Hey there,

I’ve missed seeing you around!! 🙂

I haven’t had cataract surgery, however, I had a left nephrectomy almost 7 years ago and was under for at least 6 hours. I doubt that a relapse is possible as you won’t receive any anesthesia; however, please be sure to let the surgeon, nurses and anyone else involved know about your history with GBS.

Best of luck!!

[COLOR=black]It is possible to have the surgery done while fully awake, with just lidocaine applied to the eye. I had to push pretty hard to get the surgeon and the anesthesiologist to agree to it. The agreement was that if I started to get anxious during the surgery, they would administer the Versed. I think I am the only one my surgeon ever did with only lidocaine only. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black]I tried this approach because the only other time I had Versed, I immediately had an increase in symptoms. While I could not prove the two were linked, I was unwilling to repeat the experiment. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black]If you decide to go this route, make sure they apply lots of lidocaine. Ideally, your face near the eye should start to feel numb before the doctor makes the incision. However, while I did without anesthesia, I am not recommending this approach for anyone else. You do feel and see, if blurrily, pretty much every the surgeon is doing. If even the idea makes you in the slightest squeamish, don’t do it.[/COLOR]
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Godspeed with your surgery,
MarkEns

I had this done to both eyes this spring and had no problems what so ever.

I’ve had both eyes done, before CIDP tho? Yet do know you are awake, tho your face is partially paralyzed in order to do the surgery. Anathesia wears off in a reasonable amount of time and while healing occurs? Antibiotic Drops are often required.
I had the old fashioned type of surgery w/implants and not the laser surgeries tho… So I can’t speak to the laser aspects. While the eyes [had both done a few months apart] were healing, the vision changes dramatically. So I truly hope you are on great terms with your optomitrist. Mine gave me a break for lenses as my vision readjusted to ”new” normal at cost. I’m his for his working life!
The other thing to consider is that you mite become very much more lite sensitive. I’d found that clip-on’s from Wal-Mart or other such places are cheap $14. compared to $60 at a professional? But they help immensely with the ‘sudden’ briteness you mite experience.
I did have some laser work on scarring for one eye and there was no pre-prep for that in-office procedure.
All in all? I’d do it again! So much nicer to SEE! The drugs used are minimal and the end results are usually negligible.
As for your anathesia? I love versed… wake up and feel your nerves! Report back. I had no pain or numbness for about 24 hours after a different outpatient test using that. Wow! Tho it’s not something to take or need often? [It’s to be used very prudently] It was super to feel ‘normal’ for a while.
Be aware of maybe some visual distortions rite after surgeries. Don’t be scared about them, just learn to accomodate them. It’s harder w/balance issues? But it can be done. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, ever!

I had both eyes done last Feb and March. They won’t do both eyes at the same time. Mine was done at an Outpatient surgery center. Got there by 7am and out by 9:30. The important part is doing all the drops they prescribe. I am very happy with the results. I said it was like being in OZ! Colors are brighter and you see things more distinctly. I don’t need to wear glasses to see distance anymore as they placed a corrective lens in each eye. I do need them for reading still. If you have any specific questions, I’d be glad to answer them for you. My cataracts were caused by steroids as well. Good luck to you.

Warning, this is a long post.

I just recently finished having cataract surgery. I had one eye done, waited 5 weeks, then had the other one done. The process required several office visits. I had the initial confirmation of the cataracts and a pre-operative visit. This visit had three parts: a discussion of the surgery in detail, a measurement of several parameters of my eyes (to pick the correct replacement lens), and discussion of about anesthesia. I then had the surgery and three post-op visits, at one day, one week, and one month after.

I did each surgery without sedation, just lidocaine applied to the eye. I had very little pain afterwards. They covered my eye with a patch for a day. Once the patch was removed, I took an antibiotic eyedrop and an anti-inflammatory eyedrop 4 times a day for a week, then those same drops twice a day for a week or so. The anti-inflammatory was a steroid, given partly because the cornea does swell as a result of the surgery and partly because the antibiotic is irritating. I slept with a hard plastic patch (think pirates) over the eye for a week, to keep from rubbing it at night.

On the lack of sedation, the [COLOR=black]anesthesiologists [/COLOR]were clearly uncomfortable about it, but they went along with it. I decided to go without sedation because my one experience with it ramped up my CIDP symptoms quite a bit. It could have been coincidence, but as long as I could tolerate the surgery without it, why take the risk. As a tip, if you decide to go down that route, make sure they apply lots of lidocaine. My second surgery did not use as much as the first and it was definitely more uncomfortable. Of course, if you get anxious about surgery or don’t want to remember what happened, then sedation is appropriate.

When I went in for the surgery, I changed into a into a hospital gown (take very little with your and wear clothes that are easy to get out of and that you don’t mind getting rumpled) and laid on a gurney made for this sort of surgery. My eye was dilated and numbed. I had an IV placed, although it turned out I did not need it. Once my eye was dilated and numb (it takes about 1/2 to 3/4 hr), I was wheeled into the operating room.

