Dr. James Lehmann explains what a cataract is. He also talks about treatment for cataracts.
Transcription
Dr. James Lehmann: Hi. I’m Dr. James Lehmann. Welcome to Focal Point Vision. Today we’re going to talk a little bit about the process of cataract surgery. So first of all, what is a cataract? Well, a cataract happens when your natural lens becomes cloudy, and cataract surgery involves removing that lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. So many patients ask me, “Do I have to get a lens with cataract surgery?” And the answer is yes. We’ve always put a lens in when we do cataract surgery.
Dr. James Lehmann: And so where does the surgery take place? It takes places as an outpatient surgical procedure. Actually, right behind me here is our surgery suite. On the day you pick for surgery, your family will drive you to our surgery center and you’ll be there for about two to three hours. But the surgery itself is just 20 minutes. Another question I get from patients is, “Will I feel or see anything during the surgery?” And the answer to that is no. You’re going to receive an IV and we’re going to give you sedation right before the procedure, very similar to like you would have with wisdom teeth removal or colonoscopy. And so you don’t see or feel anything during the 20 minute process.
Dr. James Lehmann: Afterwards, you go home with a shield over the eye, and then we check you the next day to make sure everything’s okay. And then for one week you have to take it easy, no strenuous physical activity, no water in the eye, and no eye makeup. Generally we do the other eye one to two weeks after the first one.
Dr. James Lehmann: Another question I often get from patients is, “When can I drive after cataract surgery?” And while the answer to that is dependent specifically on each patient, the general rule of thumb is you can drive one to two days after surgery. Again, thank you for your time, and I think you’re going to be very happy with your decision to do cataract surgery.
