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Original poster

Has anyone had cataract surgery?

38 replies

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 11/02/2019 20:53

DMum is having it done next week and is nervous-a friend of hers had it done and when she asked what happens and recovery was told “ooh no I’m not telling you, you’ll only be scared” so obviously she’s now terrified!

She has problems laying flat due to her neck which she’s worried about-how long should the surgery take

She knows she’ll be awake but how scary is it

How is recovery?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated

OP posts:
LadySybilPussPolham · 11/02/2019 21:36

Well her friend sounds like a bit of a d**k...
My mum is having hers done this week so I’ll report back if you like Smile
She’s been led to believe recovery time is short - days rather than weeks. Eye patch and drops initially.

Original poster
IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 11/02/2019 21:41

I’d really appreciate that Sybil! Hope your mums surgery goes well x

OP posts:
kindler · 11/02/2019 21:42

I have had this - in the US rather than the UK. It involved replacing the lens in each eye with an artificial lens; two surgeries one week apart. Does this sound like what your mum will have? My experience was no pain, nothing to be scared of, and the huge bonus of 20/20 vision which I’ve never had in my life! Do need cheap reading glasses though. I did have ‘waking anaesthetic’.

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Gonegrey31 · 11/02/2019 21:43

I’ve had both eyes done , a week apart . Absolutely fine, totally pain free . I had a patch over the treated hour for a few hours and had to sleep on my back for the first 2 nights . Eye sight a bit blurry for 24 hrs . Then perfect vision ! Much brighter if course. Nothing to worry about, truly . I think each eye took about 15 minutes or so , lid was clamped open (not nearly as bad as it sounds ). Then a cup of tea before taxi home . Please tell your Mum not to worry at all , she will be well looked after .

Gonegrey31 · 11/02/2019 21:46

Meant to add that drops are needed for a few days, your Mum might need help with this to begin with until she gets the hang of it (and doesn’t waste the drops like me ).

pollyrosevelvet · 11/02/2019 21:46

My Mum (82) had cataract surgery last Wednesday with local anaesthetic. It was fine. She left hospital almost immediately. The next few days the eye felt a bit uncomfortably 'gritty' but really not a big problem. The hospital staff were all very kind. But, most importantly, the improvement in her vision is remarkable, and so worth having the operation. Please tell your mum not to worry.

Original poster
IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 11/02/2019 21:48

Thank you so much! She’s only having the one eye done with no immediate (if any) plans for the other

She wears glasses, Will this be a problem with a patch or shell?
I assume she’ll need new glasses?
She can’t sleep on her back due to sleep apnea and her back and neck pain-do you absolutely have to?

Thanks so much

OP posts:
Gonegrey31 · 11/02/2019 21:53

The patch just stays on for a couple of hours or so. She will be given advice re best position for sleeping, maybe well propped up . Remember lots of elderly people with many health issues have the surgery, so
medical staff can help advise etc on how best to rest in comfort. I did not need glasses at all after my surgery, it all depends I think .

sparklytwinklyfairylights · 11/02/2019 21:54

My DM has had both eyes done.
The first time she said she could see a difference whilst the surgeon was doing it.
The 2nd her eyesight was fine within 2 days.
She now can't believe how bad her eyes were now that she can actually see

kindler · 11/02/2019 21:55

I only had to keep the shell on until the following morning. Glasses - I removed the lens on the side that had the first surgery, then after the second I didn’t need them any more - but I’m sure that’s different for different people. I wasn’t told to sleep on my back; I was told not to rub my eye and to wear a patch at night for a while so I didn’t accidentally do that in my sleep.

sparklytwinklyfairylights · 11/02/2019 21:56

She will probably need help with the drops and she won't be able to wash her hair for a wee while but it was 100% worth it in my mums case

Original poster
IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 11/02/2019 22:18

YOu guys are ace!

She was referred and told it’ll be a long wait and suddenly 3 weeks later she has an appointment for 3 weeks later so she feels like it’s all happened a bit quick and hasn’t quite got her head round it or feels like much has been explained to her. She has her pre op appointment on Thursday so I’ve told her to write down and ask all the questions she has!

I really appreciate all your help and kind words, it’s helped calm some of my own nerves!

OP posts:
Original poster
IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 11/02/2019 22:20

She wears rimless glasses so can’t pop out a lease if she needs too, does anyone have any advise on what to do in the short term if there’s a drastic change in her prescription

OP posts:
HeronLanyon · 11/02/2019 22:29

My ma had one eye done 2017
And the other 12 months later. Aged 84/85.
Her first eye needed further few weeks of the drops. No driving in her case for around a month and until new lens. Gritty for several weeks. She was absolutely amazed at the difference in colour. Blues and purples especiallynshe saw reallyndifferently as they had faded over the years. Had new glasses lens awaiting surgery for second eye.
Second no probs at all. Both successful.
Surgery was ‘fascinating’ apparently. Can’t helo with neck thing as I didn’t go in with her.
Good luck!

