The first and foremost question that comes to the mind of any individual who needs to undergo cataract removal is whether the surgery is safe or not. Possibly, you might be spending long hours wondering “is cataract surgery dangerous?” Let’s clear the air around the cataract removal surgery and put forth some facts. Cataract removal surgery is a relatively safe procedure performed very commonly. It is usually performed as an outpatient procedure, i.e. you are allowed to head back home within a few hours only as an overnight hospital stay is not required. Just like any other surgical procedure, there are a few pros and cons associated with cataract surgery. The cons are presented in the form of some post-surgery risks or side effects. The chances of risks or complications have significantly reduced with advanced technologies coming into existence.
Let us discuss some general complications from cataract surgery:
- Infection: The possibilities of infections after a cataract removal procedure are almost rare. If the environment or equipment is not clean, germs may get in the eye during the procedure, causing an infection. Due to this, you may experience pain, redness, increased sensitivity to light, and even problems with vision. In such a scenario, it is best and safest to get in touch with your eye specialist at the earliest. The doctor will prescribe you antibiotics and if required, will clear the gel in the middle of your eye to prevent the infection from worsening. This is the most common among all side effects after cataract surgery. However, the incidence of infection has also lowered significantly with the intervention of advanced laser surgery.
- Inflammation: It is normal to experience mild redness and swelling in the eye following surgery. But, in case, the symptoms seem unusual or worse, it is better to get eye drops and topical anti-inflammatory drugs from your eye surgeon to get rid of the inflammation.
- The build-up of fluid in the retina: In some cases, the retina’s blood vessels become leaky after cataract surgery. The vision becomes blurry as a result of accumulated fluid in the eye. Depending upon the severity, it may take a few days or weeks to treat it with eye drops. But if the condition is serious, your doctor may give you a steroid shot behind your eye.
- Swollen cornea: The clear front part of the eye is called the cornea. If it gets swollen after cataract surgery, the vision becomes hazy. The condition is mostly temporary and goes away within a few days or weeks with proper medical care.
- Bleeding: It is a rare risk related to cataract surgery. In those rare cases, the blood vessels of the retina may bleed. It is not a matter of major worry and can be managed with eye drops and other instructions if the bleeding is minimal. But in case of excessive bleeding, it may result in vision loss and thus your doctor may ask you to get a surgery done. Thus, one has to be extremely careful while choosing a healthcare provider to ensure safe surgery and recovery.
- Increased eye pressure: Sometimes, undergoing cataract surgery can increase the pressure in the eye, called ocular hypertension. The condition is harmful to your vision and the doctor may recommend some treatment based on the severity. The best-suited mode of treatment is decided after diagnosing the root cause. Leaving it untreated may lead to glaucoma.
- Retinal detachment: The retina is placed at the back of the eye, it senses the light and sends signals to the brain. If the surgery is not performed properly, there are chances that the retina may fall back into the eye. This is called retinal detachment.
How to minimize cataract surgery side effects?
Do not delay cataract treatment as extracting advanced (ripe) is difficult. The sooner you go for the surgery as your doctor recommends, the better it is for you. To reduce the chances of side effects after cataract surgery, be mindful while choosing the right eye care hospital and an experienced doctor.
In addition, make sure that you go for an advanced technique that provides faster vision recovery, and speedy healing with almost nil complications after cataract surgery. Nowadays, advanced femto laser-assisted cataract surgery has gained much preference and is a smart solution to avoid major post-surgery risks and complications.
Make the right choice of doctor to keep away cataract operation side effects
If you want to consult an eye specialist, reach out to the Centre for Sight to discuss in detail cataract surgery risks and benefits. Our eye specialists and surgeons are carefully picked from reputed medical institutions and provide the best-personalized eye care to you. Our doctors first run a series of diagnostics to understand your condition in-depth and discuss with you the appropriate mode of treatment complications from eye surgery are kept at bay. Give a call to book your appointment.
