Eye surgery
Surgery is prepared and followed up at the practice; the operation itself takes place in an operating theatre. Here is what happens before, during and after — the questions people ask most, in the order they come up.
The pre-operative assessment
Before cataract surgery, biometry measures the length of your eye and the curvature of your cornea very precisely. Those measurements are used to calculate the power of the implant that will replace the lens: it is that calculation, more than the surgery itself, that determines the vision you will have afterwards. An anaesthetic consultation is also arranged, and the retina is checked — a cataract can hide another condition behind it.
Choosing the implant
The implant is a permanent lens placed inside the eye where the natural lens was. A monofocal implant gives sharp vision at one distance, usually far, with glasses for reading. Others correct astigmatism, or several distances at once. The choice is discussed in consultation, according to your eye, your work and your habits: there is no implant that is better in the abstract, only the one that suits your life.
The operation
Cataract surgery takes about fifteen minutes and is done one eye at a time, as a day case: you come in and go home the same day. The anaesthetic is usually nothing more than eye drops. You stay awake, you do not see the operation, and you feel no pain — at most a bright light and a sensation of water on the eye.
Recovery
Vision clears over a few days, sometimes by the next morning. Eye drops are prescribed for several weeks and must be followed to the letter: they are what prevents inflammation and infection, and it is the forgotten drop, far more than the operation, that causes trouble.
- Do not rub the operated eye, and shield it at night if you were given a guard
- No swimming, sauna, eye make-up or gardening for the period you are told
- A gritty feeling and slight redness are normal in the first few days
- Increasing pain, or vision falling again after improving, must be seen urgently
Follow-up
There is a check within days of the operation, then another a few weeks later. The final glasses prescription is only issued once the eye has settled, about a month afterwards: ordering lenses too early means paying for them twice. If both eyes are to be operated on, the second is scheduled after the first check on the first eye.
Other operations
Beyond cataract, eye surgery treats glaucoma when drops and laser are no longer enough, certain conditions of the retina and macula, and the eyelids — ptosis, entropion, a chalazion that will not settle. Each is preceded by an assessment and a dedicated consultation: the decision is made with you, never in a hurry, except when urgency demands it.
This page gives general information and is not a substitute for a consultation. Only an examination can establish a diagnosis and tailor treatment to your situation.
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