SamanthaJayne4 · 11/02/2019 23:07

I had cataract surgery 3 years ago. In the UK you have local anaesthetic but you are not sedated (had it done on NHS). The op takes about 40 minutes. There is no pain but you are aware of what is happening. Next morning I had no pain and no bruising, just a very small red mark in white of eye. You are covered in a sheet with a hole cut out over relevant eye. If you are claustrophobic they will raise the sheet on a pole and blow air gently underneath. You do have to lie flat. There is a wait before surgery and the nurse comes round a few times to put numbing drops into the eye. The surgeon will also come round and will draw an arrow on side of face to denote which eye is being done. The result for me was brilliant. I could see properly again. I hope it goes well for your DM OP.

Redcampions · 12/02/2019 01:02

My mum has hers done and she was so nervous about the lying still. She held the nurses hand so she could squeeze it if she felt anxious and that helped.

She said the hardest thing was getting comfy with the eye patch on at night and she also said it took a bit of time to adjust to seeing better. especially as she could then see cobwebs in her house that needed dusting that she could not see before

SubisYodrethwhenLarping · 12/02/2019 01:21

My DH had both his done on NHS

He wore verifocials beforehand and in between the 1st and 2nd one he did not wear his glasses

His operated eye took over power from bad eye

Now he is so much better he can drive in the dark, in the rain and sun,

Can read without anything although sometimes uses reading glasses depending on print size etc

He wire a patch for about a week at nighttime so he could sleep on side in bed

H head lots of eye drops each day several times a day

I will ask him for more details in morning, he is asleep atm

He is very pleased with results SmileSmileSmileSmileSmile

Original poster
IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 12/02/2019 06:52

Thank you so much! Honestly I’m so grateful!

I think one big concern is the glasses and being totally disoriented-she would struggle not wearing the glasses as it’s a reasonably strong prescription and her other eye doesn’t have a cataract (or not enough of one to consider doing the surgery). She has a desk job and is in front of the computer so not sure if this is an issue

OP posts:
SamanthaJayne4 · 12/02/2019 09:13

I wore bifocals before the op and only needed reading glasses afterwards. The consultant said there is no need to wear glasses all the time but now I wear bifocals glasses all the time as putting them on and off to read things is a faff! Not to mention forgetting where you left them!My iol's are NHS and they only put long distance lenses in. Privately you have a choice of 3 types I think. The NHS ones are basic so less to go wrong. My glasses prescription will probably always be the same now as the cataracts were the only problem but I still have eye tests to check eye pressure etc.

MulticolourMophead · 12/02/2019 12:27

I've been told I'm l ill keky to develop a cataract in one eye due to changes seen by the optician. If I get the money, I'd go private, to see if I could get rid of the varifiocals as well. My prescription is quite strong so any change is likely to be better.

underneaththeash · 12/02/2019 13:09

I think she'll need either a new pair of glasses (with no lens in the side that's going to have the cataract done) or she could see if she could be fitted with a contact lens in the eye that's not going to be operated on.

LadySybilPussPolham · 13/02/2019 19:50

Hi IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece
Lots of really positive experiences on here! Just popping back to update - mum had hers done today and sailed through it. She’s just taken the tape off and says her vision is already better than previously with her contact lens.
She told them she was worried about lying flat and they were able to adjust the angle a bit (dentist-type chair).
She should have the other one done in 6-8 weeks.

ineedaholidaynow · 13/02/2019 20:00

DM had hers done a few weeks ago. She was really nervous beforehand, but afterwards said it wasn't anything to worry about. She will probably need the other eye doing at some point.

She had a patch for a little while, but that was due to some double vision straight after the operation, which I understand is quite common.

She coped really well with drops, did not need any help. Had to wait 6 weeks before going to see the optician and get her glasses changed.

She couldn't believe how bright everything looked after the operation. She had bought a new coat a few weeks before the operation and when she saw it after the op, it was a completely different colour to what she thought it was when she bought it!

Andylion · 13/02/2019 21:15

She has problems laying flat due to her neck which she’s worried about-how long should the surgery take

Has she talked to her ophthalmologist about this?

*She knows she’ll be awake but how scary is it(

I had one eye done (in Canada). They offered me an ativan. I said "Sure, I'll have one." They said that most people ask for two, so I asked for a second one. Would your mum be offered anything to ease her anxiety? She might ask ahead of time.

TonTonMacoute · 13/02/2019 21:25

she could then see cobwebs in her house that needed dusting that she could not see before

Grin Exactly what my MIL said. I think she's quite annoyed about it

I know so many people who have had it done, and think it was wonderful, I'm sure your mum will be fine. The staff in the cataract unit will be able to offer her lots of advice and tips, far better than her friend.

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