10 Steps to Seeing Anew: Your Essential Guide to Cataract Surgery Success

5. Anesthesia During Surgery

In most cases, individuals will receive local anesthesia during surgery for cataracts. This is done for several reasons. One of these reasons is that the surgery itself tends to take less than an hour, which lowers the need for general anesthesia. In addition, using local anesthesia lowers the risks associated with anesthesia. Patients may have choices in their local anesthesia. Some of them will be able to have topical eye drops to numb their eye for the procedure. Others may wish to have an injection to block their nerves around the area. Patients may also receive intravenous medication before the cataract surgery to keep them calm. Overall, local anesthesia will keep patients comfortable and often leaves them with little memory of the surgery. Of course, some patients may require general anesthesia during their cataract surgery. This form of anesthesia is often reserved for extremely anxious patients and those who will have trouble remaining still during the procedure, such as individuals with Parkinson's disease.

6. Risks Of The Procedure

Just like any other medical procedure, surgery to remove cataracts carries some risk of certain complications. Patients are at a higher risk of complications if they have a preexisting eye condition or disease unrelated to their cataracts. Another underlying condition, like macular degeneration, can cause a patient's cataract surgery to be unsuccessful at improving visual performance. A patient may experience the common side effects of inflammation, swelling, and infection in their eyes after they have the procedure. Uncommon complications include bleeding, drooping eyelid, retinal detachment, development of a secondary cataract, dislocation of an artificial lens, glaucoma, and vision loss. Taking all of the recommended precautions and making all of the necessary pre-procedural preparations can help patients avoid increasing their risk of complications.