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    WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER SURGERY

    During your clinic appointment:

    Your doctor will perform a comprehensive eye exam.

    You will receive a number of special tests to further check the health of your eye.

    All patients receive:

    • Optical biometry (checks the curvature and length of your eye to determine the appropriate lens implant strength)…if your cataract is very advanced this may be performed with ultrasound.

    Some patients receive:

    • OCT macula -> checks the health of your retina in the back of the eye.
    • Corneal tomography -> details the thickness and curvature patterns of your cornea.
    • Endothelial Cell Count -> characterizes the health of inner layer of your cornea.

    Prior To the Procedure

    You may have to see your primary care provider for a general medical exam to grant you medical clearance for the cataract surgery and associated anesthesia.

    Your doctor will likely ask that you refrain from eating after midnight the night prior to surgery (somewhere between 6-8 hours prior to start of surgery).

    Based on doctor preference, you may be asked to start taking eye drops in the surgical eye up to a few days prior to surgery.

    Day of the Procedure

    Preoperative Area:

    • You will have your vitals taken including blood pressure, heart rate, temperature.
    • After confirmation with you about which eye is getting surgery today you will receive dilating eye drops in the surgical eye.

    Pre-surgery Laser (only if you are getting Laser assisted cataract surgery)

    • If you are getting the laser assisted cataract surgery you will be laid down face up on a bed coupled to the laser.
    • You will have a suction device placed on your eye (and it is normal to feel pressure for a short time period) that will couple you to the laser.
    • The doctor will take pre-laser treatment pictures of your eye (typically takes a few minutes or less).
    • You will see a brief light show when the laser treatment is applied.
    • Your vision will be blurry after the laser treatment because your lens(i.e., your cataract) has now been broken into tiny pieces and can no longer focus light onto the back of your eye -> this is NORMAL and all you need to do now is wait for the final part of the surgery.

    Surgery

    • You will be laid down face up on an OR bed.
    • The surgical techs will prep you for the surgeon (you will receive numbing eye drops, have the eye cleaned, and have a drape placed over your body).
    • You will receive anesthesia that will typically leave you awake but drowsy (some combination of eye drops and IV medications in most cases).
    • You will be asked to look at the light above you and not move your eyes.
    • The surgeon will use small instruments to make 2 access incisions in your eye (or simply open them if already completed by a laser).
    • The surgeon will inject more numbing medication into your eye (this may burn for a few seconds, that is normal).
    • After injecting a gel like substance to keep the eye inflated (viscoelastic) the surgeon will manually remove a circular opening from the front of the bag that is holding your cataract.
    • The surgeon will use the ultrasonic/suction device to break up and remove your cataract from the eye
    • The surgeon will use a suction device to remove any residual cataract attached to the bag that previously held your cataract inside the eye.
    • The surgeon will insert the new lens implant into the eye.
    • The surgeon will remove any viscoelastic gel from the eye and ensure the wounds are not leaking.
    • A shield or a patch will be taped over the eye.

    After the Surgery

    • You will be taken to the post op area
    • You will be observed for some period of time until deemed stable enough to be taken home by a designated driver (not yourself).

    Day after the Procedure

    You will see your eye surgeon or his associate for an eye exam that will include an assessment of:

    • Vision (may still be blurry if cornea swollen)
    • Eye pressure (can still be elevated for a few days after surgery)
    • Position of the lens implant
    • Signs of infection

    Disclosure: The above content is general information about how the process of cataract surgery works for the patient in many situations in present time. Your specific cataract surgery experience will likely not adhere 100% to the above generalizations. All patients must consult directly with their actual health care providers for specific instructions regarding pre-operative, operative and post-operative planning and care.

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