by Raquel Ildefonzo

Created on: February 05, 2010

At age 79 in March of 2007, my mother underwent surgery on her left eye to remove the cataract that has been impairing her sight.  Amidst my and my sister's apprehension because of her age, my mom had to go through a similar operation on her right eye four months later.  Her eye surgeon explained to us that both operations were necessary as it is only through surgery that a cataract can be treated.

Another doctor, with whom I had a conversation a few days after my mom's second operation, confirmed that surgery is indeed the only way through which a cataract, which has reached the stage where it is hindering vision, can be treated.  The operation for a cataract is a safe, simple, and painless (as my mom affirmed) procedure, lasting an hour or even less; about ninety-five percent of all cataract surgeries are successful.

Depending on the patient's health and on the condition of the lenses of the eyes, the eye surgeon can choose from among the different surgical procedures available to him.  In my mom's first surgery, for example, the eye surgeon opted for the technique in which he extracted the opaque portion of the lens of my mom's left eye with the use of a suction device.  But in the second operation, the same eye surgeon, using a freezing probe, removed the entire lens of my mom's right eye.

Another technique makes use of a high-speed vibrator to break up the cataract, which is then drawn by suction through a hollow needle.  I used to think, as many other people may have too, that using laser is another method for removing cataract.  My mom's eye surgeon made it clear that lasers are never used in cataract surgeries.

The eye's power to refract light is almost entirely lost with the removal of its lens.  The lens, therefore, must be replaced if the patient is to have a clear vision again.  To restore the focusing power of my mom's eyes, she is now using a pair of thick eyeglasses as prescribed by her eye surgeon.  In other cases, contact lenses are recommended as these cover the eyes completely; cataract patients likewise seem to tolerate contact lenses well as these have improved in quality over the years.

There are a few simple instructions to observe strictly when recovering from a cataract surgery.  The set of orders from my mom's eye surgeon includes avoiding bending over, rubbing her eyes, lifting heavy objects, and taking aspirin (at least one week after each of her two operations).  She was also instructed to take it easy during her convalescing period to give her eyes the chance to heal quickly.

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