Just recently, a friend of mine from the church we both go to, had cataract surgery.
He told me that after he was done, he saw better than he had ever seen since he was a kid.
You had to see the look of joy all over his face.
Yes, cataract surgery, especially with today's modern methods, is a great thing.
However, there are still risks involved in having this kind of surgery.
This article is simply meant to point them out so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this is something that you want to consider having.
First, let me give you the good news.
About 98% of the people who have cataract surgery have wonderful outcomes and vision that is greatly improved.
This is a significant figure and a testament as to how far we have come with this procedure.
Still, there is that 2% that we need to be concerned with and what can go wrong in those cases.
One of the most common risks of cataract surgery is Endophthalmitis, which is an infection inside the eye.
To help prevent this from happening, antibiotic eye drops are administered on the day of the surgery.
In most cases, this procedure is all that is needed, but in some cases infection will occur.
The statistics for post operative infection are 1 in 3000 surgeries.
A less common risk of cataract surgery is cystoid macular edema.
The macula is the central part of the retina.
Sometimes, after surgery, this part becomes inflamed, which results in a blurring of vision.
A test is then given to determine the extent of the swelling.
In some cases, steroids need to be injected into the area itself in order to bring down the swelling, which is always a risk in itself.
Another uncommon risk of cataract surgery is retinal detachment.
What happens occasionally during surgery is that fluid seeps through a tear in the retina.
When this happens, the retina detaches from the back of the eye.
Patients who are nearsighted have more of a chance of retinal detachment than other patients.
This occurs in about one half of one percent of all surgeries.
The most serious complication from cataract surgery is choroidal hemorrhage.
The choroid is a web of blood vessels that supplies that retina with blood.
Sometimes, during surgery, the choroid will bleed.
This is mostly common in patients with high blood pressure and glaucoma.
If the bleeding is restricted to a small area, then patients usually recover without much visual loss.
However, in the most severe cases, patients can end up having complete loss of vision.
The most dangerous risks of cataract surgery are fortunately very rare because of today's technology.
Still, it is important that you are aware of them.
After all, you only get one pair of eyes.
To YOUR Health, Steve Wagner
He told me that after he was done, he saw better than he had ever seen since he was a kid.
You had to see the look of joy all over his face.
Yes, cataract surgery, especially with today's modern methods, is a great thing.
However, there are still risks involved in having this kind of surgery.
This article is simply meant to point them out so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not this is something that you want to consider having.
First, let me give you the good news.
About 98% of the people who have cataract surgery have wonderful outcomes and vision that is greatly improved.
This is a significant figure and a testament as to how far we have come with this procedure.
Still, there is that 2% that we need to be concerned with and what can go wrong in those cases.
One of the most common risks of cataract surgery is Endophthalmitis, which is an infection inside the eye.
To help prevent this from happening, antibiotic eye drops are administered on the day of the surgery.
In most cases, this procedure is all that is needed, but in some cases infection will occur.
The statistics for post operative infection are 1 in 3000 surgeries.
A less common risk of cataract surgery is cystoid macular edema.
The macula is the central part of the retina.
Sometimes, after surgery, this part becomes inflamed, which results in a blurring of vision.
A test is then given to determine the extent of the swelling.
In some cases, steroids need to be injected into the area itself in order to bring down the swelling, which is always a risk in itself.
Another uncommon risk of cataract surgery is retinal detachment.
What happens occasionally during surgery is that fluid seeps through a tear in the retina.
When this happens, the retina detaches from the back of the eye.
Patients who are nearsighted have more of a chance of retinal detachment than other patients.
This occurs in about one half of one percent of all surgeries.
The most serious complication from cataract surgery is choroidal hemorrhage.
The choroid is a web of blood vessels that supplies that retina with blood.
Sometimes, during surgery, the choroid will bleed.
This is mostly common in patients with high blood pressure and glaucoma.
If the bleeding is restricted to a small area, then patients usually recover without much visual loss.
However, in the most severe cases, patients can end up having complete loss of vision.
The most dangerous risks of cataract surgery are fortunately very rare because of today's technology.
Still, it is important that you are aware of them.
After all, you only get one pair of eyes.
To YOUR Health, Steve Wagner