Cataract/IOL Questions

[laura5121]

Dear Dr. Vosoghi:

Do you work with or are you familiar with the Staar collamer mono IOLs?

Are they equal to or better than the Tecnis acrylic mono IOLs regarding
biocompatibility, less likely to cause bacterial infections and are they
more resistive to protein build-up?

Also, is it true that post-op drops contain steroids?  If so, can that contribute
to complications, either in the eye or elsewhere in the body?  Can something
other than steroids be prescribed that would act equally as well to promote
healing?

Thank you very much for your reply.
Sincerely,
laura5121

[Houman Vosoghi, MD]

I don't have experience or knowledge enough about the IOLs mentioned to comment.  Try searching for information on different blogs posted online by different surgeons.  The steroids are necessary after cataract surgery in most cases and prevent worse problems from happening.  Your surgeon will be checking you frequently enough for your intraocular pressure that he would catch it if it starts to go up.  Other than that, no real side effects to be concerned about systemically for short durations.

HV

[cwatt1]

My eye surgeon prescribed prednisolone and Nevanac (brand name) drops after my cateract surgery.  Prednisolone is a corticosteroid, and Nevenac is an NSAID (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug -- I like to think of it as "ibuprofin for the eyes").  Both are quite commonly used after surgical procedures, and both address the redness and inflammation that can occur after surgery.  I'm sure Dr. Vosoghi will comment further as to side effects.  I believe prednisolone has a tendency to increase the intraocular pressure with continuous use, but it usually is not an issue if used for a short period (i.e., 2-3 weeks or so).