Can High Eye Pressure Affect Cataract Surgery?
Are you thinking about having cataract surgery? Are you worried that you will not be able to get the procedure?
If you have cataracts and other eye conditions, it may make it harder to have cataract surgery. Sometimes when you have cataracts and other eye conditions, cataract surgery can treat both.
But other times, cataract surgery is not a good option. If this is the case, you’ll need to discuss alternatives with your eye doctor.
Keep reading to learn if high eye pressure can interfere with cataract surgery!
What are cataracts?
When your eyes are cataract free, you can see clearly. A cataract makes the natural lens in the eye cloudy.
In their early stages, cataracts are small and don’t usually impact your vision. But over time, they start developing and make it harder to see.
Cataracts can cause vision loss but it’s reversible if you have cataract surgery.
Can I get cataract surgery if I also have glaucoma?
You can have both cataracts and glaucoma and not have any problems. Cataracts can cause glaucoma or be the result of having glaucoma surgery.
Glaucoma occurs when the pressure in the eye gets too high. This leads to damage of the optic nerve.
If you need glaucoma surgery, it is possible to remove cataracts at the same time. This is possible without increasing the risks associated with glaucoma surgery.
But if your cataracts impact your vision, you can get cataract surgery and treat your glaucoma. You can sometimes have glaucoma surgery at the same time as cataract surgery.
For some patients, this is a great opportunity to lower high eye pressure. It can also be the only option if patients struggle to manage their eye pressure using eye drops.
What glaucoma surgeries can be combined with cataract surgery?
There are many treatments for glaucoma that can be combined with cataract surgery. Some procedures that can be combined with cataract surgery include glaucoma drainage devices, canaloplasty, and micro-invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).
For most glaucoma patients, MIGS procedures are ideal. These procedures are ideal because they were specifically designed for people with glaucoma and cataracts.
MIGS procedures are performed in the same incision that the cataract is removed from. They rely on the eye’s natural drainage system.
MIGS procedures have the potential not to reduce the eye pressure enough for certain patients.
Can I only get cataract surgery?
In specific situations, patients with glaucoma and cataracts can only get cataract surgery. If your cataracts grow too big and then affect parts of the eye like the drainage angle, cataract surgery can be an option.
Getting cataract surgery and replacing the natural lens can potentially open the drainage angle. This can decrease eye pressure.
Do you think it is time to talk to your eye doctor about cataract surgery or alternatives? Talking to your doctor is the best way to determine the best procedure for your eyes.
Schedule a cataract screening at Complete EyeCare West in Columbus, OH with one of our talented ophthalmologists! Don’t let glaucoma and cataracts stand in your way of clear vision any longer!
