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graham58
29-01-14, 22:45
Hi everyone.

I went to my opticians a couple of years ago for an eye test, and they found a lot of deterioration in my eyesight - for those who know what this means, I had lost more than 1 dioptre in each eye over the course of a year.

I was referred to the local eye hospital in Plymouth (which we're lucky to have btw) by my doctor, and the news was that I have a cataract in each eye and these will require surgery when they're sufficiently advanced. The last eye test I had (in June last year) they weren't so I was OK, but I have another eye test due in about a week's time, which I'm not looking forward to.

Has anyone had eye surgery, and have positive stories to pass on as a result?. If so, these would be much appreciated at the moment. (No horror stories please, I already know about those!). Have to admit that I thought dentists were scary until I discovered eye surgeons.

Thanks in advance,


Graham .

jill
29-01-14, 22:58
Hi hun :D

My auntie had her cataract done, she is a very, VERY nervous person,when in comes to things like this, so you can imagine the state she was in before it was done.

She said, after it was done, if I new then what I know now, I would not have been so nervous.

My aunt is happy she had it done :D:yesyes:

I feel its only natural to be nervous with any procedure like this, after all your going into the unknown and I feel that is what we tend to fear, the unknown.

Before you have the procedure, they do talk you through what they are going to be doing and how its done.

Its good your getting yourself some good stories,:yesyes::yesyes:

Keep positive, you will be just fine when you get it done.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XX

graham58
29-01-14, 23:07
Thanks Jill! That's exactly the kind of story I like to hear.

My worry (or probably the main one) is that if I move my head involuntarily while they're operating on my eye, they'll end up stabbing me in the eye and doing damage...not a nice thought I know.

I'd like to know if it's possible to have cataracts done under a general instead of a local anaesthetic, so I won't know it's happening (maybe a question for a medical person or NHS Direct or someone )?

Thanks again,

Graham .

P.S. I like your sig about negatives developing in the darkroom of fear :)

jill
29-01-14, 23:49
Hi Graham :D

***My worry (or probably the main one) is that if I move my head involuntarily while they're operating on my eye,***

Mmm this is something I would come up with LOL BUT, it wont happen, they have done this procedure many, many times AND, they do know what there doing you know LOL :roflmao:

**I'd like to know if it's possible to have cataracts done under a general instead of a local anesthetic,***

Yes I feel this question is for the experts, but from what I know, any small procedure, you have to have a very good reason to have a general anesthetic, they don't like to knock people out, ( for reasons I wont go into, but they will tell you ) anyway, if your knocked out your in longer, if you have the local, your in AND OUT. :yesyes: and on your way home :yesyes:

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

graham58
30-01-14, 00:35
Hi Graham :D

Thanks for replying again Jill!


***My worry (or probably the main one) is that if I move my head involuntarily while they're operating on my eye,***

Mmm this is something I would come up with LOL BUT, it wont happen, they have done this procedure many, many times AND, they do know what there doing you know LOL :roflmao:

Not sure that I do though LOL

No, seriously that's a question I'm going to have to raise when I get to that stage and if it's still a concern for me. It's good to be able to talk about it anyway.

**I'd like to know if it's possible to have cataracts done under a general instead of a local anesthetic,***

Yes I feel this question is for the experts, but from what I know, any small procedure, you have to have a very good reason to have a general anesthetic, they don't like to knock people out, ( for reasons I wont go into, but they will tell you ) anyway, if your knocked out your in longer, if you have the local, your in AND OUT. :yesyes: and on your way home :yesyes:

You're right. I had a skin graft done on my back a couple of years ago under general anaesthetic and I had to stay in hospital for a couple of days afterwards. The surgeon told me I couldn't have a local for the op (which is what I wanted for that one) because it was over too big an area.

Any general anaesthetic has a small but real risk of complications; I think that's the reason they don't like doing it unless they have to (it's prolly more expensive too).


TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

And you,

Graham .

jill
30-01-14, 00:53
Hi Graham :D

I know any procedure like this can be scary, BUT, watch those thoughts,
Do what your doing, LOOK for all reassuring evidence. FACTS.


statistics say, this is a safe procedure to have.

NOW, collect your evidence and convince yourself, LOOK at the outcome and how your going to be able to see better :yesyes::yesyes:

I do hope someone pops along with some more info, if not, keep popping this thread back to active threads, sometimes people miss threads.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XXX

graham58
30-01-14, 08:19
Jill,

Thanks for replying again.

You've actually been a great help. I was genuinely panicking about what I might be facing soon, I'm not now.

Some good advice in your last message too.

Take care, and thanks for your time and trouble,

Graham x.

graham58
06-05-14, 21:24
Just a quick update; I've been to the eye infirmary now and have been given the all clear as far as macular degeneration is concerned, i.e. I don't have it after all. The cataracts are still there, but they don't seem to have got any worse; in order to try and keep it that way, I have to make sure I keep ultra violet light out of my eyes as much as possible so I've got some good clip-on sunglasses now.

