Wellness

[halfpint1]

Can some who had this surgery tell me about it please. How many times a day did you have to have drops put in your eyes. And for how long?  have an appointment this month and want to know ahead of time. I had an eye exam a few months ago but the tech said my eye wasn't that bad yet but now my sight is horrible. She didn't say I will get you appointment with the surgeon if you want. After another exam I felt she should have automatically got me an exam. I just want to know

[halfpint1]

3

I have already made a mistake in clicking but would still apprecialte a do that.nswers. I have been told laser is better but the surgeon doesn't

[Mi47]

Had surgery last year.  Since I'm on Medicare there were certain parameters that had to be met to have surgery.

surgery lasted about 20 minutes.  You will need a driver.  My surgeon placed medication in eye during surgery that eliminated the daily eye drops.  With the Meds your vision will be a little cloudy for a few days but so worth it not to have to do the daily drops.  I detest eye drops.  I had the other eye two weeks later.  Very easy surgery.  So happy I was able to get it done.

good luck. 

[bowlicious]

My husband had cataract surgery and he put drops in about 4 times a day right after surgery.There were 3-4 different kinds of drops taken 10 to fifteen minutes a part. The amount of drops got less as time went on. He put drops in his eyes for about a month after surgery. 

[SXMGirl]

Last summer, I had cataract surgery on both eyes--two weeks apart,  You will have three types of drops that you will start about two weeks ahead of time and you will have a chart telling you how many times a day for each.  The meds are a little expensive, but your surgeon's office should have coupons for you.

On the day of the surgery, make sure that you have someone to drive you home.  Your surgeon will ask if you want valium.  If you do, you will not feel a thing.  I had heavy doses both times.  It did not make me sick.

When you get home, you will continue with the drops as per the surgeon's recommendation.  The next day, you will return to your surgeon so that the surgery can be checked. 

In about a month, you will see your regular eye doctor so that your eyes can be checked.  This is important because you might have to continue with the drops (I did).

I was very nervous about having anyone work on my eyes.  I had no problems and I don't think most people do today.  It is a very common surgery.  Just make sure that your surgeon is highly recommended.

[Carmie]

I have only had cataract surgery on my right eye.  It was easy.  I had three different types of drops that I put in a few times a day for about 7-10 days. I wore an eye cup and patch on my eye after surgery until the next morning.

I was back to work the next day after my follow-up visit.

[CinNC]

Sounds like everyone has had a slightly different experience w/drops. I had both eyes done in August, 2 weeks apart. Follow-up appt w/the doctor the next morning after surgery.

I had 3 different kinds of drops that had to be put in either 1 or 2 minutes apart done 3-4 times a day starting after surgery. It was about 2-3 weeks before I finished the drops. It was no big deal if I wanted to spread the sets of drops out over the entire day, or do them all in the morning or afternoon. 

Needed a driver after surgery due to the anesthesia. Spent more time waiting around in surgery for prep (nurse administering drops) than in the actual surgery itself. 

[noodleann]

I had both eyes done, a month apart, in the fall of 2015. Despite having no sedation at my request, I was required to have a driver and someone "with me" for 24 hours afterward, go figure.

I had three different drops and a timetable for them, and an additional drop was added because I had some problems having to do with my own eye issues, not the surgery. Note that some drops might need to be shaken, and if there's an order to applying them, it may be to keep one of them from stinging as much. (Some people don't experience stinging--I did, but it was no big deal.)

One thing I wished they'd told me was how long I might have dry eye as the corneas healed. I'd never had dry eye and didn't know it was so unpleasant. Everything healed eventually, and the dry eye abated, with only occasional bad times now. I swear by Systane's Ultra drops, their Balance drops when my eyes really act up, and their nighttime gel in a tube (not the gel drops in the bottle). The Vaseline-type ointment is also effective and available in other brands and generics, but the Systane nighttime gel is neater and I find it as effective. Dry eye needs more than artificial tears, and Systane worked well for me. YMMV.

Please ask your doctor and be guided by what he or she tells you to do, both before and after surgery. Be aware that the guidelines you're given might not advise against eye makeup after surgery (mine didn't), but you probably shouldn't use it. I tossed out the mascara I was using pre-surgery and used a fresh tube when I started using it again.

Good luck!

[Sooner]

If you think you are getting cataracts, PLEASE start seeing your eye doctor because they do need to measure your eyes before the cataracts get too bad.  

If you are older, please have regular appointments with an ophthalmologist not just an optometrist who fits you for glasses.