EYE EXAMINATION AFTER CATARACT SURGERY

Artificial lens replacement surgery is a major step forward in the treatment of the world's leading cause of blindness called cataract - a condition in which proteins clump together and create opaque areas in the lens. Common treatment methods today include Phaco surgery (performed by a microsurgical knife and manual manipulations of the doctor with the support of machines) and Cataract Laser surgery (replacing some manual manipulations of the surgeon with Femtosecond Laser), with the common mechanism of pulverizing the cataract and sucking it out, then replacing it with an artificial lens to restore vision to the patient.

To achieve optimal treatment results and prevent complications after surgery, regular eye examinations with an ophthalmologist are extremely important. Let's learn about the necessary notes when re-examining after cataract surgery through the article below.

Regular re-examination schedule after cataract surgery

After cataract surgery, patients are often advised to follow the re-examination schedule according to the following important time points:

• 24 hours after surgery: This is a very important re-examination milestone for the doctor to check the condition of the surgical wound, the stability of the artificial lens, the condition of vision and early detection of any complications after surgery.
• 1 week after surgery: This is the time when the doctor evaluates the speed of eye recovery, checks vision, discusses issues about post-operative eye care with the patient, and determines any problems (if any) that need treatment intervention.
• 1 month after surgery: After this period of time, the patient's eyes are usually stable and vision gradually improves significantly. The purpose of the re-examination is to check the patient's vision, and at the same time, create conditions for the ophthalmologist to give necessary eye care advice or prescribe new medication suitable for the patient's eye condition.
• 4 months after surgery: At this stage, the eye has almost fully recovered. The re-examination is mainly to assess the stability of vision and the effectiveness of the surgery. After this period, the ophthalmologist encourages the patient to maintain the habit of regular eye examinations at least 1-2 times a year, to maintain long-term eye health.

At Japan International Eye Hospital, all patients who undergo cataract surgery are re-examined completely free of charge within 4 months after surgery. All examination and treatment results are stored in the electronic medical record system, convenient for monitoring and giving further treatment instructions to the doctor, minimizing medical procedures and the situation of forgetting to bring the patient's medical records.

👉 Register for cataract surgery here.

Additional follow-up appointment after cataract surgery

In addition to regular follow-up appointments, some patients will need additional follow-up appointments, depending on the doctor's instructions when problems arise that need to be monitored or treated, or when patients have problems that arise during eye care and need to have their questions answered.

In particular, patients need to have a follow-up appointment immediately if they detect one of the following unusual signs:

• Temporary increase in intraocular pressure with some symptoms such as pain around the eyes, headache, nausea. The main cause of this phenomenon is due to the mucus injected during surgery causing temporary blockage of circulation. For the eye, the artificial lens is considered a foreign object, although rare, but in some cases it will cause temporary increase in intraocular pressure after surgery. When detecting this symptom, the patient needs to immediately notify the hospital and return to the doctor for a medical treatment or procedure to lower intraocular pressure.
• Eye infection with symptoms such as eye pain, red eyes, watery eyes, sensitivity to light, burning sensation and gritty feeling inside. All surgeries in general and cataract surgery in particular affect living organisms, which means there is a risk of infection. Although not common, patients need to be aware that infection can slow down the eye's recovery process or cause serious eye damage (in some cases). To prevent and treat infection, patients need to use antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs after surgery as directed by the doctor, and go to the hospital for examination immediately when detecting abnormal signs.
• Rejection reaction with symptoms such as impaired vision, watery eyes, prolonged fatigue. The nature of artificial lenses is a foreign object to the body, depending on the patient's constitution, there may be cases where the patient's body does not accept the lens, leading to a rejection reaction. This is a very rare case, accounting for only about 1/5000. In this case, the patient will be treated with medication. If the medication is not is effective, the doctor will be forced to remove the lens from the patient's eye.

Some notes on proper eye care after cataract surgery

In addition to regular check-ups and additional check-ups when necessary, patients need to follow some instructions for eye care at home to ensure a smooth recovery process:

• On the first day after surgery, the patient should rest at home and not participate in traffic.
• 1 day after surgery, the patient can work or read lightly.
• 2 days after surgery, the patient can go for a walk or do light exercise.
• 2 weeks after surgery, the patient can put on makeup as usual and live with pets.
• 1 month after surgery, the patient can practice sports and heavy exercise such as swimming and going to the gym.
• Regarding diet, the patient needs to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and stimulants in the first week after surgery.
• Regarding eye protection, patients need to wear protective glasses continuously for the first 3 days after surgery, to avoid rubbing and hitting their eyes while sleeping.
• Regarding medication use, patients need to follow the instructions for using antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs as instructed by the ophthalmologist. For example, apply the correct dosage, each application should be at least 5 minutes apart, do not let the tip of the bottle touch the eye, and do not use the drug after more than 20 days of opening the lid.

The artificial lens replacement method (Phaco, Laser Cataract) is an effective solution to improve vision for cataract patients, but in addition to surgery, the post-operative eye care and examination process also plays an equally important role and needs to be given special attention by patients. To ensure healthy eyes, patients need to follow a regular check-up schedule, monitor for unusual symptoms, and follow their doctor's instructions for eye care and protection.