Cataract removed 18 months ago - Eye Very Irritable and Swelling of Upper Lid

[Hum80]

I had my cataract removed one and a half years ago (April 2009), and since then I have swelling of upper lid and irritation (similar to getting an eyelash in the eye). I raised this with the consultant and was told everything was fine and to use artificial tears, and I have been using these for the past 1 1/2 years. There was no improvement. I had an appointment in September 2010 and upon examining my eye the consultant decided to clean the lens via laser. He prescibed artificial tears as well as Timolol. A month down the line and no change at all. Please can you tell me a bit more about Timolol, as it does seem to have a lot of serious heart related side effects, and what more can I do to rectify this problem? What should have been a routine simple procedure has caused a great deal of discomfort and anxiety.

Thank you for your help.

[Hum80]

Dr. O

Thank you for your response. When the lens is cleaned with a laser, is Timolol necessary? Also a friend had a closer look at the eye, and noticed (with the naked eye) build up of a jelly like substance to the left of the pupil, which is where the irritation is. Could you kindly shed some light on this? and if this is the cause can it be addressed? Thank you  

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Timolol is used to decrease the pressure in your eye.  It is a beta-blocker.  This will not cure your problem of irritation.  Get a second opinion.


Dr. O.