Your doctor may prescribe eyedrops or other medication to prevent infection, reduce inflammation and control eye pressure. Sometimes, these medications can be injected into the eye at the time of surgery. After a couple of days, most of the discomfort should disappear. Often, complete healing occurs within eight weeks. Most people need glasses, at least some of the time, after cataract surgery. Your doctor will let you know when your eyes have healed enough for you to get a final prescription for eyeglasses.
This is usually between one and three months after surgery. If you have cataracts in both eyes, your doctor usually schedules the second surgery after the first eye has healed. People who've had cataract surgery may develop a secondary cataract. The medical term for this common complication is known as posterior capsule opacification PCO. This happens when the back of the lens capsule — the part of the lens that wasn't removed during surgery and that now supports the lens implant — becomes cloudy and impairs your vision.
PCO is treated with a painless, five-minute outpatient procedure called yttrium-aluminum-garnet YAG laser capsulotomy. In YAG laser capsulotomy, a laser beam is used to make a small opening in the clouded capsule to provide a clear path through which the light can pass. After the procedure, you usually stay in the doctor's office for about an hour to make sure your eye pressure doesn't rise.
Other complications are rare but can include increased eye pressure and retinal detachment. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Cataract surgery is a procedure to remove the lens of your eye and, in most cases, replace it with an artificial lens.
How a cataract affects your vision Open pop-up dialog box Close. How a cataract affects your vision Normal vision left becomes blurred as a cataract forms right.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Cataract surgery Open pop-up dialog box Close. Cataract surgery During phacoemulsification — the most common type of cataract surgery — the rapidly vibrating tip of the ultrasound probe emulsifies and helps break up the cataract, which your surgeon then suctions out top.
Everyday activities like reading may also become more difficult. This could be a good indicator that you should consider cataract surgery. Besides having difficulty seeing in the dark, cataracts make you sensitive to light. Things like sunlight or bright interior lighting may cause you pain. This is especially common in people whose cataracts are growing on the back of their lenses. When this becomes difficult to ignore, it could be a sign that you are ready for cataract surgery! Since cataracts block portions of light, you may experience halos around light sources.
This is most common around headlights or streetlamps. Halos, combined with difficulty seeing at night, make driving more dangerous. With halos, you may feel blinded by oncoming traffic. Learn more about ways to find emotional support for you — and your family members — after a vision loss diagnosis:. In the past, the lens could not be extracted safely from the eye unless it was at a relatively advanced stage of development. With modern advances in cataract surgery , the lens can now be removed from the eye at any stage of development.
It is true that the longer a cataract develops, the more it hardens. At advanced stages, a firmer or more developed cataract can be difficult to remove. Cataract surgery is only recommended when the outcome is expected to improve vision, unless the cataracts obscure treatments for other eye diseases.
Those considering cataract surgery should discuss how cataracts are affecting their daily lives with an ophthalmologist. Learn more about cataract risks, symptoms and treatments at www.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology, headquartered in San Francisco, is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, serving more than 32, members worldwide.
The Academy's mission is to advance the lifelong learning and professional interests of ophthalmologists to ensure that the public can obtain the best possible eye care. For more information, visit www. The Academy is also a leading provider of eye care information to the public. EyeSmart provides the most trusted and medically accurate information about eye diseases, conditions and injuries.
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