The eye is such an important part of our body! And when we get to know about eye problems or eye surgery a breeze of fear runs in our mind, doesn’t it?
But you know, your relaxed mind will help you for successful surgery, not only eye surgery but any other surgery too.
Things to keep in mind before eye surgery
1. Calmness
This is the most important part. When we hear about the word surgery, we panic. But try to keep yourself calm.
I know the fear of dependency troubles you the most. During my ophthalmic posting I heard this from lots of patients, they used to tell me, “there will be bandages on my eye, how can I carry out my daily activities? I haven’t been able to cook for a few days, my daughter-in-law goes to the office. How are we going to manage? Who will put eye drops in my eyes?”
And I used to tell them, “Every problem has a solution”, doesn’t it? Most modern eye surgeries don’t require any bandages at all! Few surgeries however need bandages but the bandage is for a few hours. And I bet every child can take care of their parents at least for a few days. You have done for your children and now it’s their turn. The way you love your children, they also love you. And by bringing you to the hospital for surgery, they showed it, right??
If you panic, your blood pressure will shoot up, and eventually, your surgeon will need to postpone your surgery.
Take a deep breath, inhale and exhale, this will help you to keep calm. Also, you can listen to music to keep your mind diverted.
2. Clear your doubts
We have lots of questions about the surgery, like how the surgery will take place, how long it will take for the procedure, what anesthesia will be given?
Ask all your questions to your surgeon or medical faculty attending you to clear your doubts, which help to understand the procedure and you will be ready for the procedure.
3. Preoperative procedures
Before any surgery, there is lots of preparation happening to make your surgery uneventful, sterile, and safe.
Don’t be overwhelmed with it, talk with the medical attendant and cooperate with them.
I remember one incident from my training period. It was my 2nd day in the ward, and a senior surgeon asked me to carry out all the preoperative procedures. Some of them like taking consent (permission of patient and relative before surgery), putting eye drops, explaining to patients about hair wash before surgery, and not applying oil.
Some eye surgeries require cutting of patient’s eyelashes. Are you afraid of hearing this? The same thing happened to me. I was like, oops why cut eyelashes? How can I cut it? And if a patient gets cut from me, what will I do?
Lots of questions made me uncomfortable. After talking with other doctors and medical staff I got to know this is a normal procedure for them, and we have to do it before surgery to minimize the chances of infection.
By taking that fear in my mind and with a tray that includes scissors, cotton, and some eye ointment I reached the patient’s bed. And what happened next is like I never thought.
When the patient saw me with the tray, he just told me, “beta, are you coming to cutting eyelashes? Come come.” And I was completely shocked. I asked him, “uncle, how do you know about it?” And he told me he underwent eye surgery a few months back, so he knew it.
And this boosted my confidence and I carried out the procedure very well due to that patient only. So, confident and supportive patients help healthcare providers to carry out procedures, isn’t it?
Have you experienced any such kind of experience? Do let me know in the comments.
4. Diet
Most eye surgeries take only about 15-20 minutes and are performed under local anesthesia, therefore, fasting is usually not required before eye surgeries. However, if the surgery is estimated to take a longer time and if planned under sedation or general anesthesia, you may have to fast, to avoid any contraindication in surgery. Confirm with your surgeon regarding that.
Have some normal light food before surgery night. Also, confirm about post-operative food intake. After surgery, for a few days, you may be advised to stay away from hard food for a faster recovery.
5. Medicine
If you have any concomitant condition like diabetes, blood pressure confirms with your doctor whether you have to take the medicine and what time it’s to be taken.
Don’t skip or don’t overdose on medicine without your doctor’s advice.
Take home message is
- Don’t panic about any surgery.
- Do deep breathing exercises.
- Clear your doubts with attending surgeons and health care staff.
- During every pre and the post-operative procedure is necessary to cooperate with medical staff for the best outcome.
- And most important is trusting your doctor. When you trust your doctor it will reflect positive vibes and help you to recover faster.
About me
Hi, I’m Mansi Malandkar, pure Mumbaikar. I’ve been working as a health care worker for 15 years.
Blogging is my passion and now turning it into a career. I’m a health blogger, publishing my weekly blog on mansisword.co.in
Also, I’m helping health and wellness businesses with informative blogs on their website and handling their social media accounts to catch more eyeballs.
Along with this, I’m helping aspiring bloggers to start their journey. And giving general health consultation and menstrual education.
I love reading books. Strong coffee and books are a never-ending equation for me. Also, I love exploring new places and food.
You can reach out to me for any general or business-related query at mansim598@gmail.com
On Instagram and Facebook, I am posting informative content about health and blogging. You can check out it on
https://www.facebook.com/mansisword/
Lots of love. Stay healthy, stay safe.
Eye Wellness 