Recovery from Cataract Surgery

Cataract Surgery at Alabama Eye & Surgery Center with Corneal Specialist and Cataract Surgeon Marc Michelson, M.D. is much different than years ago and really quite patient friendly. If you are in generally good health it is most likely that your cataract operation will be performed at one of our affiliated ambulatory surgery centers. These eye surgery facilities are comfortable and efficient and your entire cataract surgery procedure should take only 2-3 hours from the time you check in until the time you check out.

Dr. Michelson uses advanced cataract surgery techniques that typically use “topical eye drop anesthesia” so that for most patients the only anesthesia required are some eye drops along with a tablet to help you relax. Thus, there is really minimal if any “recovery” from the anesthesia used. You are usually feeling “back to normal” by the end of the day of your surgery or certainly by the next morning. With the advanced cataract surgery technique of “small incision phacoemulsification” Dr. Michelson performs, there is only a need to create a tiny incision-often just a few millimeters-through which the cataract is removed and the intraocular lens is implanted. This tiny incision is so small so as not to require any “stitches” or sutures in many cases. Thus the wound healing is very quick. Depending on the type of lens implant that is used it is highly likely that your distance vision will be dramatically improved within 24 hours.

In fact many patients actually are comfortable driving the next day after their cataract operation. If you have a multifocal or accommodating lens implant to correct both your distance and near vision, it might take a bit longer to appreciate the full clarity of the near vision correction. So, it is pretty likely that you will be back to work in a few days and depending on Dr. Michelson’s instructions you should be able to resume all of your normal activities with a couple of days.


Please feel free to contact Alabama Eye & Cataract Center to schedule an appointment and learn more about Cataracts, Cataract Surgery or Lens Implants by calling us at 205.930.0930.

Monovision LASIK for Near Vision

Presbyopia is a condition whereby the crystalline lens inside your eye that is typically soft and flexible begins to lose that flexibility and thus limits your ability to change focus from far to near and near to far. Patients with presbyopia typically report that their “arms are too short” and that near objects and reading material are becoming fuzzy or blurry.

LASIK is usually used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism and provide clear vision for seeing at a distance. Monovision LASIK is a technique that may be helpful in correcting near vision for some people. With monovision LASIK, Dr. Michelson corrects one eye for distance and one eye for near. Thus, the need for glasses with two different focal lengths is resolved by focusing each eye at a different focal length. Monovision LASIK can be effective for some patients with the need for mild near vision correction. Depending on the amount or length of time you need to close work each day monovision LASIK may be a good alternative.

To find out more about monovision LASIK and near vision correction please feel free to schedule an evaluation, examination and consultation at Michelson Laser Vision-205.969.8100.