Thanks for your support anyway :smile:

aprilmoon
06-05-14, 21:31
Hi Graham!
I've had cataract surgery and its ok!
I was very nervous before,and they gave me a sedative in my arm,and although I was awake for it they could have taken my head off and it wouldn't have bothered me!

graham58
07-05-14, 00:18
Hi aprilmoon,

Thanks! :) Glad it went well for you too.

graham58
11-05-14, 22:11
Good luck mate - You'll be with people that know what they are doing :). Be sure to let us know that you're ok though when you can do

Thanks :). I will, though hopefully the operation won't be for a good while yet (next year at least).

graham58
10-09-17, 17:48
Hi again. Just a quick update; I've now been given a date for the operation, which should be at the end of the month. Apparently there is no premed for it though so I'm going to see if I can take in some music on headphones.

Thanks for reading this,

Graham .

Catherine S
10-09-17, 18:04
Hi Graham, just caught up with this thread and like you was told I had the start of cataracts in both eyes at a routine eye test in 2015. I had no problems with them then, but a year on in 2016 the vision in my right eye was becoming quite blurred and an optometrist told me the cataract in that eye had grown quite alot. Bearing in mind that the optician in 2015 told me not to worry as cataracts take many years to develop any vision problems...wrong!

So I've got to wait to 'see' how bad it has to be before they fix things. My mum is 85 and only now having cataracts treated whereas mine were discovered 2 years ago at 61.

Let us know how you get on, best wishes.

graham58
10-09-17, 21:15
Hi Graham, just caught up with this thread and like you was told I had the start of cataracts in both eyes at a routine eye test in 2015. I had no problems with them then, but a year on in 2016 the vision in my right eye was becoming quite blurred and an optometrist told me the cataract in that eye had grown quite alot. Bearing in mind that the optician in 2015 told me not to worry as cataracts take many years to develop any vision problems...wrong!

So I've got to wait to 'see' how bad it has to be before they fix things. My mum is 85 and only now having cataracts treated whereas mine were discovered 2 years ago at 61.

Let us know how you get on, best wishes.

Hi Catherine, many thanks for your reply and your interest. I was told the "many years to develop" line as well but it's been about five years between my first referral to the local eye infirmary (and being diagnosed with cataracts) in April 2012, and the surgeon deciding in July this year that they're advanced enough to operate on.

My approach at the moment is to try and get as much information as possible about what's involved in the operation, to try and reassure myself (hopefully it's reassuring!), and then do some meditation or something (listening to music on headphones maybe) to be as relaxed as possible when I finally go in for the op.

Hope your Mum's cataract operations go well anyway, and that you have a good relationship with your doctor so that you can talk over your own concerns.

Best wishes,

Graham .

graham58
12-12-17, 19:04
Hi Graham, just caught up with this thread and like you was told I had the start of cataracts in both eyes at a routine eye test in 2015. I had no problems with them then, but a year on in 2016 the vision in my right eye was becoming quite blurred and an optometrist told me the cataract in that eye had grown quite alot. Bearing in mind that the optician in 2015 told me not to worry as cataracts take many years to develop any vision problems...wrong!

So I've got to wait to 'see' how bad it has to be before they fix things. My mum is 85 and only now having cataracts treated whereas mine were discovered 2 years ago at 61.

Let us know how you get on, best wishes.

A quick update; I had the operation just over a month ago (at the Royal Eye Infirmary in Plymouth) and it went very well; the nurses and the surgical team couldn’t have been better. I was nervous to start with (especially when the time came to lie down in the operating theatre for the operation to begin) but because I'd opted for sedation and had an anaesthetist, and a canula in my arm, I was able to cope with it. A nurse even got me a hot chocolate without being asked when I got the "shakes" immediately after the operation.

Many thanks for everyone's good wishes!

DaveDee
01-01-18, 20:01
Hi, I had a retinal reattachment. As part of that they also replaced my lens (cataract surgery). It was all done under local anaesthetic and felt weirdly like being at the dentist.

Anyone facing eye surgery should try not to be too concerned - you're home in time for tea.:yesyes:

graham58
21-01-18, 16:52
Had the second one done on Thursday, and am now recovering. Many thanks to the superb surgical team at the Royal Eye Infirmary in Plymouth, who assisted with and performed the operation, and the equally superb nurses and technicians who tested and dilated my eyes prior to the operation, took my temperature and blood pressure, and answered my questions. And of course to our wonderful NHS which made it all possible.

Looking forward to when I can *see properly once the eye has healed and I can have a sight test for new glasses (should be about six weeks from now). I know I couldn't have carried on as I was before the operations; I had hardly any sight at all in my right eye (the first one that was operated on).

Once again, many thanks for everyone's good wishes!

* My close vision isn't great at the moment so I’m typing this in 28 point in a word processor and then pasting it in the edit box. Where there's a will there's a way!