Cataract Surgery with Glaucoma

Question: My father is struggling with a decision whether to have cataract surgery in the right eye which has glaucoma and he is a diabetic. He is afraid that the cataract surgery will cause trauma to his eye and his glaucoma will worsen and therefore lose his eyesight. He had the same surgery for cataract and glaucoma in his left eye at the same time and now has barely and vision left. Will the cataract surgery affect his glaucoma? He is afraid to lose vision in both eyes.


Answer: After Cataract Surgery there certainly can be a pressure rise which if there is already advanced nerve damage from Glaucoma, it can be site threatening. It sounds as if the unoperated eye is the one your father depends on and for that reason while anxiety provoking to operate on the good eye, waiting for a more advanced Cataract to develop would actually be riskier as the surgery gets more difficult.

In many cases after Cataract Surgery, IOP, or intraocular pressure, is reduced in the long run. So if your father has reduced ability to accomplish daily tasks due to declining vision, then cataract removal is appropriate with careful technique and careful post operative watch.

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