Questions about issues 7 weeks after Cataract surgery

[lb1960]

I have several questions.  I am 47 years old and had cataract surgery 7 weeks ago in my left eye

After surgery I noticed

1) 'Flickering'
2) Glaring off the edge of my lense (primarily on the left side)
3) Beams of light shining across lights - most noticable at night with headlights/streetlights.

You can see the reflection of the lense in my eye and is apparent that the lens was not 'attached'.

Doc told me that the flickering and glaring off the edge is most noticable by me because I am young and my eyes dilate more than an older person - nothing I can do about it until the eye gets 'anchored' and scar tissue builds up around the outside of the lens.

It is now 7 weeks and you can see that the eye is still moving - looks like as much as it had.  I believe that I am becoming less aware of this movement but it is still very noticable in certain lights - usually in stores when I have to look closely at things.

The glaring off the edge has not lessened, but I think I notice it less.  I have noticed that I see 'double' on the left side, but was told that is a common complaint, since I am seeing off the side of the lens.  

I have read that 4-6 weeks is how long it should take for the capsular bag to shrink around the lens, so am concerned that there is a problem - should I be worried?

The 'beam of light' through the lights at night is bothersome, not debilitating.  The doc at first said he didn't know what it could be, but then said maybe there is a fold, but he couldn't see it.

So, I see him in a week and would like advise as to what to say to him.  He is very good at what he does, but is not very good at explaining things ("you are young, there is nothing we can do").

I know that I am panicked, so I do not want to overreact and be a jerky patient, but I also want to see without these issues.

[vivian756]

Dr. David Koch, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas writes in the June 2007 Cataract & Regractive Surgery Today "Every time a multifocal patient becomes affected by macular degneration, his vision drops off more precipitiously than would occur with a monofocal IOL."   Shouldn't patients be made aware of this?        Barbara M.

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

The things that bother you are very common. THey fall under the term "dysphotopsia" you can search that term and also Google it.

They tend to get better with time although in some people the never go away. They are much worse in people with multifocial IOLS  (cystalens, ReZoom,ReStor)

JCH III MD

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

Informed consent that a patient signs before surgery is so extensive even now that patients rarely recall all the bad things that could happen. Basically if you accept that every cataract surgery involves the risk of loss of eye than almost every other complication is deed "accepted" because the patient accept blindness as a risk.

Dr. Koch is speaking theoretically and I do not believe there has been any valid clinical study to prove the theory.

JCH III MD