Scratched Cornea after Cataract Surgery

Question: I had cataract surgery in my right eye 7 weeks and afterward I had a scratch on my cornea from the bandage and went right back to the cataract surgeon. He said it was improperly bandaged. I am still dealing with a severe astigmatism (+5) due to the swelling. He ruled out corneal disease with topography and am now taking Acular. How long will I have to wait for the swelling to decrease and vision to get better? It concerns me because around light it looks like a lighted up partial cob web.

Answer: You are correct in questioning why the recovery from a scratched cornea and the associated corneal edema has persisted for many weeks. Certainly residual corneal edema can result in astigmatism but as you suggest this is an awfully long time to manifest corneal edema unless there is some other underlying cause. While it is possible, it does beg the question of whether some other corneal problem is causing the swelling and astigmatism to persist. Your description of a “partial cob web” is also curious. If in fact other types of corneal disease such as corneal dystrophies have been ruled out it might be worth exploring the possibility that the initial appearance of a scratched cornea was possibly due to a corneal infection such as Herpes Simplex Keratitis and not really simply a scratched cornea. While only a remote possibility, it should be explored along with other possibilities. A simple scratched cornea and the associated corneal edema should have healed by now and thus further examination might be important. If there is any doubt then you may want to consider scheduling a consultation with Corneal Specialist.

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