Cataract operations

[Paulina18]

I’m having 2 cataract operations in January .
Feeling very scared .
Anyone had or having Sam soon or suffering with cataracts ?

Most people don’t require glasses all the time after surgery .

Maybe just for small print and computer work .

My DF is having 1st of two operations tomorrow - My mother has had both done . She was nervous but the doctor said to her OK I am going to have a look behind your eye - she was not happy , then he said OK , sit up gently and you can go - she could not believe he had done it. When she got home she looked in the mirror as said to Df - - For goodness sake , why have you let me go out looking like this - she could see colours properly for the first time.

It really is so quick and life changing .

One needs to try and relax , have faith , that approx 20 mins ,give or take , can give you back a world without bad eyesight and daily glasses .
I’ll still be a little anxious on Wednesday but I’ll try and use my own advise .
It worked for my first operation 😋

I’m sure it will all go well! I’m envious of your newfound eyesight.

Thankyou

It’s something I’ve wanted since I needed glasses 6 years ago .
I felt grateful that mist of my young very sporty life I was glasses free with excellent eyesight but I’ve struggled at times and now my sight at the moment is as though there’s never been an issue .
I can look in the mirror and see myself perfectly well without glasses 😋
It’s life changing in a very good way .

Following with interest. I was told 6 years ago that I have cataracts which had been there for a long time, possibly since birth. However due to a detached retina and associated surgery they told me that they would only operate on the cataracts when my vision was really bad due to risk of re-detachment.

My vision is already bad at -12 with astigmatism but with the cataracts I’m now really struggling to see in the dark and the glare from lights is so bad that I can’t safely cross roads because I can’t judge where cars are properly (luckily I don’t drive). Colour is affected too; my eyes see colour differently as one must be worse than the other, and my vision is still a bit blurry with glasses. I’m wondering at what point they’d consider them bad enough and reading your stories is really making me wish I could have the surgery now!

Gosh
I really feel for you , you sound as though you need to get expert advise .
Are you in a position to pay privately ?
If not it seems as those things are so bad you should be able to get help from NHS however not sure how quick it would be now with such a waiting since Covid .
Maybe you could be a priority if you can’t afford to pay .

My heart goes out to you 🥰

Maybe get the ball rolling one way or another .

Private will be very quick for a consultant and if they operate that will be quiet j also .

Even if it’s to get a second opinion .

Thank you . No I’m not in a position to pay privately unfortunately.

I will ask about it next time I go for a check up. I have a scleral buckle on one eye and have had a load of laser surgery on both retinas so I think they might still be reluctant.

I’m so pleased the surgery went well for you.

Because my eyes have been bad for a long time I sometimes forget that it isn’t normal! I’ve had the glare from lights for many years but just thought that everyone had that because when I mentioned it I was told it was normal because of my eyesight (I’ve since seen that astigmatism can cause a different type of glare). It was only when the cataracts were mentioned that I looked into it and discovered that the glare which spreads out everywhere is a symptom. It’s got much worse recently.

Cataracts I’m sure made my tolerance to light much worse .

You really have and still are suffering with your eyes 🥰🌹💕

Just popping in with an update in case it may help to answer anyone’s questions. It is a week and a half now since I had my first eye done and it has settled down nicely. At my follow-up appointment on Thursday the consultant was really pleased and he told me that the small red sore patch on the white of the eye was just where it had been injected 🥴 That has now gone and it no longer feels sore or gritty or bruised at all and the redness has completely gone.

The distance sight in my ‘new’ eye still amazes me and I can’t wait to get the other one done but it could easily be six months away due to long NHS waiting lists.

I have been driving since the operation but only locally and short, familiar journeys. Before the op, driving at night was really stressful with headlights, traffic lights, glare from wet roads or rain on the windscreen all making it very difficult. Yesterday though I drove a 45 minute journey at night with no glasses! I can’t tell you how amazing that is for me and what a difference it makes. And that’s just with one good eye, I can’t wait to see what having two good eyes will be like 😀 As I’m still using my old reading glasses to tide me over until I can get a new prescription for close work, I did think I might have to use my old distance glasses to help when driving at night but my sight was actually better without them.

Truly incredible and I honestly had no idea just how bad my cataracts were until one was taken away.

Great news .

My sight is now like yours and next operation on Wednesday .
Still feeling nervous even though I’ve been through it once and great results .
It’s been a lot if isolating , CPR test .
Looking forward to some sort of normality after second operation

My surgeon has positive covid test so my operation is obviously cancelled for a few weeks .

I feel so disappointed as I’m isolating to try an avoid CPR test coming back positive .

Hoping it’s in a couple of weeks but life seems on hold at the moment 😏

Oh no, that’s so annoying when you were all psyched up for Wednesday. Hopefully he’ll have a mild dose and be back at work in a week or so 🤞

It can’t be helped
Surgeons are human also , he has mild symptoms but still coming up positive .
His PA phoned to keep me in the picture and said they are tryin to reschedule ASAP .
I’ll need another CPR test even though I had one Sunday ( negative)and I don’t see anyone or go anywhere at present .
No
One in no one out .
Life on hold .
Looking forward to a little normality in the near future .

I really was psyched up and so disappointed but hey ho hopefully it won’t be to long await .

I was contacted today with rescheduled appointment :
Tuesday 8th - PCR Swob

Friday February 11th for. Operation

If my operation wasn’t cancelled today It would be all over by tonight but such is life and new date to focus on 👀🤞

@Paulina18 Hope you got the result you needed today. Keeping everything crossed that everything goes well for you on Friday.

It will be four weeks tomorrow since I got my ‘new’ eye. It has made the most amazing difference to me so can’t wait to get the other one done as well.

Do you think it would be worth asking MNHQ to move this thread to the Health topic? There is so much useful information here and I found it very reassuring when I was waiting for my op so sure others would too. Just a thought…

Thankyou .

I’ll be so glad to have normality as I’ve been isolating since Christmas !

If moving thread will help others then that’s a great idea , I’m not to sure on how to do it .
If you can do it I’m fine with that

Thankyou for your support and everyone else .

I feel like I’m in a waiting room now counting down the hours .
🥰

Hi there, @Paulina18, we've now moved your thread over to our General Health topic - hope that helps and best of luck with your op.

Thank you 🥰

Hope all goes well today

Thank you

I’m up early and leaving in about an hour and half 🥰

I'm having my cataract removed on Monday. There was a cancellation.

@Groovee All the best for Monday. Obviously this thread has lots of information that helped put my mind at rest before my first op but just ask if you have any questions.

@Paulina18 Hope all went well today.

Hello everyone

All seems to be good with operation .
Very quick , only 15 mins this time , about 25 first one .
Now recovery and lots of eyedrops .
Thankyou everyone for your support and good luck with people having cataract operations soon .
Don’t worry as it’s so quick , pain free and just like watching a light show 🥰❤️🌹💕❤️🌹💕xx