Its success rate is about 99 percent. Complications from cataract surgery are rare but may include corneal swelling and/or inflammation in the eyes.
How successful is cataract surgery? Cataract surgery is successful in improving vision in about 97% of people who have it.
After cataract surgery, expect your vision to begin improving within a few days. Your vision may be blurry at first as your eye heals and adjusts. Colors may seem brighter after your surgery because you are looking through a new, clear lens.
However, every surgery entails risks and cataract surgery is no exception. Endophthalmitis is the only complication that can cause permanent vision loss. Its incidence is less than 0.04% to 0.2% in individuals at risk.
Sometimes after surgery, blood vessels in the retina leak. As fluid collects in your eye, it blurs your vision. Your doctor will treat it with eye drops, and it could take weeks or months to heal. It usually gets completely better.
Inflammation in the eye can happen after cataract surgery, but it is typically harmless. Any inflammation within the eye following cataract surgery is the body's natural response to having the eye's lens removed. This reaction causes blurry vision, but your eye doctor can prescribe medication to help.
Within 48 hours, many cataracts patients see significant improvement in their vision. It is possible that your vision could take one to two weeks to adjust and settle. The eye must adapt to the new intraocular lens that has replaced the lens.
In most people, cataracts start developing around age 60, and the average age for cataract surgery in the United States is 73.
The vision continues to improve over the first several weeks after surgery. The results of cataract surgery are designed to last for a lifetime. The lens implants and their optical performance are manufactured to far outlast our lifetime.
While there is no guarantee that cataract surgery will give you 20/20 vision, with new advances in technology your chances are quite high. Schedule an appointment with your eye doctor to discuss the benefits of cataract surgery, and determine which type of IOL is right for you.
While ophthalmologists make careful measurements of the eye and perform precise calculations, they cannot always achieve 20/20 vision without glasses after surgery. The reason is that the surgeon can only estimate where the IOL will fit in the eye after it heals from surgery.
Some known risks of cataract surgery include infection, eye floaters, scar tissue formation, inflammation, lens dislocation, glare, halos, droopy eyelid, high eye pressure, retinal tear, or retinal detachment.
For example, if you have advanced macular degeneration or a detached retina as well as cataracts, it's possible that removing the cataract and replacing it with a clear intraocular lens (IOL) might not improve your eyesight. In such cases, cataract surgery may not be recommended.
Here are some things that you may want to avoid before and after cataract surgery to ensure that you heal properly. Avoiding eating and drinking before your surgery. Don't wear makeup to the surgery appointment, and avoid wearing makeup until your ophthalmologist allows it so that you can better prevent infection.
Although it's never too late to have a cataract removed, it is better to have cataracts removed while they are immature, as this reduces the length of surgery and the recovery time. Earlier removal also means that you avoid the significant visual impairment associated with very mature (hypermature) cataracts.
This might all sound serious, but cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective procedure in Australia, with the average age for surgery being just under 76 years¹, and 90% of cataract operations performed on those aged 60 years and over ².
What are the cataract operation risks? As with any eye surgery, there is a small risk of infection, blurred vision and detached retina. There is a very small risk, around one in 1,000, of permanent sight loss in the treated eye.
Do not bend over or do any strenuous activities, such as biking, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 2 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay. Avoid swimming, hot tubs, gardening, and dusting for 1 to 2 weeks. Wear sunglasses on bright days for at least 1 year after surgery.
What Happens if You Bend Over After Cataract Surgery? You should not bend over after cataract surgery for at least 2 weeks. Bending over will place pressure on the eye and this may cause unnecessary complications to your eye. The main complication will be a delay in the healing process.
Are they safe to wear? You will not harm your eyes by wearing your old glasses. However, you may prefer not wearing them since, in most cases, your vision will have improved after surgery, in particular your distance vision.
However, as we usually do the operation on one eye at a time, this means that your eyes will be out of balance with each other until after the operation on your second eye. This vision imbalance is called anisometropia.
Depending on your vision, you may need to wear glasses for up-close activities, such as reading, after cataract surgery. This means you'll likely need to wear glasses regularly but not all the time. Cataract surgery is a very common and safe procedure that is used around the world.