Yes..It is a very common surgery for people over 70

Any surgery comes with its risks, but it is such a common procedure that all the old dears i look after have not had any problems :)

I am 70 and having cataract surgery in two weeks.. And I am so scared that I am sick at my stomach. Especially of my doctor..he acts werid and hardly will speak to me. I have occular migrains..and floaters and I hope that this does not make my surgery worse.. I need some reassurance.. I really do..!! seems the doctor I have is used to assembly line operations..no "deskside manner". I'm scared.

Cataract surgery is one of the most successful surgeries in the world. According to the National Eye Institute, cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective surgeries. Hard to beat that endorsement. However, as will all surgeries, there are risks. About 3% of people undergoing cataract surgery will experience some event that limits their vision. I am presently working on my website www.sgveye.com In the next few weeks (late August 2008), I expect to have some informative animations that describe the modern technique of cataract surgery. In the meantime, the following is the discussion I have with all of my patients considering cataract surgery: Cataract surgery is performed in a delicate membrane called the capsular bag. During surgery, this bag can tear about 2% of the time. If the tear is large enough it could allow a fragment of the lens to fall into the eye, resulting in a floater. If that floater was bothersome, it can be removed with a separate surgery called vitrectomy. Now fortunately even if there is a tear the surgeon can usually put a new lens in the eye. The most concerning risk from my perspective is infection because its one of the few things that can result in a loss of vision or even blindness. Fortunately an infection is very rare. It only happens to about 1 in 500-1000 people and if you had it you would know: your eye would be red, painful, or you would have a sudden loss of vision. If you have any problems after surgery it is important for you to contact your surgeon immediately. Another risk is retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is a risk that you have right now. After surgery, that lifetime risk increases for most people to about 1 in 100. If you are nearsighted that risk increases a bit more than that. If you had a detachment, you would notice flashes, floaters, or a loss of vision. There will be some inflammation in the eye after surgery; that’s the body natural healing response and it usually goes away after a month or so with prescription eye drops. If the inflammation was to continue beyond a month or so, it can usually be treated with eyedrops or occasionally an injection of a steroid in the eye but it is rare for that to cause any permanent loss of vision. Concerning glasses after surgery, you can usually check for new glasses about three to six weeks after surgery. Nost people after surgery who have the standard lens (the one covered by insurance) placed in the eye, still need readers or bifocals. Newer lenses that give a range of vision without glasses are also available but not all surgeons offer these advanced lenses and insurance almost never covers them.