Who is at a Risk of Cataract?
- People above the age of 50 years as their eye muscles get weaker.
- People with problems of Obesity.
- Individuals with Hypertension.
- Over-exposure to harmful U.V. rays from the sun.
- Individuals with Eye injuries.
- Individuals with a history of eye diseases in the family.
- People with auto-immune diseases like Diabetes.
- Poor choice of lifestyle habits such as prolonged use of Steroids, Alcohol or smoking
abuse.
Surgery Duration and Post Surgery Precautions?
Modern cataract surgery will take just a few minutes to administer, and the recovery period
is also less. After the Cataract surgery, For the first week, it is recommended that the
patient must keep his or her eye covered at all times with a pair of Dark- eyeglasses to
protect your eyes from being rubbed or bumped as even a small amount of pressure can lead to
the opening of the incision.
The patient is generally also asked to refrain from:
- Bending with the head below the waist level.
- Lifting more than 5 Kgs.
- Avoid Straining (on the toilet, for example) to the point of holding one’s breath.
What to expect after the Cataract operation?
There is usually no visible scarring, but the white of the eye can have any degree of
redness.
You will be discharged from the hospital and go home with an eye pad and a pair of Dark
eyeglasses. The eye pad can be removed after the first hour of the Cataract surgery. The Dark
eyeglasses should be worn every time (even at night) for the first week.
Your eye may experience a little grittiness (scratchy or roughness), and sometimes you
might experience an occasional mild headache. These symptoms are very typical and common. The
discomfort will go away over the next 24 hours. There should be absolutely no worsening of your
symptoms.
If your discomfort or headache increases, contact us immediately.
Your vision will start getting normal by Day 2. Sometimes there can be some misting or blurring
in the eye, but this should get better over the day.
If you ever feel your vision is becoming more blurred during the first recovery week
period, contact us immediately.
Post-surgery, you should refrain from swimming activities for the first two to four weeks to
avoid any infection risk. If cycling or driving in the first few weeks following surgery, do
keep your sunglasses ON to reduce the impact of dust or other foreign materials.
What are the tests required before performing the surgery?
Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure (B.P.) should be in control. In some cases, E.C.G. and a medical
check-up may be required.
Can an immature cataract be operated safely?
It is safer and more comfortable to operate on an immature cataract. As the Cataract matures, it
generally becomes harder, requiring more energy to do the same procedure. Beyond a specific
limit, excess usage of energy may cause harm to the eye.
Do I need to use glasses after surgery?
A few weeks after the surgery, the patient may be prescribed glasses for near work. The lens
which is planted in the eye is of fixed power. This lens’s power is calculated correctly for a
particular eye with the help of an eye ultrasound.
The premium artificial lenses we use last a lifetime, and complications due to the lens are rare
and are easily corrected. After the Cataract surgery, in most cases, routine distance activities
can be carried out without glasses. For reading, glasses would be required.
What makes one a right candidate for ICL surgery?
- If your corneas are healthy.
- If your overall eye health is good.
- If any family history of specific corneal disease exists.
- If the individual is with active lifestyles and desires a quick recovery.
- Your overall prescription has to be analysed to confirm that it can safely be treated
with ICL.
- If the individual is with slightly thin corneas or irregular corneas.
- Astigmatism and/or moderate to significantly higher amounts of nearsightedness (myopia).
- Usually, individuals who are over 21 years old, when vision is more likely to have
stopped changing (stable), up to 45 years of age bracket.
- A proper stable eye prescription which has not changed significantly over the last year.
The prospective individual should always consult his/her eye surgeon (ophthalmologist) for more
information and better understanding, including an evaluation of their candidacy.
Where precisely will the ICL be placed?
A qualified SRG ophthalmologist will insert the ICL through a tiny micro-opening, placing it
inside the eye in front of your eye’s natural lens and just behind the iris.
Does the ICL surgery hurt?
Absolutely not, in fact, most of the patients confirm that they were very comfortable throughout
the entire procedure. Your SRG ophthalmologist will carefully use topical anaesthetic drops
before the actual procedure and may prefer to administer a mild sedative as well.
What should I expect after the Lens Implantation?
Your SRG Eye surgeon will give you eye drops (anti-inflammatory and antibiotic) to prevent
complications and relieve any discomfort. Arrangements will be made for you to have a follow-up
appointment the next day. You will also need to ensure the follow-up appointments at one week,
one month and six months to monitor your progress over time.
It is of vital importance that you follow your eye surgeon’s post-operative instructions and
attend the follow-up check-up appointments to help avoid any kind of complications. The ICL will
stay in place by itself, and you will not feel the presence of ICL in your eye.
Most of the times, people experience improved vision immediately. Still, you should be prepared
and expect your vision to be blurry or hazy with increased sensitivity to the light for an
initial couple of days.
In some cases, it can take from two to four weeks before their vision gets stable.
One should be able to get back to work and start doing routine work (not heavy work) again in a
couple of days after the procedure.
Would there be any risks in having ICL implantation?
Just like with any types of surgeries, issues can sometimes happen during the operation or
afterwards during the healing period. Such risk chances usually are very low.
