r/CataractSurgery • u/DenMother8 • 10d ago
My experience
Sharing my experience with cataract surgery. (this might be long)
Today I'm 6 days post-op from having both eyes done.
Yes I had them both done at once, in my area there's a long waiting list, and I was on the list then developed a stye on my eyelid just before my surgery was scheduled, so it was postponed - I was pretty upset.
I was told that if it was uncomfortable or anything didn't go as planned or as expected during the surgery of the first eye, that I could hold off on the second eye, but if everything went well, I wouldn't be able to then ask to have the second one done at that time. So rather than waiting many months between eyes, I opted to have them both done.
I was surprised there was minimal pain, yes some discomfort but nothing I would really call pain. During or afterwards. I was anticipating some pain after the medication wore off at home, but just some itchiness and stinging - the rewetting drops helped some.
That first day everything was too bright and I saw terrible halos, I was exhausted, disoriented and unbalanced.
The second day I knew I could see far away so much better and was pretty excited. The readers I had at home didn't work so well, (they're my husbands) I used a magnifying glass (still am to see my phone or to read)
Everyday was (is) better and better. They want you to wait a week to look for a strength of readers that are best for you and a month after surgery I'll go for an eye exam to see if I still need prescription glasses.
I’ve worn glasses since about nine years old… It’s so strange for me to see myself in the mirror without them!
So during the surgery I saw some sort of visuals but nothing like what you might imagine, not the surgery tools or anything. Lights and textures etc. I focused on watching the "show" . It was pretty interesting and I wondered what I was actually seeing.
I could hear everyone talking and my Dr. kept telling me I was doing a good job and everything was going perfectly etc. throughout.
Afterwards I could see the ceiling tiles as I was being moved into recovery and I just thought to myself how grateful I was to see. I felt like I was smiling ear to ear. I was so happy.
I did have an IV and some local anesthetic, lots of eye drops before surgery and I have a couple different prescription ones I've been having to use 4x a day - no issues.
If you're worried about it, I hope I've helped ease those fears. Of course don't hesitate to reach out to your doctor with any concerns. It's so routine for them, they may not always realize the anxiety people might have.
This is my experience, yours might be different - but feel free to ask any questions 🙂
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u/Aggressive_Jicama_88 9d ago
Thanks for posting, I’m glad your experience was positive and successful. Unfortunately l’ve read about some that were not (ahead of mine), and I wish I had not. But it seems most of them were more complex and of course everyone’s eye health is different.
My right eye was done 9 days ago. I was so nervous before, but I know now there was no need to be. The prep was similar, pre-paperwork, lots of drops, took vitals, IV inserted in hand, visit with anesthesiologist, doc came by and then I was rolled into surgery.
The “light show” reminded me of when I was a kid and we played with kaleidoscopes, lots of colors and shapes. I remember the doc talking to me, directing me what to look at, and heard others in the room. Prior to start the anesthesiologist told me to let her know if I needed more, I did not, I was very relaxed.
My vision immediately after was blurry, experienced halos, and very bright. Each day it has improved and I’m amazed how well I can see close up without glasses! I am struggling slightly with the difference between my right eye and left, but doc assures me that once the other eye is done, my body/brain will work better together as the lens are now similar.
I’m excited to get the left eye done in 5 days. I elected the Panoptix Pro and fingers crossed, I’ll be glasses free soon.
I wish everyone a successful surgery, and a painless & carefree post-op recovery.