Elderly Dad - cataract operation - aftercare

Mojisola

[quote=[Deleted User];68566485]
Thing is he cant use the other eye - the one being done is his good eye. [/QUOTE]

That does change things. He will need help until the patch is able to come off. The Red Cross and AgeUK do 'help after hospital' schemes - see whether they will help.

margaretclare

DH and I had our cataracts done a few years ago now, but still, we were in our 70s.

You don't need any time in hospital after this because it works instantaneously. Immediately, you can see much better than before. The fogginess is gone, it's like the song says 'I can see clearly now...'

No need to recover from general anaesthetic, no such thing. You walk into theatre and walk out again. Sit down and have a cup of tea, then you're home. We offered to take a cancellation to get the second eye done quicker. We couldn't be more pleased with the result. A few days in hospital? What would that have all been about? Opthalmology doesn't admit many patients, if any at all, so what kind of ward would he be on?

Lots of people are having this nowadays, are delighted with the result, can see better immediately.

margaretclare

Mojisola wrote: »

That does change things. He will need help until the patch is able to come off. The Red Cross and AgeUK do 'help after hospital' schemes - see whether they will help.

What patch? We had no patch. The only thing advisable would be a pair of sun-glasses, as the light can be extremely bright afterwards, especially for the first few hours.

onlyroz

My dad had eye surgery - not sure what it's called but it's the one where they replace your lenses with plastic ones. He was in and out in a few hours and was sent home with a bandage and some eye-drops.

Errata

margaretclare wrote: »

DH and I had our cataracts done a few years ago now, but still, we were in our 70s.

You don't need any time in hospital after this because it works instantaneously. Immediately, you can see much better than before. The fogginess is gone, it's like the song says 'I can see clearly now...'

No need to recover from general anaesthetic, no such thing. You walk into theatre and walk out again. Sit down and have a cup of tea, then you're home. We offered to take a cancellation to get the second eye done quicker. We couldn't be more pleased with the result. A few days in hospital? What would that have all been about? Opthalmology doesn't admit many patients, if any at all, so what kind of ward would he be on?

Lots of people are having this nowadays, are delighted with the result, can see better immediately.

Clinical need.

christineperseus

My mother had hers done a week a week apart. She's 84.
Couldn't put the drops in herself - she stayed with me for a few days after each 'operation'.
When the first cataract was done she was back so quickly I thought it hadn't been done!

Mojisola

margaretclare wrote: »

What patch? We had no patch. The only thing advisable would be a pair of sun-glasses, as the light can be extremely bright afterwards, especially for the first few hours.

All the people I know who have had the operation had to wear a patch for about a week. It had lots of tiny holes in it so vision wasn't completely obscured but, if that was your only eye, it would have made life difficult.

margaretclare

Must be different in different hospitals. No one that we saw had a patch. I was warned beforehand about the brightness of the light and I bought a pair of non-prescription sun-glasses. They worked a treat.

oystercatcher

I had cataract surgery on both eyes last year , the op's were 4 months apart. I could barely see anything from the worst eye which they operated on first, the difference was amazing, instant and improved even more over the next few months.

I had to wear a clear plasic eye shield for the rest of that day and then at night for a week, just to protect the eye from accidental rubbing friction etc.

Eye drops were needed 4 times a day for a month, could be difficult for some people.

No heavy lifting for the first week. Otherwise normal activities.

I very much doubt they would admit someone to hospital after this operation unless they had very significant problems.
When I was nursing in the early '80's they used to admit patients for a week after cataract surgery. Times have changed!

ognum

[quote=[Deleted User];68566473]To be honest, I dont really care what it costs the NHS.
I know full well what bed blocking is and this is not it. Staying in hospital when its more appropriate for his wellbeing is fair enough.

BTW- you don't know my personal situation and neither is it any of your business.

Please go and cause an argument elsewhere. Seems to be your thing on this forum.[/QUOTE]

I have had cataract surgery so can speak from experience. It is not pleasant but is bearable and I was in and out in 4 hours.

Your father will need someone with him to give him support but does not need medical care so a hospital is not appropriate. he is also much more likely to develop a hospital based infection like MRSA if he remains too long.

If he can't have care from friends or family maybe he could go into a respite bed at a residential home. this would of couse have a cost implication but would definitely be a better place to be than hospital.