After the Surgery
During the first few weeks as the eye is healing either
reading or distance vision may be slightly blurred. If this is the case,
be sure to tell Dr. Buzard so that he can help you with contacts or
reading glasses during this period. You will need to be careful with
your new eye for a little while to allow proper healing to occur. Try
not to rub the eye directly, especially when drying the eye with a
Kleenex. Avoid wearing mascara, eyeliner or eye shadow since removing
these may push too hard on the eye. When you do return to wearing eye
makeup, try to purchase new products so that you do not develop an
infection or inflammation from contaminated products. Try to avoid
bending over, or doing exercises that apply pressure to the stomach area
in the first week or two, since contraction of the stomach muscles will
raise the pressure in the eye. At night, try to wear the eye shield for
about a week, especially if you are active when you sleep.
While problems are infrequent, some specific things might be cause for an extra visit. If you notice a sudden decrease in vision or an increase in pain, you should report these symptoms right away to our office.
If your eye drops or medicine seem to be irritating the eye or if you are uncertain about the directions, be sure to ask before you leave or call our office. In general, it is a good idea to bring your medicines when you have your checkups. If you run out of medicine or lose it, call our office rather than wait until you come in again. It is not uncommon to have a little irritation in the eye in the first few weeks after surgery. Artificial tears (available over the counter) will often help alleviate this. Redness in the eye, especially in the week or two following surgery is not uncommon and may just represent bruising, which should resolve in 2-4 weeks. If the redness seems to change or increase it may be a signal to call the office.
Once your surgery has stabilized, usually after one to several months, the results should be quite stable over the remainder of your life. You may notice that colors are brighter and different after surgery. Within the first few months to years, the thin capsule holding the lens in place may cloud, causing a temporary decline in vision and require treatment with the YAG laser, a simple same day procedure. Remember though, our eyes can have minor changes over time.
Think of your new surgery as a fine pair of glasses, and the expectations you would have of those should be similar to your expectations of cataract surgery. This includes regular eye examinations, usually once a year or even more often, to check on the surgery and the general health of the eye.
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