Reading in bed

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Reading in bed

It's amazing how quickly my sight changed after I turned 40. All of the sudden, I found it much harder to read in bed, and I suddenly couldn't stretch my arms long enough to get the book at a comfortable length! Wearing glasses can feel like a huge change, but it's worth it to be able to read easily and not feel stuck on words. If you are struggling with the idea of needing glasses but also struggling to make out the fine details, this could be a really useful site for you. I have tips on choosing groovy and youthful glasses for the cool middle-aged folks like me!

Planning To Get Cataract Surgery? Here's What You Can Expect

Cataracts are a common eye problem, especially among older people.  The eye lens becomes clouded and takes on a glassy appearance. This affects one's vision gradually and may cause partial color blindness over time. Luckily, this anomaly can be corrected through a simple cataract surgery where the faulty lens is replaced with an artificial implant.

If you are planning or thinking of getting cataract surgery, this article will explain to you what to expect during this process:

Pre-operation tests & examinations

Before you get qualified for a cataract surgery, your doctor will schedule a consultative meet first. Here, they will examine your eyesight and evaluate the cataract development. Once your doctor confirms that you have cataracts, they will examine your eye tissues to see how well they can handle surgery. Your doctor will also check for any existing eyesight problems you may already have. This helps the doctor plan appropriately on how to undertake the procedure.

The surgical procedure

Cataract surgery is a straightforward out-patient procedure. It takes a very short time, approximately half an hour. During the process, medicine will be administered to help keep you calm, numb your eye tissues so that you don't feel pain and to temporarily pause eyesight in the affected eye.

During the procedure, your cataract surgeon will make a very tiny incision on the edge of the corner so as to gain access into the eye capsule. The faulty lens can then be replaced into several ways (there are other techniques but these are the most common):

  1. Phacoemulsification: In this process a tiny probe is introduced into the lens capsule. It produces vibrations breaking up faulty lens. The probe is then used to suction off the lens remnants.
  2. Extracapsular extraction: Using this process, the lens is not broken up. It is removed in whole instead. This requires that the operation incision be slightly large.

Once removed, the lens is replaced with an artificial lens. The new lens is folded to fit into the incision and unfolded into place once inside.

After the operation

Once out of the operation room, you will be kept in the hospital for few hours as the effects of the medication wear off. Your eye will remain patched for about 24 hours after the surgery. For the next few days, you should rest and refrain from physically-exerting activities such as exercise. You will also be required to administer some eye drops to heal the incision and prevent infection. Your doctor will then examine the eye every week for the next month to make sure you're healing well.

Cataract surgery provides full and permanent reversal of cataract damage. In some cases, the artificial lens fitted can be adjusted to treat other ailments such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. Contact a company like myEyeSpecialist to learn more.


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