Cataracts - Anyone Help Please

Cataracts - Anyone Help Please

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RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
Have just been diagnosed with this @ 46, bit scary, and have been referred for surgery.

According to optician it is done under local anaesthetic!

Has anyone had it done, any good pointers/advice etc........

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
whitechief said:
RupertTheFridge said:
Have just been diagnosed with this @ 46, bit scary, and have been referred for surgery.

According to optician it is done under local anaesthetic!

Has anyone had it done, any good pointers/advice etc........
My Nan had both eyes done, She's 92, no problems and now has brand new eyesight
Brave lady chap, me ........ I'm cacking it!

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
968 said:
Hi, I've done probably more than 400 cataract operations.

Yes it can be done under local anaesthetic, the vast majority of our cases are, however, if a patient is particularly twitchy or reticent, we can do the op under general anaesthetic, although with the attendant risks of an anaesthetic.

The op is quick (about 10-15minutes, in my hands) and pain free. It's a day case and has a very high success rate (approx 97% patients get fantastic vision post op). Any specific questions feel free to email me.
PH never ceases to amaze me, an Opthalmic Surgeon on demand, well cool.

Cheers for the reassurance. The only thing thats getting me worked up a bit is the local anaesthetic, just the mental thought of some messing with my eyes whilst I'm awake has me twitchy.

Is it safe so say that the patient feels no part of this operation, and presumably vision during the operation is none existant?

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
968 said:
RupertTheFridge said:
968 said:
Hi, I've done probably more than 400 cataract operations.

Yes it can be done under local anaesthetic, the vast majority of our cases are, however, if a patient is particularly twitchy or reticent, we can do the op under general anaesthetic, although with the attendant risks of an anaesthetic.

The op is quick (about 10-15minutes, in my hands) and pain free. It's a day case and has a very high success rate (approx 97% patients get fantastic vision post op). Any specific questions feel free to email me.
PH never ceases to amaze me, an Opthalmic Surgeon on demand, well cool.

Cheers for the reassurance. The only thing thats getting me worked up a bit is the local anaesthetic, just the mental thought of some messing with my eyes whilst I'm awake has me twitchy.

Is it safe so say that the patient feels no part of this operation, and presumably vision during the operation is none existant?
You can see things, but you will be staring directly into a bright light, so most patients report seeing a kaleidoscopic effect of lots of weird colours and patters, whilst they have the op. Immediately post op you might not see that much, but over a few hours, it improves.

With regard to cataract treatment centers, I'm a bit dubious to be honest. We've had that foisted upon us by South African companies like Netcare, who did little more than was done at most NHS units, and moreover they didn't deal with non-routine cases or any of the complications they induced. It's far better to have a holistic approach from a good local eye unit than have it done in the back of a lorry by some surgeons who are in town for a brief time only.
Cheers mate, i have been told that they intend to make a small 1mm incision at the side of the eye, take a slice of the lens & remove all the bits of debrie from around the lens.

So from you said & what they have said, it sounds pretty routine.

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Friday 9th January 2009
quotequote all
968 said:
RupertTheFridge said:
Cheers mate, i have been told that they intend to make a small 1mm incision at the side of the eye, take a slice of the lens & remove all the bits of debrie from around the lens.

So from you said & what they have said, it sounds pretty routine.
Nearly! We make 2 small incisions into the eye. Most people use a 2.8mm incision, but some centers are using 1mm incisions, in a slightly newer technique. The lens is then got at, by making a circular hole in its front surface, then the lens is separated from inside the bag which holds it and then broken into pieces, within the bag, and those pieces are sucked out with an instrument within the eye. Once all the debris has been removed, a new plastic lens is placed inside the bag which used to hold the lens, and it unfolds within the bag. Sounds easy, and most often is, but it's fiddly and inside a space of only a few millimeters. Has a very very high success rate, due to well trained surgeons.
Might not have understood the info completely, was still reeling from the "local anaesthetic" bit, but I am going NHS @ Leicester Royal Infirmary.

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Friday 9th January 2009
quotequote all
V41LEY said:
Missus had both hers done last year @ 44. Had to have them redone due to scarring forming but had that lasered away and now (touch wood) has perfect sight. Worst thing about the procedure is the video
you watch in the waiting romm about what a cataract operation entails !! Somethings are best left untold if you are of a squeamish disposition.
Thanks .............................. i think

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Friday 9th January 2009
quotequote all
Only one thing left too do, get on with it me thinks ........

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Friday 9th January 2009
quotequote all
mybrainhurts said:
RupertTheFridge said:
Cataracts - Anyone Help Please
You need a canoe....
lol

I swear your stalking me!

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Friday 20th March 2009
quotequote all
Finally had my pre-op appointment, going to be done under full anaesthetic, removal of lens in both eyes and replacement lens fitted.

First eye being done hopefully around June/July.

RupertTheFridge

Original Poster:

899 posts

193 months

Saturday 21st March 2009
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Name your poison, and it's there!