Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in South Africa, responsible for about 50% of the prevalence of blindness and identified as a national health priority.

What’s a cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye causing painless loss of vision. Consult an eye specialist if you experience decreased night vision, problems with glare and vision loss.

Prior to the operation

If you’re on Warfarin or Disprin, stop using the medication three days prior to surgery or according to your doctor’s instructions. A PI (blood test) has to be performed one day before the procedure. The anaesthetist must see the results before your surgery. Start using your Warfarin or Disprin again one day after surgery.

Operation

Before you go to the theatre, drops will be placed in your eye. In the theatre, the anaesthetist will anaesthetise your eye and place a pressure balloon on the eye to reduce the intra-ocular pressure for the operation. You should feel no pain but may be aware of touch or movement as the doctor touches your lids/forehead. During the operation, your face is partially covered by sterile towels and you must lie as still as possible. After the operation, your eye will be covered with an eye patch.

After the operation

After surgery, your eye may feel scratchy, you may be aware of small spots or particles drifting in your visual field and your vision may be blurred for a couple of days. Avoid direct sunlight. Wear sunglasses if necessary – especially during the first three months.

Cleaning your eye

Your eye should be cleaned every morning and evening as long as the eye is discharging. Also clean it during the day if there’s a discharge or if it feels scratchy. The eye can be covered for the first five days after cleaning and after instilling drops, but if you can see well and don’t encounter any problems, you may open your eye earlier.

Wash your hands thoroughly before washing your eye. Use only cotton wool dipped in boiled water that has cooled down. Gently remove the exudates on your eyelashes without pressure. Don’t worry if you notice a small amount of blood on the cotton wool, it should disappear within the first few days.

Eye drops/ointment

Use the eye drops/ointment exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Wash your hands before instilling the drops/ointment and try not to touch the tip of the bottle or ointment. The bottle must also not touch your eyelashes or eye because this can cause infection.

To instil the eye drops, hold your head back, pull the lower lid down gently with our index finger and place a drop in the lower eyelid. Once you have instilled the first drop, wait 3 to 5 minutes before instilling the next drop.

Recovery period

During the first two weeks after the operation, sleep with the hard eye shied provided by the hospital. Try to sleep on your back or on the side of the non-operated on eye. If the eye no longer feels scratchy or itchy, you need not sleep with the eye shield.

It takes 12 to 14 weeks for the eye to recover completely. It’s important to never rub your eye; if your eye remains very scratchy, buy “natural tears” from the pharmacy for relief.

 

Sources
http://www.samj.org.za
Junk, A.K., Morris, DA. Cataracts and systemic disease. In: Tasman W, Jaeger EA, eds. Duane’s Ophthalmology. 15th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009:chap 41.
Van den Berg, J. Ophthalmologist. 2012. Personal interview. 18 Sept.