Post-Operative Care

• Do not touch or rub your eye. Wear dark glasses at all times.
• Do not sleep on the side of surgery & Use eye shield at night for3- 5 days
• Do not take a head bath for 10 days. Wipe face with clean damp cloth.
• No lifting of heavyweights or awkward bending for 2 weeks.
• No oiling of hair/head massaging for 7 days.
• Take medications regularly as prescribed.
• Person putting eye drops should wash hands before handling the bottle.
• You can start watching TV a couple of days after your surgery. If the other eye has good vision you can resume reading immediately. The operated eye usually requires glasses which are prescribed 3-4 weeks post surgery.
• One can resume routine work 1 week after surgery
• Generally one can travel after 3-5 days of surgery with the doctor’s permission.
• Exercises: One can start walking immediately after surgery. Swimming and contact sports to be avoided for 4-6 weeks.

What is the Treatment for Cataract?

Surgery is the only way to treat a cataract. Following are the surgical techniques for cataract removal:

Intra capsular Cataract extraction: very rarely done nowadays.

Extra capsular Cataract extraction: entire lens physically removed leaving a capsule for supporting lens.

Phacoemulsification: lens broken into parts using ultrasonic energy and sucked out thro a special needle. Most cataract surgeries today are done by phacoemulsification.

Advantages of Phacoemulsification over other techniques:

Suturless surgery, faster visual recovery, returns home within hrs of surgery, final spectacle number is smaller and more predictable with less astigmatism.

Surgery is combined with implantation of an intraocular lens.

IOL’s can be rigid (PMMA) or foldable. Foldable lenses which are preferred these days may be of different varieties. You may discuss the appropriate variety for you with your doctor. Newer lenses such as aspheric lenses, Toric lenses, Multifocal lenses