March 2022 - Armadale Eye Clinic

after cataract surgery what not to do melbourne

After Cataract Surgery – What Not to Do?

March 30, 2022/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by armadaleeye

Cataract surgery is the most common eye procedure in the world. As it is typically a fast and straightforward operation, most patients’ cataract surgery recovery also follows a similar course. However, as with any surgery, there is a chance of a complication arising during the cataract surgery recovery period. In order to minimise your risk of problems after cataract surgery, here’s what not to do.

After Cataract Surgery, What Not to Do

If your vision and eye feel back to normal soon after your cataract surgery, it can be tempting to dive straight back into your usual habits and activities. However, there’s a reason there’s a list after you have cataract surgery of what not to do. Failing to follow your ophthalmologist’s post-operative care instructions can result in a prolonged cataract surgery recovery. In the worst case scenario, complications such as an infection can threaten your sight. So, if you’ve just come out of the operating theatre after cataract surgery, here’s what not to do.

Don’t exert yourself

Immediately after any sort of surgery, the doctor’s orders typically include avoiding strenuous activity, and cataract surgery is no different. Physical rest allows the body to heal and can help to support your cataract surgery recovery. Strenuous activities can include carrying heavy grocery bags, intense physical exercise, and even housework. Your ophthalmologist will advise you when it’s okay to return to these activities, which may be as long as a couple of weeks. If your vocation involves hard labour, such as building and construction, you will need to take additional time off work.

Don’t drive until your review with the ophthalmologist

Straight after your cataract surgery you most likely won’t feel up to driving anyway. Your ophthalmologist will have advised you in advance to organise alternative transport home as you may be feeling groggy from the sedation and your eyes will still be affected from the dilating eyedrops. Later in the day or the day after once your head has cleared, it is still advisable to avoid driving until you’ve attended for your review appointment. At this examination the ophthalmologist will ensure your eye is healing as expected and your sight is able to achieve the driving standards.

Don’t stop your eyedrops too soon

Your ophthalmologist will give you a prescription for 2 to 3 medicated drops. These include an antibiotic to protect the eye from opportunistic infections as it heals, and a steroid as well as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) to help control inflammation. Your dosing schedule will involve all three of these drops, multiple times a day, and may change in frequency over the weeks. Typically, you will need to use these medications for about a month. These eyedrops help your eye to heal properly and reduce your risk of complications, such as an infection. For this reason, it’s important to use them to the end, even if you think your eye has recovered before the month is over.

Don’t expose your eye to risk of contamination or injury

Risk of contamination and injury to the eye can come from both obvious and less expected sources. Try to avoid any foreign particles from getting into your eye. This can mean keeping indoors if it’s a dusty, windy day, avoiding from the dust-filled attic, and also staying away from pools, seawater, and hot tubs for at least a week. For the first few days to a week immediately after your cataract surgery, it’s also a good idea to avoid moisturisers, soaps, and cosmetics around your eye. If your hobbies or occupation involve the potential for trauma to the face, your ophthalmologist will also want you to put these activities on hold. Examples of high-risk activities are contact sports, construction work, or the armed forces. If you have small children or pets prone to rough play, it’s advisable to keep your face out of harm’s way as much as possible!

Don’t update your prescription until your ophthalmologist has confirmed your vision is stable

Most people will find their sight has settled after 4 to 6 weeks. During the recovery period as your eye is still healing, you may find your prescription can fluctuate. Trying to measure a prescription during the post-cataract recovery period can be unreliable also because you may be experiencing dry eyes as a temporary side effect of the surgery. Towards the end your expected healing period, you will most likely have a final follow-up consultation with your ophthalmologist.

At this examination, your ophthalmologist will ensure that all has healed as anticipated and if so, you may return to the care of your optometrist for a prescription check.

Don’t delay if your something doesn’t feel right

The red flags in the weeks after your cataract surgery as you’re still recovering, include:

Deteriorating sight
Increasing redness or pain of the eye
The appearance of flashing lights or floating specks
Unusual headaches or nausea
Discharge from the eye
The perception of a black curtain or shadow coming across part of your visual field

These are not expected symptoms after any cataract surgery, and should be attended to immediately. If you’re unable to get in contact with your usual ophthalmologist, you may visit your local optometrist or hospital emergency department.

Call us on (03) 9070 5753 today.

