Cataract surgery and high pressure

Could introcular cataract surgery affect pressure of the eyes?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

Yes, the cataract surgery can have a major impact on the eye surgery especially in the early days post operatively.Most people do very well but 2 or 3% can have elevated pressure shortly after surgery which can usually be treated with drops.   Long term the pressure can sometimes drop a few points for a few years after surgery.  On the one day post operative visit the pressure needs to be checked since it can sometimes go up quite a bit in some patients and would need to be treated usually on a temporary basis.  In the end eye pressure is monitored quite carefully on all post-op visits mainly to help those few people who do have pressure problems or glaucoma.