What is the scariest complications of cataract surgery?

Endophthalmitis is a serious complication of cataract surgery involving microorganisms that gain entry into the eye. Risk factors for the development of endophthalmitis include rupture of the posterior capsule or the need for anterior vitrectomy during the procedure, age greater than 85 years, and male sex.

How often do cataract operations go wrong?

Risks of surgery

The risk of serious complications developing as a result of cataract surgery is estimated at around 1 in 50 cases.

What is the most serious type of cataract?

A posterior subcapsular cataract often interferes with your reading vision, reduces your vision in bright light, and causes glare or halos around lights at night. These types of cataracts tend to progress faster than other types do.

What are the odds of complications in cataract surgery?

One study showed that of 221,000 cataract surgery patients, 99.5 percent had no serious complications after their surgery.

Should I be scared of cataract surgery?

It's A Safe, Low-Risk Surgery

Any surgery carries some risk, and cataract surgery is no different. As far as surgeries go, cataract surgery is very low-risk. A small percentage of patients will experience complications. An even smaller percentage experience serious complications.

complications of cataract surgery

How can cataract surgery go wrong?

The most common complication of cataract surgery is swelling of the cornea or the outer window of the eye. Specifically, the swelling increases during the first 24 hours. Your vision may be blurrier the day after surgery more than it appeared post-operatively in the recovery room.

How many days rest is needed after cataract surgery?

Plan on taking one to three days off of work to be sure you have enough time to rest, but it is normal to resume most normal activities within a couple of days. Simple diversions like reading, watching TV, writing, and walking are okay to resume as soon as you feel up for it after your eye surgery.

Which cataract surgery is safest?

Laser cataract surgery also lowers the risk of complications, and most patients require less recovery time afterward. While both types of surgeries are safe, for many patients, laser cataract surgery overall may be slightly safer for these reasons.

What is the average age of cataract surgery patients?

In most people, cataracts start developing around age 60, and the average age for cataract surgery in the United States is 73.

What I wish I knew before cataract surgery?

Here are some things that you may want to avoid before and after cataract surgery to ensure that you heal properly. Avoiding eating and drinking before your surgery. Don't wear makeup to the surgery appointment, and avoid wearing makeup until your ophthalmologist allows it so that you can better prevent infection.

Why is my vision getting worse after cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery removes the front part of the lens but leaves the back in place. That's where you may get a secondary cataract, also called posterior capsule opacification (PCO). When that happens, your vision may get cloudy again. It usually happens eventually after cataract surgery.

Why do doctors delay cataract surgery?

With that said, cataracts often advance slowly — and during their early stages, they may cause very little disruption. In these cases, busy schedules, fear of needles, or other healthcare problems make it easy to hit the “snooze button” and postpone surgery.

What time of year is best for cataract surgery?

Doctors suggest winter as a good time to get the surgery done as the season can help you recover quickly. But it is not really stringent, all you need to keep in mind is if the vision is getting excessively blurred and your daily activities are getting hampered, then get the cataract removed as soon as possible.

What stage is it best to have a cataract surgery?

The simplest answer is this: The right time for surgery is when your cataracts have begun to interfere with your quality of life, and glasses and/or contacts no longer satisfy your visual needs.

How many people need glasses after cataract surgery?

In studies, between 60% and 88% of patients who have cataract surgery with a MultiFocal lens report that they never wear glasses. For cataract patients who value their ability to see clearly at a range of distances without glasses, a MultiFocal IOL can be a great option.

Who should not get cataract surgery?

For example, if you have advanced macular degeneration or a detached retina as well as cataracts, it's possible that removing the cataract and replacing it with a clear intraocular lens (IOL) might not improve your eyesight. In such cases, cataract surgery may not be recommended.

Is there a downside to cataract surgery?

It is very common to have blurry or unclear vision in the days and sometimes even weeks after cataract removal. Most of the time, this is caused by normal swelling in the eye which occurs as a part of surgery. Patients with larger, denser and/or firmer cataracts are more likely to experience more inflammation.

Why is second cataract surgery more painful?

Patients experienced more pain in the surgery of the second eye than that of the first eye, which probably related to lower anxiety before the second surgery. It suggests that we should consider preoperative intervention to reduce the perceived pain during second eye cataract surgery.

How long do I have to sleep on one side after cataract surgery?

Rubbing your eye or even water splashing in your eye can aggravate the chances of infection. You may also want to avoid sleeping on the side of the operated eye for the first 24 hours.

Is it OK to watch TV after cataract surgery?

You can read or watch TV right away, but things may look blurry. Most people are able to return to work or their normal routine in 1 to 3 days. After your eye heals, you may still need to wear glasses, especially for reading.

Do you have to sleep sitting up after cataract surgery?

Sleep on your back or on the opposite side of the eye that was operated on to decrease your risk of infection and irritation after surgery. If you turn over in your sleep, your eye shield should help protect your eye from significant damage.

What percentage of cataract surgeries are successful?

High success rates

Most people do exceedingly well with cataract surgery. Its success rate is about 99 percent. Complications from cataract surgery are rare but may include corneal swelling and/or inflammation in the eyes.

Can you see better at night after cataract surgery?

Yes, cataract surgery improves your night vision to a larger extent. Night vision improvement will enable you to drive, walk in low lights too. As the cataract advances the vision loss worsens, surgery might help restore your vision back.

Why do you need eye drops 3 days before cataract surgery?

Most eye surgeons recommend that their patients start their medicated eye drops a few days before cataract surgery. There are several reasons that this may be beneficial. The antibiotic eye drop may decrease the number of bacteria living in your eye and reduce the risk of infection.

Why are cataract surgeries 2 weeks apart?

Typically, you'll have the procedures about two to six weeks apart. This way, the first eye has time to heal. Your vision can return in the first eye before the second surgery.