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

References

After Cataract Surgery: A Post-Surgical Guide.
https://visioneyeinstitute.com.au/eyematters/cataract-surgery-post-surgical-guide/

Recovery: Cataract Surgery
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cataract-surgery/recovery/

what do cataracts look like melbourne

What Do Cataracts Look Like? Understand How They Are Diagnosed

March 16, 2022/0 Comments/in Cataract Surgery /by armadaleeye

It’s most likely that you know of at least one person who’s been diagnosed with cataracts or perhaps just had cataract surgery. If you’re over the age of 60, it’s quite possible that you yourself have at least an early cataract, even if the idea of cataract surgery is still a while away. However, if you haven’t been for an eye test in a while, how do you know whether you have a cataract or not? If you’ve been wondering what do cataracts look like and how they can be diagnosed, read on.

What are Cataracts?

Cataracts are an opacity or haziness of the lens inside the eye. The lens is located just behind the coloured iris. Because of their location and the necessity of the lens for vision, they can interfere with your sight, though the symptoms will vary from person to person.

The presence of a cataract is usually considered a normal age-related change, much like wrinkles on the skin. And because everyone ages, cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the developed world. In some cases, cataracts can also be caused by other factors, such as certain medications or physical trauma to the eye. It may also be associated with certain diseases, including diabetes.

What Do Cataracts Look Like?

For those wondering what do cataracts look like in the mirror, the answer is not much. It is almost impossible to diagnose your own cataract simply by looking in the mirror, unless you have particularly large pupils and the lighting is just right. Occasionally you may be able to catch a glimpse of a cataract in another person if you’re looking at the right angle – it appears like a whitish glint in the pupil.

In most cases, self-diagnosing a cataract will come from its common symptoms. What do cataracts look like for your sight? Symptoms of a cataract can include:

A hazy, cloudy, filmy quality to your vision. The location of the cataract in the lens of the eye will typically lead to some sort of deterioration of the clarity of your sight. This may be described in different ways by different people, and may not always be identified as blurry but rather filmy. Some people may describe the sensation of looking through a perpetually dirty window while others feel like their glasses can never be cleaned properly.
Increased difficulty with glare and bright lights. Certain types of cataracts may be more likely to induce glare, such as posterior subcapsular cataract. The density and location of these opacities in the lens cause light to scatter as it passes through the lens, which the eye then perceives as glare. These issues can manifest themselves in situations such as discomfort on the road in the face of oncoming car headlights.
Increased need for better lighting for reading. Although everyone’s near vision deteriorates with age in a process known as presbyopia, the presence of a cataract can further hinder your ability to read fine print. This is due to the impact of cataracts on your contrast sensitivity. You may find you need to bring the newspaper or medicine packaging to the window to be able to read the text in the bright natural light. Your altering contrast vision may also be apparent when you need to discern foreground details against a similarly-coloured background.

Diagnosis and Cataract Surgery

The diagnosis of a cataract is very straightforward with an eye test. Either an optometrist or ophthalmologist will be able to tell you immediately if there is a cataract present and whether cataract surgery is indicated through a series of routine tests. Quite often people who have just attended for their regular eye test may be told they have an early cataract without even having noticed any symptoms.

One of the most basic tests an eyecare professional will perform to diagnose a cataract is slit lamp biomicroscopy. The slit lamp is a complex device comprised of a magnification system, an adjustable light, and a chin rest. By using the slit lamp, the ophthalmologist or optometrist will be able to directly view the cataract in your eye. Different types of cataracts will look different behind the slit lamp, ranging from a vague yellowish-brown haze in the centre of the lens to a dense white opacity on the back surface.

Another test commonly used when managing a cataract is visual acuity. This is typically performed by reading letters on a chart in decreasing size. The optometrist or ophthalmologist will note the smallest line of letters you’re able to achieve (even if you guessed a few or got some wrong). In some cases, you may be asked to read a contrast chart, which displays letters of decreasing size and also decreasing contrast.

When it comes to assessing a cataract and offering advice around cataract surgery, your eyecare professional will take into account several factors. Perhaps the most important of these is the impact your cataracts are having on your daily tasks. Someone who is content with their vision in spite of a moderate or advanced cataract, may be able to defer cataract surgery.

Conversely, someone else may have only a mild cataract but their visual symptoms interfere with their work, in which case, early cataract surgery may be indicated.

Calls us now on (03) 9070 5753 for a consultation.

Note: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

References

Cataracts: Diagnosis & Treatment.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cataracts/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353795#:~:text=Using%20a%20slit%20lamp%20or,devices%20available%20to%20do%20this.

Cataracts.
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/cataracts