Cataract Surgery & Its Risks

I knew that my eyesight would deteriorate as I aged, but I didn’t really know what to expect. It was a seemingly normal afternoon, when I looked up at her ceiling light and saw it becoming blurry and having a sort of ‘halo’ around it. 

 

I squinted and shook my head. 

 

The next day, I went to the supermarket

and realised that my eyesight seemed a little bit dimmer. And it was even worse

at night when I had to wake up and use the washroom. I couldn’t see much at

all, and had to feel around to turn on the lights. 

 I then made a mental note to visit the

eye specialist for a check up. I was frightened… was I turning blind?

Cataract surgery is a way to cure cataract

 At the eye clinic, the specialist tested the sharpness of my vision by having me identify a series of symbols or letters on a chart. I was then given eye drops to dilate my pupils

so that the specialist could examine the interior of my eye. 

 

The eye specialist used a slit lamp—to illuminate a small area inside the eye to check on the cataract and assess how extensive the clouded areas are. He then ran some additional

tests to rule out other eye disorders, such as glaucoma or retinal degeneration.

 

“The results show that it’s very highly likely cataracts, which is a normal consequence of aging. From age 40 onwards, the lenses of our eyes start to become less transparent, less resilient, and

thicker. And you mentioned that your night vision has worsened and that colours

now appear dull?” The eye specialist double checked with me after looking

through the results of the multiple tests.  

 

“You might want to consider and discuss with your family members about getting cataract surgery.” 

 

A good cataract surgeon will talk to you about the risks involved

I called my daughter, Sandra, after the

appointment. We met for dinner at our favourite cafe. 

 

“How’s it for you when you walk down

steps? Or when you want to cross the road? Can you see clearly?” she asked,

brows furrowed. 

“For now, yes, I can see steps in front

of me. I just don’t want to wait for it to worsen, you know what I mean? I

don’t want to wait till the day the steps ahead of me or the traffic signs

become blurry,” I didn’t want to worry her unnecessarily. This should be quite

common for people my age. I knew my late husband had also gone through cataract surgery. 

“Did the doctor say you had any other

eye conditions?” Sandra took a bite into her fries.

If any other eye condition is detected,

such as age-related macular degeneration, the doctor may recommend cataract

surgery sooner because the cataracts make it difficult to examine and manage

the other problem.

 

“Fortunately, no,” I was relieved that it was only cataracts for now. 

 

Before embarking on cataract surgery in Singapore, I

knew that I had to understand the risks involved. Now that I had decided to go

ahead with the cataract surgery, I had to choose a cataract surgeon with

and hearing his surgeon explain to him the different kinds of lenses beforehand.

adequate experience. I remember following my late husband to his appointment

I decided to go to the same surgeon. 

At the clinic, the eye surgeon patiently

explained to me that there are 4 commonly used replacement lenses: Fixed-focus

monofocal lenses, accommodating monofocal lenses, toric lenses and multifocal

lenses.

 

He also shared with me that there are

two possible surgical methods used to remove cataracts. The first one uses an

ultrasound probe to break up the lens for removal. The surgeon will need to

make a tiny incision in the front of my eye and insert a needle thin probe into

the lens substance where the cataract has formed. The second method is to make

a larger incision to remove the cloudy lens comprising the cataract. He then

did some tests to determine which method would be more suitable for me.

Having an experienced surgeon with the relevant skills is crucial

If an inexperienced surgeon with

inadequate skills is chosen, some problems such as infection, hemorrhage, or

exaggerated inflammatory response. While these are mostly treatable, it is

remotely possible they could permanently damage a patient's vision in a way that

no glasses or contacts could remedy. Retinal detachment is also a possible

outcome.

Even though there are risks in doing cataract surgery, choosing the right cataract surgeon will ensure your risks are minimised.