ROUTINE CATARACT SURGERY AND PACEMAKERS

Usually cataract surgery is done with local anesthesia and maybe a bit of consious sedation. Is it usually  the case that a PM tech is necessary to be in the OR? Does the eye doc request some sort of clearance from the pactient's EP cardiologist? Anyone have experience with cataract surgery?

3 Comments

Yep

by The real Patch - 2018-06-08 18:18:21

I had both eyes done a year apart...Not a problem for your pacemaker but your heart condition is the concern. Check with your cardiologist just to be safe but shouldn't be an issue. Oh and I'm paced 100% in both ventricles and have a defibrillator. 

Nope

by IAN MC - 2018-06-08 18:48:52

I had one eye done 2 weeks ago and discussed my PM with the opthalmic surgeon . He was adamant that this was not an issue !

My old lens was destroyed with ultra-sound which is fine with PMs, as is the local anaesthetic gel and sedative drug.

I guess if I had an I.C.D.  I would rather not have a Jesus jolt just as the surgeon was making the incision into my eye-ball ; but having a PM.... absolutely no problem !

I can probably see half as well as Patch now !

Best of luck

Ian

Cataract surgery is a breeze

by Gotrhythm - 2018-06-09 14:20:34

I had cataract surgery a couple of months ago, right eye, two weeks later left eye. I don't have a defibrillator, just a plain pacemaker. 

Having a pacemaker was a complete non-issue. No clearance from cardiologist required, no pacemaker tech on hand. They had more questions and took more precaustions about my asthma

I was kind of nervous about anyone operating on my eyes, but really, the whole thing was a breeze. Each operation took less than 15 minutes.

 

You know you're wired when...

You have a little piece of high-tech in your chest.

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Since I got my pacemaker, I don't pass out anymore! That's a blessing in itself.