Experienced a new use for a Dremel Tool

[Chasper]

I couldn't see the actual tool being used, but from the sound I'm guessing it was a Dremel or something similar. I was entirely covered up except for my left eyeball, and I was wide awake and doing my best to not move, the area around my left eye was numb.

There was some sort of lubricant being splashed into my eye frequently, and a vacuum was being used to suck up the cataract as it was ground away. After she ground off the cataract she replaced it with a plastic lens. Her craftsmanship was outstanding, fit and finish seem to be perfect. I was told that the entire process in the operating room took a little less than 20 minutes, I didn't find it convenient to look at my watch at the time. The entire process from walking into the surgery center to being wheeled out to my car took less than two hours.

My wife dropped me off at work on the way home, three hours late arriving, but I worked through lunch and stayed a little late to make up the time. That was yesterday, today is totally normal except that I can see a little better. I remember my grandmother spending over a week hospitalized after cataract surgery.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one here who has been through the process. How do you go a week without lifting anything over ten pounds? I'll sit back and supervise while my wife sets up our booth for a show this weekend.

 

[kenmic]

Cataract Surgery

I am glad your surgery went well and wish you continued improvement with your eyesight. After 21 years as a Field Engineer for a company that manufactures the instrumentation for cataract removal, I might be able to add some insight. While we are seeing more and more advances for laser associated cataract surgery, the bulk has been done with a piezo crystal driven ultrasonic hand piece and peristaltic pump system. After making a very small incision in the sclera and opening the capsule that holds the cataract, the ultrasonic hand piece has a hollow metal tip on the end which is inserted and produces a leading shock wave to break up small portions of the cataract. Some refer to it as cavitation. The pieces are aspirated through the tip and handpiece via attached surgical tubing through a peristaltic pump into a bag. Pressure is maintained in the eye by gravity infusion from a bag filled with balanced saline solution. The artificial lens is inserted into the capsular bag where the cataract was removed from and held in place by haptics (attached loops.) It is amazing how far we have come compared to the eye surgery of 30 years ago. The no heavy lifting part is to allow the eye to stabilize. I hope the information is helpful.

 

[JasonC]

When we were at Ft. Campbell I ended up getting something in my eye while cleaning the shop. It hurt to close my eye, hurt to deal with light, etc.

No amount of flushing the eye would remove it - ended up in the ER at my wife's insistence. it was there that we saw the rust ring for the first time. No irrigation or swabbing would remove it, it was embedded in the cornea.

They gave me some drops and the next day a Doc was called in. He sat me in a chair, broke out a rotary tool and told me to keep my eye still, look at X spot, and don't look around because well - power tool in the eye.

It was the weirdest thing. I could hear the tool keep constant RPM but what I felt on my eye changed depending on how hard he pressed into my cornea.

So he's grinding on my eye and I asked "Does that thing have a viscous coupling on the cutter? 'Cause I noticed if you press harder the tool keeps spinning but the cutter slows. Neat safety feature."

"I've never had anyone ask me that." :laugh:

 

[Wingdoctor]

I had both of my eyes done in Nov. and Dec. of last year. I was blind in my left eye, cataract was totally opaque, and my right was very yellow. I had zero problems after the surgeries and now see 20/20 without glasses. It is a joyous day when the clouds part and you can see again.

 

[larryc]

I had both my eyes done Jan. this year and since I was the "guinea pig" my wife had both her eyes done in Feb. and Mar.

It's amazing how white is so much whiter after cataract surgery!

 

[Gregf]

Going to Madison by chance this weekend?

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Dee is going through that right now, had her left eye done two weeks ago and has 20/20 in it now and just today had her right eye done, and now is in the recliner with EZ her 11 pound Papillon on her lap, both are sound asleep. Had both mine done 3-4 years ago, only have glasses for reading and computer work.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Dianne had hers done a couple of years back... first she had a retinal peal on her left eye because the doc saw a "wrinkle" in the retina... she has almost 20/20 vision now, but because of the diabetes, her eyes aren't as good as they were right after the surgery.

Knock on green wood, but I don't have a problem with cataracts, just a slight astigmatism and a couple of floaters that pop in and out... sometimes it looks like I have a bug flying at me. My eyes have changed from being near sighted to more far sighted... for years I had to have glasses to drive so I could read the street signs, but I could see very well up close... now my arms are getting too short and I have to have reading glasses to turn or read.