“I have very poor eyesight, and I can’t imagine a world without my glasses or contacts.“
– American actress, Ellen Hollman
I HAVE sharper, clearer vision now, especially at night, after undergoing two cataract surgeries recently.
Both operations were carried out at the Sarawak General Hospital Eye Clinic. My first operation was on Sept ember 19 while the second one was on October 24.
To me, both operations were scary because, like other people undergoing them, I had to sign a form on both occasions after doctors briefed me on the risks associated with the procedures. The risks included fears of losing vision and permanent damage, pain associated with the procedure and concerns about the surgical outcomes.
Both operations were done on Fridays. For my first operation, I waited with 11 other patients in a very cold room. Each of us were given a thick white blanket to keep warm as we waited for our turns in the operating theatre.
I was in the waiting room as early as 8:00 am but my first cataract surgery happened at around 1:30 pm. I think I was the fourth last patient that day.
No one briefed us on what would happen to us in the surgery room. I was surprised that I had to lie down in a chair that resembled a dentist’s chair and be wrapped up with a white blanket from the shoulder down to my toes.
My face was also wrapped up with some form of material. Only the eye to be operated on was left exposed.
At that point, I was so scared of the unknown that I had the absurd urge of running away from the surgery room and had to work hard to dismiss the idea. I was awake throughout the operation.
The surgery was performed by an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor who specialises in eye and vision care.
I think two different ophthalmologists operated on me during the two different operations.
The specialists either talked to me or their colleagues as they performed the procedures.
I did not know what they were doing. I just followed their instructions to follow the bright lights on the screens. The bright lights seemed to be like orbs floating in a sea of lights.
The operations did not take long. I think they lasted less than 20 minutes. But the queues to the operating theatre were long.
For the first operation, I waited from 8:00 am until about 1:30 pm.
For the second operation, I waited from 9:00 am until 11:00 am. With me then were more than 20 other patients of both sexes. Most were old and some were very old.
Cataract surgery actually involves numbing the eye, making a small incision, breaking up and removing the cloudy natural lens and putting a clear, artificial lens in its place.
It is said the most common method is phacoemulsification which makes use of ultrasound waves to break the lens into small fragments before suctioning them out. The new artificial lens (intraocular lens) is then permanently put in the eye’s capsule.
Before the surgery, eye drops or an injection are used to numb the eye. To access the lens, a tiny cut is made in the cornea.
I learn that a thin probe is then inserted through the incision. The probe emits ultrasound waves to break the cloudy lens into tiny pieces which are then suctioned out.
The new, clear artificial lens is then folded and inserted through the incision into the lens capsule. It then unfolds and is positioned where the natural lens was. The incision does not require stitches.
After both cataract surgeries, protective shields were placed over my eyes. I rested in the waiting room for a while before I went home with my son.
Before that, my son collected the prescribed eye drops from the hospital pharmacy .
I was prescribed two different eye drops. Initially, I had to use them on the eye every two hours. Later, the two hours stretched to four hours and lastly, six hours.
I was also told not to look down and not to cook for the first one or two weeks.
For the first three days of both operations, I stayed with my son so that he and his wife could help me put the eye drops properly. They also took care of my meals and ensured I had enough rest.
Looking back, I am lucky that my son and his wife took care of me after both cataract operations.
I am now back at work and thanks to the operations, I have sharper, clearer vision, especially at night. I can see things clearly in the distance without glasses.
Thank God for modern medical miracles.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail. com.
