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OP, I read your first post in this thread and got nauseated. NO, THE EYEBALL IS NOT REMOVED.
I can't believe your eye doctor described it that way?!!
I had cataract surgery 3-1/2 years ago (March 2015, both eyes, 2 weeks apart). My vision is still very close to 20/20 in each eye. I will be 60 in a little over a month, and I don't need glasses for anything, either close-up (e.g. for reading) or long-distance. My surgery, and my surgeon, were both amazing.
No way is anyone removing my eyeball. I’ll take the old way, please, and while they’re at it, correct my vision with the lasix.
If you have cataract surgery, they can correct your vision with the lenses they put in. You don't need Lasik on top of it, too. (Lasix is a drug, one almost every US thoroughbred races with to prevent lung bleeding.)
My eye doc told me Wednesday my cataracts are getting worse and I might need surgery in 1-3 years. I had Lasik in 1997 and he said it does complicate getting the prescription cataract lenses just right a little, but at worst, he estimated I'd be off a half a diopter, which isn't too bad.
OP, I read your first post in this thread and got nauseated. NO, THE EYEBALL IS NOT REMOVED.
I can't believe your eye doctor described it that way?!!
I wonder if the OP misunderstood that it's the lens is removed, so the clear replacement can be inserted? I have several friends and relatives who have had surgery for everything from detached retinas to cataract surgery to refractive surgery, and no one has ever had an eyeball removed. The only time I can imagine removing the entire eye is when there is a medical reason like a tumor, which would result in losing the eye entirely.
Cataract surgery is the opposite of "emergency surgery" -take as much time as you need to get a couple more opinions and feel assured about who is doing it. It may be more inconvenient shopping around but your eyesight and peace of mind are both worth it.
My primary-care physician recommended me to see an Ophthalmologist because he suspected I have Cataracts. I visited the Ophthalmologist who stated I need eye surgery for their removal. I asked if she uses a LASER , and she stated, " NO." Then I asked her to explain to me the procedure the medical facility, which has multitude of locations, uses.
She stated that the ball of the eye is removed, a small cut is made in the front, of the ball, and the cataracts removed, then the ball of the eye is replaced into the socket. That did not sound too good to me, so when I got home, I asked my husband, who it had done it several -years -ago, if he remembers the method she had used then, and he stated that it was done via LASER. We spoke back and -forth, and I told him that the procedure has changed now.
Last night, while trying to go to sleep, I began weighing down the procedure the Specialist spoke about, versus the one that she is doing now, and I do not feel comfortable with the present one.
In a three-page-letter that is to be signed prior to the surgery, it states that "SOMETIMES, the eye ball may not ALIGN well into the socket AND that there is also the possibility that one of the two eyes maybe slightly MALALIGNED. " That was the end for me.........I am planning on forgetting it, and find a doctor who uses LASER. The Medical facility that she works for, has recently changed ownership, and I believe the present procedure is less expensive, and brings in the most money....
Any opinions? Thank you,
I would like to think you misunderstood what your doctor told you. I've had surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes. The eyeball is not removed at all. I wanted both eyes done at the same time if possible. Couldn't do it because the cataract in one eye, although it was present, wasn't as bad as the other eye. I'd have to wait until the better eye reached a certain point. It depends though. For me, I had medical insurance to cover most of the cost. The insurance companies use a gradient scale as to how severe a cataract is. If it's too low on the scale, the insurance won't pay, and doctors won't do it.
What that meant for me was to have the worst eye done as it met the insurance company's standard. The other eye would have to wait for another 8 months to a year. The thing is that early on, a cataract is too liquidy, and attempting to remove it too early could leave some of the cataract behind resulting in the cataract reforming again. Over time, the cataract can sort of harden making removal much easier to get it all out. When having cataracts removed, it's better to have them removed only once. Once it's out, there's no concern about it reforming. It's gone. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about undergoing the procedure. I remember horror stories when my mother had it done some 50 or so years ago. Techniques were not quite are refined as today. I don't think she had been sedated either. There was no pain for her, but she described the needle (probably to paralyze the muscles) as looking as large as a telephone pole . But it turned out fine for me. There are much better techniques and better technology available today.
The procedure began by applying some eye drops to help numb the eye. Through that eye, things had sort of a reddish appearance. After giving it time to take effect, I was taken into the surgical suite and placed in a comfortable chair. I opted to sedation because I really didn't want to know what was happening. You can opt to not be sedated if you wish. Being sedated requires an anesthesiologist present to administer the right dosage of the sedative and to monitor your vital signs. Your eye has three muscles that enable it to move. I was given injections to temporarily paralyze those muscles so the eye won't move around during the surgery. The rest of the procedure is what I was told. If you have sedation, you can't drive. You need someone to take you to and from the eye clinic.
