Pupil doesn't dilate after cataract ssurgery

Is it common for the pupil not to dilate after cataract surgery & if so, approx. how long will it be like this?  It is approx. 1/4 - 1/3 smaller then the other pupil.


This discussion is related to Post cataract surgery pupil dilation.

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

If you just had the surgery (let's say 6 weeks or yet then minor difference are not unusual)  however permanent small differences in the size of the pupil after surgery are common because the pupil often has to be stretched, even cut, during surgery since the cataract is removed through the pupil. As a generalization it is more common for the operated eye to be larger.

JCH MD

[quiltsnhosta]

The cataract surgery was 11/19/08, 3 days ago.  Is it common for the pupil to remain small & not dilate, even in darker rooms?

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

that close to surgery yes, its too soon to make a judgement

JCH MD

[jude1944]

The doctor said he had put the lens in by inserting the hook inside the lens.  He said he could redo it again as it should have given me perfect nearsightedness but instead it is not as clear and I can only read a menu, not a book.  Should I have it redone as I am worried that that it will affect my sight on as I get older.

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

Get a second and possibly a third opinion about your eyes. Find an eye md at www.aao.org

It you can read with glasses then wear glasses.

JCH MD

[emma_d]

I was born with a cataract and had the lense removed at 3months old. As a result I had a lazy eye and in 2000 at the age of 17 I had squint surgery to straighten my eye.

Eight years following my surgery my eyes have changed dramatically. The eye operated on has changed colour and the size of the eye is smaller than my good eye. The pupil is much smaller now also.

Is this common?
Is it likely my eye will continue to deterioriate in size?
Can I do anything to prevent this?

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

If the eye seems smaller it could be seem smaller because the upper lid is drooping (ptosis) or the eye could be getting smaller due to very low pressure (pthisis bulbi).

You need to see an Eye MD to determine the problem but MOST of all to protect the good eye from disease or injury.

Find one at www.aao.org

JCH MD