CATARACT FAQ

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FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CATARACT AND ITS SURGERY
A cataract is a cloudiness of the lens of the eye, which is between the front and back areas of the eye. Cataract surgery is an operation which successfully restores vision. During the surgery, Dr Khalil removes the clouded lens from your eye and replaces the lens with an artificial lens. Cataract surgery will significantly improve your vision. It is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. Every surgery involves some risk. You should choose a surgeon with experience, which will reduce the risk of something going wrong

This is the most frustrating part about cataracts―there’s no real definite cause. In most cases, cataracts are simply a part of the aging process. As you get older, your chances of developing cataracts increases. However, while there are no exact cause of cataracts, there are several risk factors:

  • A family history of cataracts
  • Certain diseases, such as diabetes.
  • Long-term exposure to UV rays and excessive sunlight
  • Eye injuries or diseases
  • Unhealthy eating habits and smoking

The patient is usually the first person to notice a cataract, because the first sign is often difficulty with vision. For example, street signs are difficult to read or require close inspection to decipher. sometimes glare at night and difficulty with night vision is a prominent complaint.

Some cataract patients notice increased daytime glare similar to a dirty windshield when driving west in the afternoon sunshine.To an ophthalmologist, the most common age-related type of cataract looks a lot like a dirty brown marble inside the eye. After surgery on one eye, it is not surprising that many patients remark about the bright vivid colors in the treated eye and the dim, brown, hazy vision in the other eye that still contains a cataract. Dr Khalil using a slit lamp microscope can evaluate cataracts during the office examination.

You and Dr Khalil must work together. If cataract progress is rapid, don’t wait for cataract surgery. But, if your vision is still quite good, you may not need cataract surgery immediately. You need to continue to visit Dr Khalil regularly. You should know that some cataracts never really reach the stage where they should be removed.

With cataract the best time for surgery is individual. Think about how cataract affect on your life. If cataract don’t bother you a lot, you can wait some time for surgery. Think about surgery when your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision. If cataract have significant effect on your daily activates, you should have cataract surgery soon as possible.

In some cases a cataract should be removed even if it doesn’t cause major problems with vision but interfere with diabetic retinopathy or retinal detachment or some other eye problems. If you have cataract in both eyes, you will have two separate surgeries.

Before Surgery:

To determine if your cataract should be removed, Dr Khalil will perform a thorough eye examination. Before surgery, your eye will be measured to determine the proper power of the intraocular lens that will be placed in your eye. Ask Dr Khalil if you should continue taking your usual medications before surgery. You should make arrangements to have someone drive you home after surgery.

the Day of Surgery

Dr Khalil will do your cataract surgerryon an outpatient basis, in an outpatient surgical center, usually in the morning. You will be asked to skip breakfast. When you arrive for surgery, eye drops will be instilled in your eye, and a mild sedative will be fiven to help you relax and not feel any discomfort, even that that might be caused by the local anesthesia.

A local anesthetic will numb your eye and you may be given a small injection to help you feel comfortable during surgery. The skin around your eye will be thoroughly cleansed, and sterile coverings will be placed around your head. Your eye will be kept open by an eyelid speculum. You may see light and movement, but you will not be able to see the surgery while it is happening. Under an operating microscope, Dr Khalil will make a small incision in the eye. Tiny surgical instruments are used to break apart and remove the cloudy lens from the eye. The back membrane of the lens (called the posterior capsule) is left in place.

A plastic, acrylic intraocular lens is implanted in the eye to replace the natural lens that was removed.

After surgery is completed, Dr Khalil will place a shield over your eye. After a short stay in the outpatient recovery area, you will be ready to go home.

Following Surgery:

You will need to:

• Use the eye drops as prescribed

• Be careful not to rub or press on your eye

• Avoid strenuous activities until Dr Khalil tells you to resume them

• Ask Dr Khalil when you can begin driving

• Wear eyeglasses or an eye shield, as advised by Dr Khalil. You can continue most normal daily activities. Over-the-counter pain medicine may be used, if necessary.

As you know, all surgeries carry some risk. With respect to cataract surgery, there is always a possibility that a complication might arise during or after surgery. We always explain these risks before you decide to have surgery.

Topical or local anesthesia is the norm in most of the cases.

