Cataract Surgery Preparation
WARNING! The following information is intended for my patients who are having cataract surgery. It may not be relevant if you are under the care of another ophthalmologist.
PRE-ADMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
We ask you to come in about two hours before surgery, so that we have the time to make the preparations smoothly and without hurry. Virtually all of my patients have their surgery under local anaesthetic. This means that you can, if you wish, have a light meal before you leave home.
Please take any medicine or tablets as you would normally, but bring a list with you so that we know what you are taking. It will help if you bring a dressing gown and slippers, but otherwise you don't need to bring anything special unless you want something to read.
Please avoid using eye makeup or face powder on the day of surgery.
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FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
If you have not already confirmed your financial arrangements with the Hospital, then they will need to do this with you upon your arrival. If you are insured, it is a good idea to contact your insurance company in advance of your arrival, in order to confirm details and to check if their authorisation is required.
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ON ARRIVAL
After completion of the admission paperwork, you will be shown to your room. There, the nurses will assist in preparing you for the operating theatre by helping you to change clothes, and by putting antibiotics and dilating drops in your eye.
I will see you before the surgery, and will ask you to sign a consent form for the operation. This is a routine requirement for any operation. If you have any special questions, please make a note of them and I can answer them at this time.
Patients often ask about the exact scheduling of their operation, but this is difficult to predict exactly as it depends on how quickly your pupil dilates. We also try to operate on left or right eyes consecutively, so that we don't have to rearrange the theatre equipment. However, we do appreciate that waiting can cause anxiety and we do our best to minimise this.
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GOING TO THE OPERATING THEATRE
You will be escorted to the operating theatre and the local anaesthetic will be given. For most patients, this involves just putting drops in the eye. We don't routinely give a sedative, as this can sometimes make patients drowsy and confused. However, the consultant anaesthetist is always on hand in case his services are required.
The procedure should be painless. However, if you do start to feel anything, please tell me and I can give more anaesthetic.
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All content copyright © Professor David Spalton 2001
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