Phaco-What?

Well I am now halfway there in the cataract surgery game. I had my left eye operated on last Tuesday and my right eye is scheduled to get fixed on December 5.

Compared to some surgery which shall remain nameless (prostate biopsy) the eye stuff is pretty benign. The worst part by far is wearing the eye shield afterwards – the tape the hospital gives you is like crazy glue. The eye drops aren’t too bad aside from some really nasty ones you get just prior to the surgery itself.

I went to the Smiths Falls hospital for my eye and I am glad I did. The drive is far more convenient than going into the city and the staff there are very kind and efficient.

After I paid for my Technis lens upgrade (better contrast at night) I went up to the surgical floor. They have special chairs where they work on you and then you are just wheeled down to the operating room in the chair. The back reclines, they put you under the microscope and start a process called phacoemulsification on your cataract. This involves a tiny ultrasonic probe that they use to break up your old lens and suck it out. Sounds gross but aside from bright lights you don’t experience anything. Then they unroll a new bionic lens in its place and you are done. Total time 15-20 minutes.

After surgery everything was blurry but after one day I could already see a lot better. I note how much whiter and more colorful the world looks in my left eye now. I can hardly wait to get my right eye fixed.

Published by Ray MacDonald

Ray MacDonald is a retired food scientist who lives in Almonte, ON.
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