying not to be absolutely terrified by the prospect 😱 Any experiences people can share? Positive ones only, please, I don't want any horror stories! 😱
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I haven't been down that route myself, but there have been a few threads of late, relating the glorious benefits, almost immediately.
 
I think @PattiEvans has just had one!
Best of luck with yours. Last time I had an eye test I was told there were the beginnings of one, so I expect I will be going down the same route eventually.
 
Yes, I had one eye done last Thursday. Honestly @Northerner it is not painful at all. The worst bit is sitting around waiting with the drops in your eye (and they don't sting as much as the Retinopathy ones do). Plus I'd say at worst the operation is slightly uncomfortable. I was surprised, the blurriness faded really quickly and I didn't experience the gritty sensation that they predicted. My sight in the eye that was done is now amazing (no other word for it), but it's showing up the fact that the other eye needs doing.

The worst bit for me is remembering not to bend or angle my head horizontally downwards. Plus the fact I am not to garden or do housework for 3 weeks.

Good luck with it!
 
PattiEvans said:
Yes, I had one eye done last Thursday. Honestly @Northerner it is not painful at all. The worst bit is sitting around waiting with the drops in your eye (and they don't sting as much as the Retinopathy ones do). Plus I'd say at worst the operation is slightly uncomfortable. I was surprised, the blurriness faded really quickly and I didn't experience the gritty sensation that they predicted. My sight in the eye that was done is now amazing (no other word for it), but it's showing up the fact that the other eye needs doing.

The worst bit for me is remembering not to bend or angle my head horizontally downwards. Plus the fact I am not to garden or do housework for 3 weeks.

Good luck with it!
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Thanks Patti, that is good to hear 🙂 I would say that mine haven't reached a particularly bad stage, although as you say, I will hopefully realise just how bad it has got afterwards! 🙂 Mine has been put closer to the top of the queue because the surgeon thinks it should help with my glaucoma - I'm also having some stents put in to help with that. I was really surprised it is all happening so quickly - I went for a glaucoma appointment at the beginning of May, had a pre-assessment a week later, and now the operation 3 weeks later! I thought these things took years to climb the waiting lists!
 
I had both of my eyes done fairly recently.

It was easy. No pain. Nothing much to see, some bright lights. No mess or blood. Took just a few minutes. Healing afterwards was very straight forward. The result was brilliant eyesight. Seriously better. I would recommend it to anyone with cateracts.

Do not be afraid you will be amazed at just how straight forward the whole thing is.
 
Gwynn said:
I had both of my eyes done fairly recently.

It was easy. No pain. Nothing much to see, some bright lights. No mess or blood. Took just a few minutes. Healing afterwards was very straight forward. The result was brilliant eyesight. Seriously better. I would recommend it to anyone with cateracts.

Do not be afraid you will be amazed at just how straight forward the whole thing is.
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Thanks Gwynn, that's very reassuring 🙂I know it's a very common op, it's just a bit of 'fear of the unknown'. I can usually handle things quite well, but it's probably because it's to do with my eyes 😱
 
@Northerner I was very apprehensive, despite reassurance from friends who had had it done. I was only 3 weeks from seeing the optician to the operation too!
 
I managed to get my second cataract operation done immediately before one of the Covid lockdowns, where all such operations were stopped. If not, I would have had one eye at the original -15.5 dioptres and the second (which had already been operated on six weeks previously) about 0 dioptres, and I don't think my brain could have coped with that for any length of time!
As to the operations themselves - perfectly straightforward and very efficiently performed, although the actual removing of the old and inserting of the new plastic lens feels somewhat uncomfortable (as you might well expect), if short duration.
The surgeon should probably aim for you to end up with two eyes at about 0 dioptres each.
I suspect after it is all over you will be quite delighted with the results!
 
I had mine done a few years back and was petrified as it was my seeing eye.

It was absolutely fine. I had sedation as I was beyond freaked about it thinking I'd have a ringside seat to the event and imagined seeing needles coming towards my eye. Nothing like it, I couldn't see anything of the operation, I just saw a blurred orange screen and heard voices around me and kept being told to keep still.

The result even with poor sight is amazing, like the lights going on. I had no idea how dull and poor my sight had gone.

Good luck @Northerner it will make a world of difference to the light reaching to your retina and the colours and detail you see.
 
My husband had both eyes done some years ago now. It was no bother - he used to wear glasses so after the first eye was done he simply eased the lens out of the frame on that side and went on as normal. I drove him to the hospital and picked him up for each visit.
He says that there was nothing much to see and it was less fraught than a visit to the dentist, and three days later he was able to see better than for some time. You will need sunglasses, he says.
 
Hope it goes well, I have my initial appointment next week, then have about 13 to 22 weeks to wait and I really can’t wait to get mine done, I am really struggling with screens, knitting, crotchet, even makes me feel weird when walking or running as I feel unbalanced.

Wishing you all the best and everyone I know including my mum who has had them done is so glad they had them done.
 
Had my Cataract operation in January 2020 just before Covid hit. I was asked to do a blood glucose test and admitted to the room. I met the surgeon and the anaesthetist who injected my eye then when it had taken another injection and it all began, it took 14 minutes from going in to coming out. Picked up by my son and home for dinner. Awoke next morning removed dressing and applied the drops. It was a great success and don’t need glasses anymore, by the way I was 73 at the time. Nothing to worry about it’s one of the safest operations there is.
 
I had mine done four weeks ago and it was a piece of cake. I was a bit nervous but there wasn’t much to worry about. I was in the clinic for 3 hours in total but only on the table for 15 minutes and that included taking my time to sit up and adjust!

The biggest pain is now having two eyes that don’t match so I’m hoping my optician will refer me for the left eye when I go for the post surgery review on Thursday.

You will have lots of drops to put in afterwards and make sure you follow all their advice about restricted activities but the time will soon pass and things will be back to normal before you know it.

Good luck xx
 
Grannylorraine said:
Hope it goes well, I have my initial appointment next week, then have about 13 to 22 weeks to wait and I really can’t wait to get mine done,
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Gosh, that’s a long wait! I was four weeks from optician referral to actual surgery. My health authority outsource to a private clinic though.
 
I've now had both eyes done with remarkable results, the whole opp was quick and I felt no discomfort whatsoever. I would highly recommend it, as others have said the waiting part is the worst.
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Many thanks everyone for your very helpful and reassuring messages, I really do appreciate them 🙂 Op is very early on Saturday morning, not long to go 😱 🙂
 
My 88-year-old mum just had both her eyes done in quick succession and she’s very pleased with the result. I was more worried than she was, tbh!

Wishing you all the best for the op @Northerner.
 
Good luck Alan. Everyone I’ve spoken to, mostly as I worked in an opticians, has had great success. I don’t think it’ll be many more years until I have to have mine done, developed them a few years ago now and the don’t get better on their own unfortunately.
 
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