“As with any type of surgery, our patients always want to know what to expect in terms of recovery after Cataract Surgery”, said Ivan Jacobs, M.D. of The Eye Care & Surgery Center. Cataract surgery today is really quite advanced and generally pretty “patient friendly”.
Here is what Cataract patients should know and expect at The Eye Care & Surgery Center.
“If you are in good general health it is most likely that your Cataract operation will be performed in our ambulatory surgery center. This eye surgery facility is comfortable, efficient and close to home for most of our patients. Usually, your entire Cataract Surgery procedure should take only 2-3 hours from the time you check in until the time you check out”, stated Joel Confino, M.D. “Advanced Cataract Surgery today is most often performed with “topical eye drop anesthesia”-that is, for most patients the only anesthesia required are some eye drops along with a tablet to help you relax. There is really minimal if any “recovery” from the anesthesia used”, commented Dr. Jacobs.
According to Dr. Jacobs patients are usually feeling “back to normal” by the end of the day of their surgery or certainly by the next morning. Dr. Confino shared, “With the advanced Cataract Surgery technique of “small incision phacoemulsification” there is only a need to create a tiny incision-often just a few millimeters-through which the Cataract is removed and the Intraocular Lens is implanted. This tiny incision is so small so as not to require any “stitches” or sutures in many cases.” Thus the wound healing is very quick. Finally, depending on the type of lens implant that you have it is highly likely that your distance vision will be dramatically improved within 24 hours. In fact many patients actually are comfortable driving the next day after their Cataract operation. If you have a multifocal or accommodating lens implant to correct both your distance and near vision, it might take a bit longer to appreciate the full clarity of the near vision correction. So, it is pretty likely that you will be back to work in a few days and depending on your specific instructions. Generally, you should be able to resume all of your normal activities with a couple of days.
Please feel free to contact us with your questions or to schedule an appointment regarding Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants by calling The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999.
