Yes, I’m talking about my eyes.
When I was 77 years old, the optometrist declared that my cataracts were “mature”, and I could go in for the surgery! It was terrifying!! The idea of the surgery was so scary, I wanted to put it off, which I did for a few months.
I searched on the internet for descriptions of the operation, but the one thing I didn’t find was a detailed accounting of what goes on from the diagnosis to the final recovery. With that in mind, I decided to write up my experience.
The process
My optometrist referred me to a private clinic and sent over files on both eyes. Eventually, I called the clinic and set up an appointment.
The clinic gave me a detailed medical questionnaire after both eyes were examined with various machines. They also wanted to know about any medications I was taking.
The clinic I went to provided very detailed information about the process, what to expect pre and post surgery, a description of what would happen the day of surgery, restrictions on activities after surgery, and pricing for both eyes, if I opted for something that wasn’t covered by my insurance (OHIP – Ontario Health Insurance Plan). The administrator gave me three possible dates for several weeks later.
There was a lot of encouragement to do both eyes at the same time and some pressure to do the most expensive of the lenses (trifocal).
I made the decision to have only my right eye done and to go for the trifocal lens. I made this decision because I felt like my left eye vision was still pretty good, and my optometrist hadn’t mentioned the left eye being as far advanced.
I called my optometrist a few days after the clinic meeting to discuss my options. He was not in favor of multi-focal lenses, feeling that simple is better, but I made my decision based on the eye surgeon’s recommendation since he used those lenses.
I called the administrator to schedule the surgery on a Thursday, thinking that the follow up would be easier on a weekday – and if anything went wrong, I would have access to medical attention. I paid a 10% deposit at that time. She told me that my surgery appointment would probably be at 7:00 a.m. There is always a follow up appointment scheduled 24 hours after cataract surgery. The rest of the instructions included no eating or drinking after midnight the night before the surgery.
I was given a prescription for three types of drops to be administered at home, starting with two drops 4 times a day two days before the surgery. The clinic gave me a color-coded chart scheduling the times and quantities of administering the drops. The drops included Acuvail (NSAID anti- inflammatory), Gatifloxacin (antibiotic), Prednisolone (Pred Forte, a corticosteroid). I filled the prescription 10 days before surgery date and put the chart in a plastic cover so I could check off the drops as I administered them. I also set up alarms in my phone for morning, noon, evening and bedtime. Yes, I like detail.
I did a lot of meditations at night to get to sleep, focusing on breath practice to divert my mind.
Two days prior to surgery, I put two different drops in my eyes, morning and night for the Acuvail and 4 times a day for the Zymar.
Day of Surgery
The day of surgery finally arrived. I took a shower first thing in the morning and administered the two drops. I organized a small cloth bag, putting in a light jacket, a pair of socks to keep my feet warm, sunglasses, some tissues, and a prepackaged snack of cheese, almonds and dried cranberries for after the surgery.
After my arrival, I was directed to a small office, and an administrator went over what was about to happen, my questionnaire, and asked me if I had any questions. We determined that my light jacket probably wouldn’t work because of the sleeves, but I was assured that a blanket would be provided if I felt cool in surgery. I was wearing a long-sleeved sports jacket and workout clothes. I put on my socks and slipped on my flats. Later, I would be given booties to put over my shoes.
I was directed to the very comfortable chair I would be using before and after the surgery. A nurse was assigned to me and prepped me for surgery. This involved covering my hair with a mesh cap, inserting the IV needle, setting me up with blood pressure cuff and giving me 15 eye drops, spaced out with 3-5 minutes between drops.
I thought my blood pressure would be elevated, but the nurse said it was 118/80, not bad! The surgical nurse came over and asked questions from the questionnaire I had filled in a few weeks ago. She put a piece of masking tape above my right eye to mark which eye would be involved in the surgery.
We discussed the anesthesia I would be receiving. Here’s the catch – I didn’t want any “pain killers” put into my drip. I don’t do well with narcotics. I’ve had surgeries before where it’s been left out, and my post-surgery recovery was much faster without the pain killers. And, I felt no pain. There was a little pressure on me to have the pain killers, but I was adamant that all would go well without them.
The discomfort and pain control would be the administration of an anti-anxiety drug, like valium, and the application of two different numbing solutions directly to my eye. The anesthesiologist dropped by and was informed of my decision, and she was ok with it, so I felt a little better. I will admit; I was a little nervous.
The first numbing pain solution was applied when the doctor was ready to see me in the operating room.
I was guided into the surgical suite where I was instructed to lay on my back with my head in a cradle and my little cloth bag was placed next to my feet. There was a pillow for under my knees if I wanted it. I was made completely comfortable. The IV and blood pressure cuff were hooked up and one of those little heart rate monitors was placed on my left index finger.
