How to Achieve Excellence in Cataract Surgery

According to the Mayo Clinic, cataracts are a condition which result in clouding of your normal ocular capacity, resulting in progressively escalating fogged vision. While corrective lenses or additional lighting can help with mild cataracts, surgery will eventually be required. Going under the knife is always a frightening prospect, but you can help to ensure that your experience will be a successful one with the use of a few simple steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Search for a surgeon in your area that specializes in cataract surgery, starting by asking for reference from your regular eye doctor. As with any operation, cataract surgery comes with a learning curve, so do not trust your future vision to someone who does not have a substantial number of surgeries under their belt. With experience comes excellence, so the chances of incident will be drastically reduced with an experienced surgeon.

• 2

  Interview the surgeon to assuage any lingering doubts, asking him questions such as "How many operations have you performed?," "What percentage of your patients have complications?," "Am I likely to have complications given my medical history?," and anything else that is on your mind. Ask your prospective surgeon for a list of patient references to provide yourself with a larger information base for your research.

• 3

  Contact the patient referrals provided by your physician, asking about their experience with the operation, the outcome, the presence of any complications, the overall demeanor of the surgeon, and the overall usefulness of his surgical staff. Remember that the more research you perform, the greater your chances of achieving excellence in cataract surgery, so do not make the mistake of becoming lazy when it comes time to gather facts about the surgeon in question.