No. But later, some patients notice their vision is not as good as it was right after surgery. This is usually due to what we call a “secondary membrane.” The secondary membrane is best understood as a wrinkle or opacification of the capsule (envelope). The capsule (envelope) is essential for maintaining the position of the intraocular lens implant. This capsule is carefully cleaned and polished during cataract surgery, but in about 25% of patients it opacifies later. This can happen months or even years after successful cataract surgery. A secondary membrane can be corrected quickly and easily using a Yag laser right in our clinic. The laser procedure takes just a few minutes. It is painless and does not require anesthesia.
You may see clearly on the very first day after surgery. Most patients agree that vision returns quickly, although the exact timing varies from individual to individual. For some patients, experiencing blurred vision for about a week is normal. Most patients resume routine activity within 24 hours.
We ask that you return to the clinic the day following surgery so Dr Khalil can check your eye; again two weeks later; and your final appointment is two months after surgery. These are the normal postoperative visits, but remember you can have as many appointments as you need. At your final appointment after surgery, you will be given a prescription for eyeglasses if needed. From this point on, it’s a good idea to have your eyes checked every one year or so. Approximately 70% of patients use eyeglasses only for reading and close work.
The goal of the surgery is to reduce the person’s dependance on lenses of any kind. However, many people still benefit from reading glasses, and many people will wear a thin pair of glasses for night driving.
services we offer

Eye of Cairo Clinic Services

We offer a wide range of eye care procedures

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Comprehensive Eye Consultation
When you come to Dr Khalil Eye Clinic, you will have a full eye consultation, with comprehensive evaluation and discussion regarding your eye condition. Dr Ahmad Khalil will then give you advice on recommended investigations if needed and best course of management
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Modern Cataract Surgery
Modern cataract surgery is truly a miracle of modern medicine. Thanks to huge leaps in both technique and technology, it has reached a new pinnacle of success. If your vision has faded as a result of cataracts, your likelihood of recovering more youthful vision with an operation to remove the cataract
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Glaucoma and its Surgery
In recent years, the tools available for treating glaucoma, has undergone a phenomenal expansion, thanks to the development of new medicines, and new surgical techniques and devices. All has contributed immensely to the fight against this impeccable disease
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Congenital Glaucoma
Dr Khalil has been fighting congenital glaucoma since 1998. He successfully operated more than 1200 cases, one of the highest figures internationally for this rare disease....As he is pioneering a successful surgical technique for the management of the difficult glaucoma in the newborn and infants
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Laser Vision Correction
Today’s active lifestyle demands for visual performance that we can rely on, night and day, free of glassed and contact lenses. Some professions simply can not go well with glasses or contact lenses, like pilots, professional sportspeople and others. LASIK can offer glasses free excellent vision to most refractive vision errors
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ICL Implantation
For higher levels of short- or long-sightedness or if the cornea is not suitable for LASIK vision correction, phakic lens implantation become the procedure of choice. Though the costier, the ICL has been demonstrated to obtain better visual outcomes compared to Lasik for higher degrees of errors
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Keratoconus and Corneal Ectasia
Management of the conical cornea or keratoconus has made revolutionary leaps in past few years, mainly by the introduction of corneal cross linking (CXL), new surgical modalities like intra-corneal rings, and deep lamellar keratoplasty or corneal grafting.
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Keratoplasty, Corneal Transplantation
Cornea transplant, or Keratoplasty, is a highly refined surgery, replacing a diseased and opaque cornea with a clear donor cornea. Keratoplasty can restore vision, reduce pain and improve the appearance of a diseased cornea
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Laser Treatment of the retina
The laser is an instrument that produces a pure, high-intensity beam of light energy. The laser light can be precisely focused onto the retina (the light sensing tissue at the back of the eye), selectively treating the desired area while leaving the surrounding tissues untouched.
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Anti-VEGF Intravitreal Injections
An intravitreal injection is a procedure to place a medication directly into the space in the back of the eye called the vitreous cavity, near the retina. This is commonly used to treat retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, macular edema, and retinal vein occlusion
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Squint, strabismus
Though it happens more frequently among younger populations, it may also appear later in life. The misalignment may be permanent or it may be temporary, occurring occasionally, and can be in any direction: inward, outward, upward or downward. If the child is not treated at the appropriate time