Once there, my eye was sterilized with betadine. The doctor then applied a dressing over the eye and propped the eye open. He then made a small (3 mm) incision completely through the cornea. He used an ultrasonic probe to break up the lens and then flushed the pieces out with sterile saline. He then inserted the replacement lens. This lens was rolled up into a small cylinder and unrolled in the eye as he removed the insertion tool. He made sure it was properly centered. My eye was then washed and the patch applied. Total time from dressing to patch was under 10 minutes.

I was then wheeled out to recovery. Since I had not been sedated, they promptly removed the IV, took some vital signs, gave me my post-op instructions, and I was on my way. If I had been sedated, I would have laid there for an hour or so, while the anesthesia wore off.

After effects include seeing flares from light sources at oblique angles to your eye (commonly called halos), a general sense of haziness, and the inability to focus. The flares abate with time, but never go away completely. The haziness (technically, spherical aberration) is a consequence of removing the God-given lens and replacing it with one of a different shape. The inability to focus is a consequence of using a lens that does not deform. All of these are largely unavoidable with current technology, although some of the newer lenses can reduce spherical aberration or lack of accommodation. The cost can be pretty high, though. My standard lenses (American Medical Optics AR40e) had no copayment. The accommodating AMO lens would have had a copayment of $2500/eye.

As far as tips go, get very little sleep the night before the surgery. You will then sleep most of the day after the surgery, making the day less boring. Plan on taking the following day off from work, and keep your activities quite light for a day or two after that. Take your eye drops and wear the patch. Do not rub your eye; it will hurt like crazy. Try to get the two surgeries scheduled close together, especially if you are very myopic. The large difference in your vision is very disconcerting.

Godspeed to all who have this surgery.
MarkEns

Good luck on the surgery and I hope all goes well! It’s sounds scary but my mom had both her eyes done within weeks apart and her vision is now better than mine! She did really great! Good luck!

It’s not a biggie compared to other things/surgeries than can happen!
Mark – You articulated extraordinarily well all that goes on during a cataract surgery in accurate and kind detail. I say this from experience as I had my own cataract experiences LOOONG before CIDP [family history and no apparent connection yet] to others.
I had my eyes ‘done’ two months apart and both included lens implants which so far [after 15+ years] are working just fine! Surgery was wide awake [tho partially paralysed so my eyes wouldn’t move during the procedures]. I’d had one follow-up lazer surgery to remove some scarring, and at that time the procedure went out of favor. Wish it had not, as I’ve distortion on the non-lasered eye which creates a fun-house mirror aspect in a portion of that eye…making my VISUAL perception of where I put my feet vs. where they GO an adventure.
Cataract surgeries and follow ups these days are far more progressive than even when I’d had them! It is OUTPATIENT SURGERY- just let the anathesiologists know you have a ‘demeyelinating [like MS] condition’ They will then know which ‘juices’ to give you.
Just be sure to ask as many questions about the before [even what vitamins to take/stop] and after the surgery[ies].
Mark is also very right about HOW you see LIGHT! I found colors changed? After surgery some things become much brighter and more distinct, but grays and browns are a bit more mushy to determine-JanB had the same thing. The ‘rays’ for me before surgery were like ‘circles’ and afterwards they were like outward spears for want of better words. I caution you, I don’t like to drive at nite? Try not to, because of this. I would rather be safe for all of us, execept in an emergency.
I DO wear glasses? But my optician gave me a break in that he charged me full cost for the first lens change and then at cost for the following two lens changes [each eye]. But I’ve been going to this guy for decades and it’s a best kept secret for all but his better patients/customers….. The at cost? Was outta my pocket, but well, the eyes change sooo much and sooo fast over a 2-4 month period, that it was well worth it! I understand many insurances and Medicare only pay for one lens change per eye….so I was/am both lucky and very grateful!
I went from the true COKE BOTTLE lenses to lightweights now [they WERE really thick!]. What a difference! It IS WORTH IT.
Let us all know what else is confusing about this all. I’d never have made it thru the first parts were it not for the fact that other siblings had had surgeries for this as well [runs in the family etc…]. Don’t panic about this stuff, it’s all low key compared to lots of issues that happen, but WONT to you! I have faith in you.

Well that is good news to only need one eye done instead of both! My mom had both eyes done and is 73 years old and she can see better than I now! The first day and few days after the procedure they don’t want you doing alot of bending over or lifting. Vision was a little blurry at first and then the next 3 days she was watching TV without glasses! I think you will do fine. But you sound like me! Anything that has surgery or needles mentioned I frown upon! Hugs

Great news! So glad the surgery went well. Many years ago cataract surgery was considered a serious operation with great risk. But today it’s a piece of cake! Very minor now! Glad everything went well! Hugs
Linda H

Glad you are getting good results from your eye surgery.
Shirley

Glad to hear your surgery went well. The hardest part now is waiting for the second to come around!

Timing is everything. Glad to read this thread. I just came back from the opthamologist and have steriod induced cataracts. He wanted to schedule the surgery, but I opted to wait until I research it. I know I’ve read here that some surgeries can relapse the CIDP, and I’m not in total remission of symptoms yet. I’m just afraid to go back to the wheelchair and cane. One more lovely side effect of Prednisone!

Dawn