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I went to Pattaya, Thailand to the Bangkok-Pattaya hospital to have a cataract removed from my left eye after hearing that the hospital's reputation for eye surgery was second to none in the world. There are several types of operation to remove cataracts but mine was done by ultra-sound. This article is more about the recovery than the operation itself, but I will just run through that too as it has a bearing on the recovery process.

Laser removal of a cataract seems to be less invasive than what I had, but it is also less permanent, so I am lead to believe. In my case, the surgeon made a small incision of two millimetres just above the colour of my eye and inserted some fluid. She then vibrated that fluid with ultra-sound to break up the lens in my eye, after which she flushed the pieces of lens out with more fluid before inserting the new lens through the same hole.

Several things were quite amazing. The whole operation is carried out under local anaesthetic so you are conscious the whole time. At one stage, I think it must have been when the lens smashed, I could see what looked like a broken pane of glass before me and then I was only conscious of light, but I was blind. Then I felt a sharp shock, not quite pain, but not nice and I think that that was the lens being inserted and I could see a sort of dark disc before me. The disc was off-centre of my eye and the surgeon moved it and moved it again until it sat right. In a flash, I could see again and my first vision was of the surgeon's smiling face about twelve inches from mine. She was beautiful and bright.

'Bright' being the operative word. I had not realized how dingy my world had become. After all, a cataract is like having a net curtain over a window, it cuts out a lot of light. Therefore, the first thing you notice when you have had a cataract removed is a flood of light. Your world literally is a brighter place - to such an extent that the light hurts. Pulling the curtains in the morning can be very painful, if you are unaware of the effects of the sunlight.

Be careful, it cannot cause lasting damage, but it really hurts. Another danger I am aware of is reflections. A passing car can reflect sunlight into your eye and catch you unawares. If you are seated, this probably will not bother you (except that it hurts), but if you are driving or riding a bike, it could be very dangerous, as a flash of strong light will cause you to close your eyes for several seconds.

The week following the operation is far more dangerous than the operation itself. You have an open wound in your eye which they do not stitch. It is left to heal itself, which is not a problem, if you take care. You have to put two types of drops in your eye four times a day and avoid getting water in your eye at all costs. That means do not go out in the rain and don't wash your hair in the shower.

Dirt and consequential infection are your biggest enemies, so put the drops in regularly, avoid dust (and the powdered dog faeces mixed in with it) and all water and be very wary of light, especially if you are driving. I would advise against climbing ladders too. Wear wrap-around, mirrored sunglasses.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove neoprene products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

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