The surgeon introduced herself, although between the mask and cap I wouldn’t be able to recognize her if she came over for dinner. The IV kicked in, and I started feeling very mellow. They put a little surgical drape over the eye area. I didn’t even notice when the eye was positioned to be open during the surgery. The numbing gel was applied.
I thought I would “see” the surgeon doing the operation. This didn’t happen. I saw three disks in various colors on a background. I don’t know how they did that. It was surprisingly entertaining!!! Maybe the drugs kicking in??
The surgeon did her thing, and I felt nothing. Then it was all over. Maybe 15 minutes had elapsed from the time I laid down and was hooked up to my being unhooked and led back to the waiting room.
The surgical nurse helped me sit up and guided me back to my chair. My nurse was waiting for me and removed the IV needle. She offered me a choice of water or ginger ale, and I selected the water option. Then, she actually made a joke!!! She asked if I wanted a cookie “I stayed up all night, baking them myself.” I declined the cookie, but I loved her humor.
The nurse gave me a bottle of water and asked for my husband’s phone number, which she dialed on a mobile phone she extracted from her pocket. I was instructed not to bend over, not to put my head below my heart, for a week. Then, the nurse demonstrated how I would put my foot up to tie my shoes. After a few minutes, I was led out to the entrance area and told to sit in a chair, positioned next to the entrance where I could see my husband drive up in the car. A parting admonition by the medical staff was “no screen time today”.
I still felt no pain! My right-eyesight was blurry, but when I covered my left eye I noticed that whites were actually white, including the clouds in the sky. My left eye saw everything as if I was wearing a beige filter. This surprised me! It shocked me that the colors were not the same as I have perceived them in the past few years after the development of the cataracts.
My husband showed up a few minutes later (don’t you hate being bored?? I practiced mindful breathing to entertain myself while I waited). He asked if I wanted to go out for breakfast, and I initially said yes because felt good. I finally said no, take me home because the instructions were to lie down and rest, and to sleep as much as I could the day of surgery. The rest of the drops were to be administered at noon, evening and bedtime.
When I got home, I listened to my audio book for entertainment, while resting on the sofa. I usually spend a lot of time at the computer, writing, and on my phone, so the no screen time was hard for me.
I had prepared a lasagna for dinner and all that was required was to heat it. I may have added a salad to that because I was feeling pretty good. My sight was blurry in the right eye, but otherwise I was fine.
I was restless that night because of the daytime napping, but I felt fine, and my eye didn’t bother me. I had to be careful not to touch that eye, however. And not to bend over!!
Post Surgery
I went in for the 24-hour follow up appointment the next day. All was well from a medical point of view. The doctor had me cover my left eye and read lines of a vision chart with my right eye. I think he was pleased that I could make out the letters on the top line, most of the letters on the second line, and even a few letters on the third line. By contrast, pre-surgery I wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all. So, that was pretty amazing! He said my eye was still a little swollen and that caused the lens to not function as well as it would.
I had to remind myself not to bend over.
I administered drops 4 times a day. A new drop was added, so there were three different drops at this point: Acuvail twice a day, Zymar and Pred Forte four times a day. This regimen continued for a week.
By day three, my distance vision with my right eye was definitely much clearer than before the surgery.
We had a guest for brunch, and I prepared the meal, but I had to make an effort to not bend over. That evening, I felt comfortable enough to go out to dinner with friends, although the evening lasted a little longer than I would have preferred.
A week after the surgery, I saw an optometrist at the clinic who said everything was going well. I was also told that the lenses were meant to work together, so getting the second lens in place in my left eye would definitely make a big difference in my vision.
And that was the last of the clinic visits until I went in for the surgery to my left eye.
I used all 3 types of drops for a week, then it went down to two types of drops. The last two weeks, I administered one type of drop four times a day.
One month after the surgery, my optometrist checked my eye and declared the surgery a success.
I had already scheduled the left eye for surgery.
Postscript: Following the second eye surgery, I can see great! It’s a whole new visual world. I’m much more comfortable driving in the daytime, and I can drive at night. With decent lighting, I can read without reading glasses, thanks to the trifocal lenses. I have astigmatism in both eyes that was too extreme to be fully corrected by surgery but isn’t usually a problem for seeing and getting around.
I saw my optometrist a month after the last surgery, and he gave me a prescription for progressive lenses, including a correction for astigmatism, for reading rather than straining on the very small print or in a restaurant with bad lighting, and a blue light filter for the computer and watching TV. While I can do everything without the glasses, I believe it takes a strain off my eyes.
In Summary: the result is a complete success!