When You Need Cataract Surgery in Denver
Cataract surgery in Denver is a relatively common and simple procedure that helps improve eyesight, as well as quality of life. More than one million people over the age of 60 undergo cataract surgery in the United States, and as the years have passed, both the technology and safety of the procedure has seen enormous improvements.
Cataracts are characterized by the lens of the eye becoming blurred or cloudy. In Denver cataract surgery, the lens is removed from the eye and replaced by an artificial lens. This is done by the ophthalmologist making a small incision in the eye, while keeping a close look on your eye with a microscope. Sound wave technology is then used to break up pieces of the lens that will then be suctioned off the eye in a process called phacoemulsification. After the infected lens has been completely removed, an artificial lens is put in its place. The incision in the eye will then be closed and recovery can begin. Often, the surgery is performed on only one eye at a time. Sometimes only one eye is infected, but if both are infected, it may be advisable to wait a while between surgeries.
Denver cataract eye surgery is over in just about an hour, so the procedure is relatively quick. You will be awake throughout the procedure, but numbing medicine will be given so that you do not feel what is being done to your eye. There are very little risks involved with the procedure and you will be ready to go home soon afterwards. However, your vision will still be quite cloudy as your eye just underwent a traumatic experience. It will not be safe for you to drive, so always make sure to have a ride home pre-arranged. Be sure to follow post-op instructions carefully because they are imperative in making sure the cataract surgery was a success. You will be asked to use prescription eye drops, as well as given dark sunglasses to wear to protect your eyes from the sun. You will also need to make several post-op visits to your doctor to make sure your eyes are healing correctly. If there are any complications, your doctor will be able to know about them quickly and take care of them. You may also need a new pair of glasses or contact lenses after cataract surgery, and once your vision has improved enough and stabilized, your doctor will fit you with a new prescription that works well with the brand new lens that has added clear vision to your eyes.
Do Not Let Cataracts Take Over Your Life
Cataracts are a common ailment for people over the age of 60, and for some people, it is an ailment they feel they can live with. For others, it disrupts parts of their everyday lives and becomes more than just a nuisance. It becomes something they would much rather live without and fortunately, due to modern medicine, they can.
It is not always necessary to remove cataracts because they are not known to do much harm to the eye. However, what they can do is impair vision and this impairment is not something glasses or contact lenses can fix on a long-term basis. When deciding whether or not to have cataract surgery in Denver, you must first look at certain factors about your life and how seriously the cataracts in your eye or eyes are infecting your everyday functioning. Do you feel safe while driving or are the cataracts clouding your vision so much that this is becoming a dangerous issue? Are you sensitive to bright lights and unable to see clearly in brightly lit rooms? Are faces that were once clear blurry? Can you do your everyday chores around the house with ease and are you still able to enjoy entertainment like movies and television, as well as the internet, with ease? If any of these things have become difficult for you, then your life is becoming impaired by this eye ailment and Denver cataract surgery to remove them should be a consideration.
If your cataracts have already been diagnosed, but you chose to let it go and do nothing about them because they were not interfering with your everyday life, give your Denver cataract eye surgery center a call when they do start interfering. Make an appointment to discuss surgery options, including what the surgery will entail, how it is performed and what the recovery from this procedure will be like. Once you decide that surgery is the right choice for you, it is important to follow all of your doctor�??s pre and post-op instructions to help ensure that your vision will be protected. The actual procedure is done on an outpatient basis and should take no more than an hour and you will be awake for the whole thing. Sedation is an option, but the sedation will be mild enough that it will not put you to sleep. Make sure to have a ride home from the surgery, as it will not be safe to drive immediately following it.
If you feel cataracts are a hindrance on your daily enjoyment of life and are compromising your independence, call us today and we will set you on a path to the freedom that comes with clearer vision.
Prepping for Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is a relatively simple outpatient procedure performed on more than a million people over 60 each year in the United States. It helps improve the vision of those who suffer from this ailment, which is characterized by cloudy and blurred vision. During this procedure, the lens of the infected eye is removed and a new, artificial lens is put in this place. However, simple procedure does not mean this is not a surgery and like with all surgery, some pre-op and post-op measures must be taken to help ensure the best possible outcome.
