Corneal Edema

[MariCari]

I had cataract surgery 9 wks ago in right eye. I had a corneal abrasion right after surgery due to eye improperly bandaged. I had a normal OCT and a thorough slit lamp exam 4 wks ago by the head of the Opthamology department who did not do the surgery and he said my cornea looked good.  The first corneal topography 3wks ago showed swelling and 1 wk ago it showed a slight improvement. I am scheduled for another one in 3 wks. My vision is slowly starting to get better. I have been taking Accular 3x day for 3wks now. I also see circles of lights around all sources of lights such as street lights , tail lights and even small LCD lights. My optometrist at first said my right eye was + 5.0 and 1 wk ago it had improved to +4.50. I have been so worried. Please help me. I think I may need a second opinion. Any suggestions for a good ophthalmologist in the San Bernardino County , Calif area?  Thanks

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[MariCari]

I am going back to see the surgeon and have been to him many times. But I need glasses and I wanted to see the optometrist to get glasses because I need to see better to read and drive. The surgeon was just curious to see if the astigmatism got better. I'm sorry if I didn't make myself clear.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

In my opinion you should not be under the care of an optometrist that does "routine" post operative care. You should be seeing your surgeon. This is why you chose the surgeon and why you pay him/her. I've done over 12,000 cataract operations and never farmed out post operative care.  If a surgeon choses to "co-manage" a cataract with an optometrist if complications develop the optom needs to get the patient back to the surgeon immediately.

If you want a second opinion you can find one near you at www.geteyesmart.com

JCH MD