PRE OPERATIVE AND POST

OPERATIVE
CATARACT
WHAT IS CATARACT?
 A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye (the clear part of the eye
that helps to focus light).
 For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like
looking through a frosty or fogged-up window.
CAUSES:

 Increasing age.
Most cataracts happen because of normal changes in your eyes as you get older. When you're young, the
lens in your eye is clear. Around age 40, the proteins in the lens of your eye start to break down and
clump together. This clump makes a cloudy area on your lens — known as a cataract.
 Diabetes.
High blood sugar can cause deposits to build up and causing structural changes in the lenses making
them cloudy.
 Excessive exposure to sunlight.
UV light can substitute for oxygen to trigger harmful oxidative reactions in the lens.
 Smoking.
Smoking increases the amount of free radicals in your eyes. Free radicals are responsible for damaging
the lipids and proteins in the eyes and causing deposits to form on the surface of the eye's lens—
leading to cataract development.
PREOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT:
1) Correct information- patient can make informed decisions and consent for surgery
2) Teach about nature of cataracts
3) Assess how the reduced vision affects the daily activities and lining especially dressing,
eating and ambulating
4) Advice pt not to eat or drink 12 hours before surgery
5) Advice that care surgery requires the instillation of different types of eye drops several times
a day for 2-4 weeks
6) Careful examination of the eye appearance is important
7) Ask whether the patient takes any medication that affects blood clotting such as aspirin,
warfanin, clopidrogel. These drugs may be needed to be discontinued before cataract
surgery. Only medications for heart, blood pressure and seizures can be taken on the
morning of surgery.
8) Remove facial makeup and apply eye drops to heal inflammation and fight infection after
surgery
POST OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT:
 Assess the eye and vision
• Visual acuity in both eyes using a hand held eye chart
• Visual field of both eyes
 Compare operative eye with non operative eye for presence or absence of:
• Redness
• Tearing
• Drainage
 Ask patient about:
• Pain around/in the operated eye
• Any changes in vision (increased/decreased)
• Dark spots
• Bright flashes of light
 Medication to be perscribed and administration of medication should be taught to the patient.