How Does Cataract Surgery Work?
Your doctor might recommend surgery if your vision gets cloudy or blurred for various reasons. The cataract surgery in Monterey, CA, involves removing your natural eye lens and possibly replacing it with an artificial lens.
An ophthalmologist is a specialist who performs this surgery, which is usually on an outpatient basis. This means you don’t have to spend the night in the hospital post the surgery. Cataract surgery is quite a common and safe procedure.
Who Should Have a Surgery?
Having a cataract doesn’t always mean that you will have surgery. At times, you may not even notice a vision change. This is especially with people who wear prescription glasses with a magnifying lens. Symptoms might not affect them that much during the early stages.
With time, cataracts grow and start to show more symptoms. Most people experience blurred vision and double vision when you look at objects using the eye with cataracts. With these problems, says the eye doctor in Monterey, CA, it might prove hard to read, work on your computer, or do other activities that require clear eyesight.
You can also develop low night vision and find it challenging to drive when it gets dark. Some people also get sensitive to headlights’ glare. Worse enough, people with cataracts have been found to fail the driver’s test vision part.
Sunlight glare also dramatically affects people who have developed cataracts, even in its early stages. The effect of light is also characterized by seeing a halo around lamplights. However, much you like it; this can keep you from going outdoors. Sports such as golf and skiing might prove harder to play.
If you exhibit any of the above symptoms, surgery might help.
Preparation for the Surgery
A week or two before the surgery, tests will are performed to measure the shape and size of your eyeball. This is to determine the type and size of the artificial lens best for you.
You will also be required not to eat or drink anything about 12 hours before the surgery. You will also have to cut down on any medication that might cause excessive during the process. This is especially drugs taken for prostate problems.
We also recommend antibiotic eyedrops a day or two before the day of treatment.
Also, note that you will most likely go home on the same day of surgery, and you might not be able to drive alone. You, therefore, need to arrange for someone to take you home after the surgery. You might also want to have someone help you around the home for a week or so after your appointment.
How it’s done
Your cataract surgery at Eye MD Monterey is usually an outpatient procedure that takes an hour or less to complete.
First, the eye doctor in Monterey, CA, places eye drops in your eyes to dilate the pupil. Your ophthalmologist also uses anesthesia to numb the optical area and probably a sedative to keep you relaxed through the procedure. This way, you will remain awake, though groggy during the process.
The process involves the removal of the clouded lens and an artificial one placed. However, the American Optometric Association advises that the cataract be sucked out without placement of the artificial lens if possible.
Surgical methods used to remove the ailing lens include:
- Ultrasound – This process is medically termed as phacoemulsification and involves making a tiny incision in the cornea, and the surgeon inserts a problem into the lens where the cataract is.
- Lens Removal – This procedure is not frequently used and involves making a larger incision to remove one piece’s lens. Phacoemulsification here involves making a large incision on the cornea, whereafter surgical tools are used to remove the lens’s front arc, plus the art of the lens where cataracts have formed.
The probe is modified such that it produces ultrasounds that beak cataracts and sucks out the fragments. As a surface where the artificial lens will rest, the back of the lens is left intact. Stitches are then used to close the incision.
Again, the lens of the back is left untouched to provide room for the artificial lens. This procedure is medically termed as extracapsular cataract extraction.
After removing the cataract through either of these procedures, your surgeon then places the artificial lens in the void left by the lens capsule.