FAQs About Upcoming Cataract Surgery

Developing cataracts can be a bit scary. It can be strange and disorienting to have your vision slowly become more cloudy as your lenses become opaque. The good news is that while there is no cure for cataracts, eye doctors can remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial one. They have been doing this for years, and the process is known as cataract surgery.

If you have cataract surgery scheduled, then you are probably looking forward to seeing clearly again. However, you may also have a few burning questions you'd like answered.

Why has your doctor waited so long to send you for surgery?

Eye doctors usually don't send patients for cataract surgery as soon as they are diagnosed. They tell you to wait until the cataracts are significantly impacting your vision. This is because not all cases of cataracts get bad enough to severely obstruct your vision. Some stay rather minor. Your eye doctor had you wait because there was a chance your cataracts would never have gotten severe enough to require surgery.

Will they treat both eyes or just one?

If you have cataracts in both eyes, you will typically need to have surgery twice—once on each eye. Operating on one eye at a time allows you to keep seeing through the other eye while the other one heals. Most patients have their surgeries a few months apart.

Will you be awake during cataract surgery?

The answer to this question is yes, which surprises a lot of patients. Cataract surgery is done with you awake and aware. But don't worry: you won't feel a thing. Your eye surgeon will first put numbing drops in your eyes so you do not experience any pain while being operated on. The surgery is mostly done with lasers now, and it goes quite quickly.

Can your cataracts come back after surgery?

No, they cannot. The lenses implanted in your eyes during cataract surgery are artificial, so they will not cloud or become distorted. In rare cases, though, this lens may develop a cloudy film, which makes it seem like your cataracts have returned. But all this means is that your eye doctor will have to clean the lens. Most patients do not experience this and their artificial lenses require no maintenance.

With these questions answered, you should feel more informed heading in for cataract surgery. Good luck!

Contact an eye doctor for more information about cataract surgery.