According to the National Eye Institute, half of all Americans will have had cataract surgery by the age of 80 or will develop the need for one. A majority of those surgeries performed are successful. However, it is possible for complications to occur. To help you understand this aspect of the surgery, it is important you know what complications are possible and what you should do if you experience one.
Dislocated Intraocular Lenses
Following cataract surgery, you could experience dislocated intraocular lenses. During the surgery, the intraocular lens is moved inside a protective sac that is then re-positioned. Ideally, the lens remains in place and your vision returns to normal after the recovery period has passed. However, it is possible for the protective sac to rupture, which causes the lens to move. As a result, your vision can become blurry or cloudy again.
In most instances involving a dislocated lens, the eye surgeon simply re-positions the lens. If you have the lens re-position within a short period of time after it dislocates, you have a good chance for recovery. After a certain period of time though, the scar tissue around the lens can start to heal and make removing the lens to re-position it more difficult. It is imperative that as soon as your vision becomes cloudy again that you contact your eye doctor to increase the odds that the re-positioning is successful.
Detached Retina
Another possible complication is that retinal detachment can occur. Retinal detachment occurs when your retina pulls away from the blood vessels in your eye. The vessels are necessary for providing oxygen to your retina.
If the retina detaches, you could experience several symptoms. The most common symptom is the appearance of floaters or flashes of light in your eye. It is also possible to have a portion of your visual field blocked from the retina. It might appear as if a shadow is over part of your viewing area.
Retinal detachment is highly treatable. There are several procedures available, including cryopexy. During cryopexy, your surgeon will freeze the area immediately surrounding the retina. As the area heals, a scar develops over part of the retina. The scar helps to secure the retina in place.
Your eye surgeon, such as at Tri State Ophthalmology, will thoroughly review the possible complications you can face after cataract surgery. He or she will also help you understand what signs to look for when determining if you are experiencing complications.
Share18 September 2015
Having a daughter comes with a number of challenges. One challenge that you will one day need to tackle is determining when to introduce your daughter to the gynecologist. Do you take your daughter to the same gynecologist that you see or take her somewhere else? Do you wait until she gets her first period or do you take her in to learn about the menstrual cycle from the doctor? There is a long list of questions you likely have about introducing your daughter to the world of gynecology. Having gone through this twice myself, I have learned quite a bit and have included a lot of helpful information in my site to help other parents get through this complicated time a little easier.