A microscope was used for the entire procedure. A tiny incision is made over the clear tissue above the cornea (I think). It's sort of like a pocket. Then an instrument is used to loosen the cataract. A thin tube is inserted to suck out the cataract, kind of like using a tiny vacuum cleaner. Once everything is out, then an artificial lens was inserted through the tiny incision. Another tool was used to smooth out the lens to make sure it was smooth with no wrinkles. A patch was placed over my eye for 12 hours. I was not to drive for at least 24 hours. I had to go back in again the next day for an exam to make sure there were no problems. I was prescribed a couple of different eye-drops to apply. I was also given a schedule to write in the time each application was made at home. I picked those up at the pharmacy well before the surgery date so I'd have them available as soon as I got back home. One of the meds was to prevent inflammation, and the other was an antibiotic. The former was applied over 10 days, starting every two hours, then down to once every 4 hours, etc. The other started at the same time, but extended for about a full month. I faithfully logged each application according to the schedule I was given.
A year later, I was back in to have the other eye done. At that time, I was much less nervous about the procedure because I had undergone it before and knew more of what to expect.
I should mention, as I recall, the artificial lenses can be either a soft flexible material (which is what I had installed) or a hard material. I think if the hard lenses are applied, the incision would likely be larger to be able to put it into place. With the soft lenses, they're folded up so they can be inserted through a much smaller incision. No stitches were necessary. I'm not sure about larger incisions though, but I'd guess some self-dissolving stitches might be applied, or it might be necessary to keep the patch on for a longer time. You'd still have to take it off now and then to apply the eye-drops.
That was pretty much it. The biggest hassle was sticking to the schedule to apply the eye-drops. If you happen miss an application, don't worry. It's not a big deal. Just continue one at the next scheduled time.
Cataracts develop slowly over time and you get accustomed to it. Eventually, it will become more apparent that there's a problem. One thing you can look forward to after having the cataracts removed is that things won't look as dull as before, like looking through a dusty window screen. Things will be a lot richer, clearer and more colorful.
N.,B. Same can be said for those who support their eyes and keep them healthy, I can see very good and clear and colors are bright at 80. We all pick our ways of keeping body's in good condition as best we can. Some parts are harder to work on that others. The eyes, for me, have been an easy one.
Had both eyes done 1.5 yr ago. No goofy removals. They did use laser to brake down lens. Vision is greatly improved thereafter. I am rather pleased overall. I now and down to $5.60 reading glasses from Walmart and do fine without any most of the day. Driving is much safer. No halos, can see well in the dark.
N.,B. Same can be said for those who support their eyes and keep them healthy, I can see very good and clear and colors are bright at 80. We all pick our ways of keeping body's in good condition as best we can. Some parts are harder to work on that others. The eyes, for me, have been an easy one.
Jam, that's probably true. What I was trying to get across is that the formation of cataracts tend to be gradual. Because of that, you adjust to how you see, at least for as long as you can see. The dulling of vision is barely noticeable until it becomes significant and you realize there's a problem. Once the cataracts are removed, which is comparatively sudden, it's a world of difference sight-wise. The difference before and after is amazing.
Jam, that's probably true. What I was trying to get across is that the formation of cataracts tend to be gradual. Because of that, you adjust to how you see, at least for as long as you can see. The dulling of vision is barely noticeable until it becomes significant and you realize there's a problem. Once the cataracts are removed, which is comparatively sudden, it's a world of difference sight-wise. The difference before and after is amazing.
I hear you and one can guess that if the "cats" have taken over the eye, then when the surgery is done it's like a new sight for them. I have no clue how my eyes are today as I have not been to a eye doc in over 7 yrs or so and have been doing the supports for as many and more years. I see very clearly so no need to go to find out what? As I said too I've been so addicted to sunglasses and I feel that's been a huge salvation.
My primary-care physician recommended me to see an Ophthalmologist because he suspected I have Cataracts. I visited the Ophthalmologist who stated I need eye surgery for their removal. I asked if she uses a LASER , and she stated, " NO." Then I asked her to explain to me the procedure the medical facility, which has multitude of locations, uses.
She stated that the ball of the eye is removed, a small cut is made in the front, of the ball, and the cataracts removed, then the ball of the eye is replaced into the socket. That did not sound too good to me, so when I got home, I asked my husband, who it had done it several -years -ago, if he remembers the method she had used then, and he stated that it was done via LASER. We spoke back and -forth, and I told him that the procedure has changed now.
Last night, while trying to go to sleep, I began weighing down the procedure the Specialist spoke about, versus the one that she is doing now, and I do not feel comfortable with the present one.
In a three-page-letter that is to be signed prior to the surgery, it states that "SOMETIMES, the eye ball may not ALIGN well into the socket AND that there is also the possibility that one of the two eyes maybe slightly MALALIGNED. " That was the end for me.........I am planning on forgetting it, and find a doctor who uses LASER. The Medical facility that she works for, has recently changed ownership, and I believe the present procedure is less expensive, and brings in the most money....
Any opinions? Thank you,
In cateract surgery the only time they use a laser is when making the quarter inch incision to extract the old lens material as a prelude to inserting a new plastic lens,if the laser is not available they will use an ultrasound device to make that small incision,youd never know the difference, the procedure takes less than10 minutes and at no point do they extract your eye.
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. But it turned out fine for me. There are much better techniques and better technology available today.
