{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/does-cataract-surgery-hurt-vp\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/does-cataract-surgery-hurt-vp\/","headline":"Does cataract surgery hurt?","name":"Does cataract surgery hurt?","description":"Alex Shortt discusses whether cataract surgery hurts and explains the whole procedure from the patients perspective.  ","datePublished":"2019-09-18","dateModified":"2020-08-13","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/author\/alex-shortt\/#Person","name":"Alex Shortt","url":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/author\/alex-shortt\/","identifier":4667,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6afb756e1dc43ed28773098aff9af37d7e16c92671dbd22f5a9bbcb21063c139?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6afb756e1dc43ed28773098aff9af37d7e16c92671dbd22f5a9bbcb21063c139?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Alex Shortt","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/alex-shortt-logo-white-600x140-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/alex-shortt-logo-white-600x140-1.png","width":600,"height":140}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/44042915660_6f27823b02_o.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/44042915660_6f27823b02_o.jpg","height":450,"width":800},"url":"https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/does-cataract-surgery-hurt-vp\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M","name":"Does cataract surgery hurt?","description":"In this video, Alex Shortt debunks some common myths associated with cataract surgery and describes the anesthetic and sedation process. He emphasized that patients will not feel any pain during or after the procedure. To learn more about cataract surgery, please visit our website at https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/refractive-cataract-surgery\/\n\nMy website: https:\/\/www.alexshortt.co.uk\/\nTwitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/Alex_Shortt\nFacebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AlexShorttConsultant","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pGGiRIbot7M\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pGGiRIbot7M\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pGGiRIbot7M\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pGGiRIbot7M\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pGGiRIbot7M\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2019-01-02T16:32:50+00:00","duration":"PT4M3S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pGGiRIbot7M","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCZUjyjYPfXKxV8WVHx7-rqA#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCZUjyjYPfXKxV8WVHx7-rqA","name":"Alex Shortt","description":"","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/ytc\/AIdro_lso6QF066XazZwtWqloc_izxh7N6G8qXGEkS7aPYOur9A=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":783}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pGGiRIbot7M#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":5}]},"about":["Cataract surgery"],"wordCount":1015,"articleBody":"Does cataract surgery hurt?Interview transcription:In an interview, Alex Shortt discusses whether cataract surgery hurts and explains the whole procedure from the patients perspective.Interviewer: So, does cataract surgery hurt?Alex Shortt: There are all sorts of myths out there. And it’s amazing; some people believe we actually take out the eye, do the work and put it back. Let’s be clear on this. We do not do that.Interviewer: Okay, good. That’s good news.Before surgeryAlex Shortt: From the patient’s perspective, cataract surgery involves coming into the hospital, and the first thing we do is give you some mild sedation. We give you a tablet, usually, which relaxes you, and it just helps you relieve the anxiety and the stress.The next thing, you come to the operating theatre, we lie you flat on the bed, and we put some eyedrops in. Those eyedrops are, firstly, anaesthetic; very, very powerful anaesthetic drops which numb the entire surface of the eye and also the edges of the eyelids. We do several rounds of that, and then we bring you into the operating theatre.We clean the eye, place a sheet over the face but lift it up, so it’s almost like being in an oxygen tent. The only thing exposed is the one eye we’re going to do the surgery on.The next step is more anaesthetic drops, so by this stage, you are well and truly marinated in anaesthetic, and also some antiseptic drops.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSearch for:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRecent Posts\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Can I wear make-up before and after laser eye surgery?\u2019\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow long does laser eye surgery last?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSMILE v LASIK v PRK – What Are the Different Types ?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCan I get laser eye surgery?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA clear look into the types of laser eye surgery in London\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTake the eye surgery self-test to see if you qualifyNot everyone is a candidate for eye surgery. Find out if laser eye surgery could help you ditch your glasses and contact lenses by taking this fast quizTAKE FAST SUITABILITY QUIZDuring surgeryAlex Shortt: They are critically important in preventing infection because obviously everything we do we want to minimise the risk of infection. Antiseptic drops to sterilise the eye, and then we make our tiny, 2 mm keyhole incisions, which you absolutely will not feel.Interviewer: But you’re awake the whole time?Alex Shortt: Yes, you’re awake through all of this. It’s as if you’re looking at a bright light in the ceiling \u2013 like one of these spotlights. You’re aware of movement in the periphery of the vision. But at no stage should you see anything coming directly at you, that shouldn’t happen. You’d be aware of things moving in the edge, but you can’t see what I’m doing because I’m out here.Interviewer: But what if I’m moving my eye, and what if I’m moving it involuntarily?Alex Shortt: Small eye movements are not a problem at all. In the microscope, there are three little lights, and we give you your choice, you can look at whichever of the lights you want. That keeps the eye in the correct position.Interviewer: And everybody just manages to do it?Alex Shortt: Absolutely. Occasionally we have patients who are hard of hearing, English may not be their first language, or they may have dementia. In those situations, it’s my responsibility to have picked that up beforehand. I can then put measures in place so that those people are very clear that they do need to look in the general direction of the light. You don’t have to look exactly spot on, but in the general direction of the light is fine.And then that’s it. A lot of the operation is as if you are underwater in a swimming pool looking at the sun. You’re aware of someone at the edge of the swimming pool, but you’re not really sure what they’re doing.Interviewer: So at no time during the operation, are you feeling any pain?Alex Shortt: You should not feel anything throughout the operation.After surgeryInterviewer: And what about after, when it’s done? Is it something that aches?Alex Shortt: Most patients turn around and voluntarily say, “I would much rather have my cataract done than go to the dentist.” I have heard this hundred of times from patients. Now, no disrespect to dentists, but the experience and the level of discomfort for the patient make it far, far nicer to have a cataract operation than to have your teeth cleaned.Afterwards, it’s very common for people, about an hour after the operation, to notice that their vision is starting to sharpen, but it’s a foggy and misty vision. There’s enough to see you’re here and to move around, but there should be no pain, no discomfort. Occasionally, people say they’re aware of a gritty sensation \u2013 as if they’ve got a hair or an eyelash in the eye. Buty it’s temporary and usually goes away within 24 or 48 hours.If you\u2019d like to know more about vision corrective surgery,\u00a0book a free initial screening\u00a0today and I will personally answer your questions. Alternatively, take our\u00a0free suitability quiz\u00a0to find out which treatment you are suitable for.Share This PostAbout the authorMr Alex J. Shortt | Consultant Ophthalmic SurgeonMB BCh MSc PhD FRCOphth PGDipCatRefI’m Alex Shortt, a highly trained academic researcher and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon based in London\u2019s famous Harley Street medical district. I trained and worked as a consultant for 14 years at London\u2019s Moorfields Eye Hospital. I specialise in advanced technologies for correcting vision, including cataract surgery, implantable contact lenses and laser vision correction.Learn more about meGet a complimentary vision assessment todayComplete the form below to chat with a member of my team. Discover if you’re suitable for a life changing vision correction procedure\t\/* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.\t   We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. *\/    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t        I consent to receive valuable and relevant e-mails\t\t\t\t\t\t                "}