Before your Denver cataract eye surgery, your ophthalmologist will go over your complete medical history, including any medications you may currently be taking. Depending on what those medications are, you may be asked to stop taking them in the days preceding the surgery. The day right before the surgery will have several instructions you must follow. First, do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your cataract surgery in Denver. You also should have someone drive you to the surgery location. This can sometimes be your doctor�??s office, but is most often a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. You will not see well immediately following the surgery, so having someone with you who can drive you home is pertinent.
Once you are at your Denver cataract eye surgery center, you will meet with an anesthesiologist. Although you will be awake during the surgery, you may want some sort of sedation and can discuss this with the anesthesiologist. The sedation is usually quite mild, and numbing drops will also be used so you do not feel what is taking place in your eye. The numbing agent may also come in the form of an injection, depending on what your anesthetist uses. The surgery itself should not take more than an hour to complete and afterwards you will be taken to a recovery room to rest before you are permitted to go home. Once home, you should rest your eyes some more for the rest of the day as rested eyes are more healthy eyes. You may experience some eye discomfort for a few days, and painkillers can be prescribed. However, your eyes should not feel severe pain. If they do, it is imperative that you contact your eye doctor immediately to make sure an infection has not developed.
Cataract eye surgery may seem simple, but should not be taken lightly. Your vision is a precious gift, and this procedure can give this modern medical procedure can help ensure this gift is yours for a long time to come.
Conjunctivitis and Coronavirus
What You Need to Know About Pink Eye and the Link to Coronavirus
My eyes are killing me…is it coronavirus? If you’ve found yourself wondering if you’ve picked up COVID-19 through your eyes, you’re not alone. The coronavirus presents with the usual flu symptoms, and pink, irritated eyes with discharge is one of them. Here’s what you need to know about the connection between conjunctivitis and coronavirus.
Pink eye can be environmental, viral or bacterial
If you think you have conjunctivitis, or pink eye, there could be several causes. This time of year, you could be reacting to pollen, mold, chemicals and other allergens in the air1. Sometimes bacteria can cause an eye infection flare-up but, by far, the majority of cases of pink eye are caused by viruses. One of these viruses could be coronavirus. But it just as easily could be another culprit.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmologists, there are cases that show that viruses that cause conjunctivitis were likely transmitted through the air to the eye. It is possible that the coronavirus could be transmitted through a cough or sneeze that causes microscopic particles to travel through the air.
Pink eye accompanied by a cold or flu could be a red flag
If you have eye irritation and also are suffering from congestion, fatigue and coughing, you could be one of over 1,700 cases2 of coronavirus currently diagnosed in the United States. If your pink eye is presenting as the only symptom, you may have contracted it from another source. But it still needs to be treated by an ophthalmologist and you need to take the normal precautions to keep the infection contained.
Ophthalmologists may be the first responder in finding coronavirus cases
Since coronavirus can first present as eye irritation, it is possible that your ophthalmologist is the first person to notice the presence of a virus, such as COVID-193. Patients who have traveled or who have had a family member who has traveled may be evaluated for possible coronavirus.
Symptoms of pink eye:
If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, you may have pink eye, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have coronavirus:
- Red-rimmed eyes, pink in the whites of the eyes, or excessively visible veins in the whites of the eyes
- Discharge from the eye, often yellow pus-like discharge and crustiness
- Watery eyes
- Itchiness and irritation
- Can be in one eye or both eyes
Is it coronavirus?
If your pink eye symptoms are accompanied by a cough, nasal congestion, fever or breathing difficulties, you could be displaying symptoms of coronavirus. Here’s what you should do:
- Begin carefully washing your hands
- Avoid touching or rubbing your eyes
- Reduce your contact with others
- Wear a surgical mask
- Get an appointment with your ophthalmologist to treat your pink eye and let the office know if you have accompanying cold or flu symptoms
- Have the office call in your prescription to a drug store that has a drive-through window so you can stay in the car
- Other than this appointment, stay home and away from others until you are fever-free for at least 24 hours
- Get plenty of rest and stay hydrated while your body fights off the virus
Contact us for quality eye care
If you suspect you have pink eye, call one of our two convenient locations to set up an appointment with one of our board certified ophthalmologists with decades of experience in diagnosing and treating eye concerns. As with any eye condition, conjunctivitis needs the proper diagnosis and treatment. Let us know if you have accompanying flu or cold symptoms or have recently been traveling or exposed to a virus. We’ll be here to offer prompt, quality eye care.
Denver: 303-320-1777
Lakewood: 303-989-2023
Sources:
2 https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
3 https://www.aao.org/headline/alert-important-coronavirus-context