But still, your SRG surgeon will make sure that you are given clear and easy to understand
advice at the time of explaining any potential complications or issues with you and how these
scenarios can be avoided.
Is the ICL going to be visible to others?
Absolutely not. The ICL is carefully positioned behind the coloured part of the eye (the iris)
by an experienced SRG surgeon, where it will stay invisible to you as well as your observers.
Only your eye surgeon will be able to confirm if there any vision correction has taken place.
Am I going to feel the ICL once it's in place?
Our premium ICL is designed for maximum comfort and to be completely unobtrusive once it is put
in place. The lens will retain its position by itself, and it refrains from interacting with any
of the eye’s structures.
Is it possible to get the ICL removed from my eye?
Even though the ICL is meant to remain in place permanently, but if the need arises, our SRG
ophthalmologist can remove the implant.
What material is the ICL made up of?
The premium ICL we use at SRG Eye Hospital is made up of Collamer®. Collamer is an extremely
biocompatible advanced lens material which is comprised of a tiny amount of purified collagen.
Collamer has a property of not causing any reaction inside the eye, as well as, includes an
ultraviolet blocker that provides proper protection to the eye. Collamer is a proprietary
material of STAAR Surgical Company.
Do I still need to wear Eyeglasses for near vision?
The ICL implant is designed to be permanent in nature; however, if in the future, due to any
situation or condition your vision changes dramatically after receiving the lens implant, your
Eye Surgeon can remove and replace it with a suitable lens.
The ICL implant does not treat presbyopia which is the expected average loss of your eyes’
capability to see things clearly up close that changes with ageing and becomes easily noticeable
in your early to mid-40s. Hence some people may need reading glasses.
Are your eyes healthy enough for LASIK?
Generally, Lasik eye surgery is most appropriate for patients who have no unusual vision
problems and a moderate degree of refractive error.
Your SRG Eye surgeon will ask you detailed questions about your eye health and then
evaluate your eyes to ensure that you don’t have any complications or conditions that might lead
to further complications or poor outcomes of the surgery. This includes:
- Any eye disease that leads to a continuous deterioration of your vision and keratoconus
(thinning of your cornea).
- If keratoconus is present in your family history, even if you don’t have keratoconus, we
will be very cautious about any elective eye surgery.
- Uveitis, Keratitis, herpes simplex affecting the eye region, and any other eye
infections.
- Eye-lid disorders or Eye injuries.
- Dry eyes: If an individual has dry eyes, LASIK surgery may make the condition
worse.
- Large pupils: LASIK may not be appropriate if the patient’s pupils are large,
especially in dim light. Lasik Surgery may result in debilitating symptoms such as
star-bursts, glare, halos and ghost images.
- Glaucoma: This surgical procedure might raise your eye pressure, which has the
potential of making your glaucoma worse.
- Cataracts.
When should I rethink about having LASIK surgery?
- Suppose an individual has severe nearsightedness or a high refractive error has been
diagnosed.
- An individual with a reasonably good (overall) vision; If you are able to see well
enough to need Eyeglasses or Contact-lens only part of the time (Occasionally), in this
case, an improvement from the Lasik surgery may not be worth the risks.
- You have age-related eye changes which are resulting you to have presbyopia (less clear
vision).
- You are actively participating in contact sports. If you regularly receive blows or
punches or any hard pressure to the face and eyes, such as during boxing or martial arts
or combat forces, LASIK surgery may not be a suitable option for you.
In such cases; the possible benefits of a LASIK surgery may not justify the risks involved, and
your SRG Eye doctor will be very vocal about it.
Am I healthy enough for Lasik Surgery?
Your SRG eye surgeon will ask you detailed questions about your overall general health.
Particular medical conditions which might be unrelated to your eyes directly, but can make the
outcome less predictable or increase the risks associated with LASIK surgery. This includes:
- Any condition or disease that affects your immune system and makes you more prone to
infections or impairs your ability to heal, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, HIV and
other autoimmune disorders.
- If you are taking any immunosuppressive medication for any reason.
- Diabetes.
- Depression or certain chronic pain conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome,
migraine and fibromyalgia.
If you are having one or more of these conditions, then you might face more problems with dry
eyes and post-surgery pain compared to other patients.
The reasons for these factors are not entirely clear but maybe somehow related to how you
perceive pain as an individual.
What should be my expectations from LASIK?
In general, people who undergo a LASIK surgery will have satisfactory to excellent vision in
most of the situations, for many years or decades to come. One would be able to enjoy playing
sports or swimming or check the clock first thing in the morning without the need for any
eyeglasses or contact lenses.
But, over the period, as you grow older or in low-light conditions, you may still need to rely
on eyeglasses.
Individuals do report high satisfaction after a LASIK surgery. But long-term results haven’t
been well-studied or often aren’t available. The central part of the reason for such a situation
is that patients are overall satisfied after Lasik surgery; hence they don’t feel the need for
repeat examinations; as a result, follow-up data from such patients is not collected.
We must also keep in mind that the LASIK procedure has been refined over time — the technology
and techniques are continually changing, which makes it difficult to conclude from the limited
data that is reported. But, this also means that every new generation is getting a better and
improved form of Lasik surgery with better and developed equipment.
