So, You're Having Cataract Surgery?
So... You have cataracts... Those crystal clear lenses that you were born with have finally become cloudy. Your vision has deteriorated. Reading is difficult, and many things that you really enjoy doing have become frustrating. You went to your ophthalmologist and he tried fitting you with new glasses, but they don't seem to help. Although, you have known about the cataracts for some time now, you managed to get by. However, you have finally decided that it is time for surgery. You decided, not your doctor, that you want cataract surgery to improve both your vision and your overall quality of life.
You schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist for a pre-operative visit. During this visit you receive a detailed explanation of the overall surgical experience and procedure itself. Your ophthalmologist reviews all of the risks, benefits and alternatives to surgical intervention. He stresses that only one eye is operated on at a time. Once certain that the first eye is healing appropriately, surgery on the other eye can be scheduled. You recall a friend telling you that he had his cataracts removed with a laser. Curious, you inquire whether a laser will be used to remove your cataracts. However, you learn that with present technology, there is no way to laser away a cataract. Fortunately, the modern method that will be used to remove your cataracts has been proven safe and effective. You complete special "biometry" measurements. These eye measurements, which are painless, provide your ophthalmologist with important information needed to determine the power of the "implants" that will be placed inside of your eyes.
"What is an implant?", you ask. Your eye surgeon explains that when the natural lens is removed from the eye, a new lens must be used to correct your vision. This lens can be placed in front of the eye as thick magnifying glasses or as a contact lens. Fortunately with another alternative, the intraocular implant, the lens can be placed permanently inside of the eye to provide long lasting, carefree visual correction. You learn that implants are routinely used and are proven safe.
Knowing that you will receive an implant., you astutely ask, "are there different kinds of implants?". "There certainly are," your eye surgeon replies. He explains that implants can be made of different materials and can be placed in different locations within the eye. Some implants are made of hard plastics, while others are made of soft flexible plastics that allow the lenses to be folded in half, like a taco, or rolled into a tube. He explains how a foldable lens can be placed through a much smaller incision allowing patients to recover more quickly with respect to both their vision and activities. Most lenses, he adds, are placed behind the colored iris, but in certain cases, lenses are placed in front of the iris. Both positions, he emphasizes, have been proven safe.
Finally you learn that local anesthetic with mild sedation are all that is usually required to painlessly complete cataract surgery. He emphasizes that you will not feel any discomfort and should be quite relaxed throughout the entire procedure.
You leave the office satisfied that all of your questions have been answered. Your find it comforting that, if you have any additional concerns, you doctor is just a phone call away. Naturally, you're a bit nervous. But you're anxious to get on with the surgery. After all, you have been waiting months to finish that novel on you nightstand.
