cateracts after epiretinal membrane removal

I went in for epiretinal membrane removal a week ago.  It appears that within 24 hours of surgery my lense had become compleatly opaque.(so much so he had to do an ultrasound to check the retina).   Now my my doctor is recomending I go in for cateract surgery.  I am so  afraid of this,  I am contemplating living with sight in only one eye. this last week has been very tramatic.  I found references to development of cateracts after retina surgery, but within 24 hours?  I read about complications from cateract surgery & I don't think I could take even more trauma.

Have you heard of this taking place?  How long should I wait before considering cateract surgery?  I am really scared

[JodieJ]

I also got a rapidly-developing cataract after ERM surgery.  I was 51 years old at the time, and I went from having the very beginnings of a cataract to experiencing yellowed, muted vision less than three months later.  I've read that most middle-aged people have the beginnings (or more) of a cataract .  Perhaps in your case, your cataract was somewhat more developed than mine before your ERM surgery but not yet affecting your vision, so it appeared to have developed instantly.  (It's the lens' exposure to oxygen during retinal surgery that hastens cataract development.  In some cases, they even combine retinal and cataract surgery.)

Please don't worry about cataract surgery; it's extremely unlikely that it will involve complications.  You can anticipate that your vision after cataract surgery will be as good as it was before cataract development (with possibly improved night vision.)  There's an excellent patient education video at www.tecnisiol.com.  

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

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[pauline727]

Thanks for your reasuring posts. I had my retinal surgery one week ago, my doctor wants me to go in for cateract surgery right away.  (I can only see light & dark), Am I at greater risk going for surgery this soon?  I hate not having sight from the eye, but I want the "best" outcome I can hope for.  Is there a recomendation on how long one should wait for cateract surgery after removal of a enpiretinal membrane?

[JodieJ]

I don't believe that you are at greater risk for having cataract surgery now.  They sometimes do the cataract surgery on the same date as the surgery to remove the ERM.  According to the medical research, the results of both procedures (ERM removal and cataract) are just as good when performed on the same date as when they are done as separate surgeries months apart.

The cataract surgery is painless and over in about 15 minutes.  It's really a breeze compared to retinal surgery.  And once you have your cloudy lens replaced, you'll be able to see (literally) the benefits of the ERM surgery--clearer vision with less distortion.  Best wishes for an excellent outcome.