Will Cataract Surgery Recovery Be Easy?

November 25th, 2020

Are cataracts making it hard for you to see? That’s not surprising as a cataract is a clouding of the lens of your eye.

This can cause blurred vision, difficulty seeing at night, and even partial blindness. Cataract surgery is the only way to remove cataracts. You will need to undergo surgery when you can no longer complete your daily routine.

Keep reading to learn more about cataract surgery and your recovery after it!

Do I Have Cataracts?

Cataracts are a clouding on the lens of your eye. This clouding causes vision problems.

These vision problems will worsen as the cataract grows. The most common vision problems caused by cataracts are blurry vision, difficulty seeing at night, and partial blindness.

Blurry Vision

The most common symptom of cataracts is blurry vision. Some people with cataracts refer to this as “foggy” vision.

It can make your vision seem like you are looking through a fogged-up window. As your cataract grows, your vision becomes more blurry.

This will lead to difficulty in completing daily tasks. When you get to that point, you will need to undergo cataract surgery.

Difficulty Seeing at Night

Cataracts can cause you to see halos around lights at night. This includes street lights and headlights.

This can make it difficult to see at night. It can be dangerous to walk around if you can not see the ground beneath you.

It can also make it unsafe to drive. Do not try to drive if you are having difficulty seeing. You will need to have cataract surgery before you can drive safely again at night.

Partial Blindness

Some cataract patients do not report blurry vision or halos around lights. Some patients only experience vision loss.

This is temporary blindness that’s caused by cataracts. The only way to restore your vision is through cataract surgery.

Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is quick and painless. It’s an outpatient procedure, and you can expect to be in and out in under an hour. There’s no pain thanks to numbing eye drops you’ll receive before the procedure begins.

Your surgeon will make an incision in your eye. They will break up the cataract using ultrasound technology, and then remove the natural lens of your eye through the incision.

They will then replace your natural lens with an artificial lens called an IOL. This is something you’ll choose before cataract surgery.

Standard IOL

A standard IOL will restore the vision you lost due to your cataract. It will not correct any vision problems that you had before your cataracts. You will still need to use prescription glasses or contact lenses to see clearly.

Premium IOL

A premium IOL will both restore your vision and correct any previous vision problems. This includes nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

There’s a good chance you will no longer need glasses or contacts with a premium IOL.

Recovery

Your vision will be blurry for the first few days after cataract surgery. You will not be able to drive, so you will need to arrange for transportation home after your procedure.

Your doctor will give you eye drops to take for inflammation and to prevent infection.

If you follow all instructions from your ophthalmologist, cataract surgery recovery is easy. All you need to do is sit back and relax.

Schedule time off work as it will be hard for you to focus on more than light computer work or paperwork. After a few days, you will be right back to enjoying life to the fullest.

This time, your cataracts won’t be holding you back.

Ready to say goodbye to cataracts? The first step is a cataract screening. Schedule yours today at the Laser Eye Center in Huntsville, AL!