Here is everything you want to know about dry eyes after cataract surgery!

Doctor, after I had the cataract surgery, my eyes have been tearing up frequently and I feel like there is something inside them. The area around my eyes is also itchy and very uncomfortable. Did the surgery fail?

Patients who have undergone cataract surgery often come to the doctor for follow-up visits or a few years after surgery because of various eye discomforts, suspecting that the cataract surgery caused a series of problems. Some patients also had dry eyes, tearing, foreign body sensation, etc. before the surgery, and thought that these problems could be solved after the surgery.

Wang Yong, director of the Cataract Department of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, said that dry eye is one of the most common ocular surface diseases in the elderly. There are many reasons for dry eye in the elderly, including: meibomian gland dysfunction; changes in hormone levels, diabetes, rheumatic immune system diseases and other systemic diseases; long-term high-intensity eye use, etc. With age, the function of these glands gradually declines, oil may accumulate in the gland ducts, unable to be secreted and discharged normally, and the gland duct structure will gradually deform, leading to gland atrophy.

Cataract symptoms are very different from dry eye symptoms

Dry eye syndrome is caused by many reasons. It is not only suffered by the elderly, but also common in young people. Its main symptoms are dry eyes, foreign body sensation, itching, fatigue, fear of wind, and sensitivity to external stimuli.

"My eyes often shed tears, especially when there is wind. I can't possibly have dry eyes." NO~NO~NO~, dry eyes do not mean that the eyes have no tears. Sometimes the eyes are too dry, and the tears are insufficient, which stimulates the reflex tear secretion and causes frequent tears.

The main symptoms of cataracts are "blurred vision" and "visual impairment". Cataracts will not cause so-called eye pain, dryness, etc. Cataracts are painless vision loss, and the implantation of artificial lenses for cataracts will not cause a foreign body sensation in the eyes.

Many patients pay too much attention to their eyes after surgery, which leads to not paying much attention to dry eye before surgery. After surgery, they pay close attention to eye health and will magnify any discomfort, thinking it is caused by surgery. After reading this little popular science, I believe everyone knows who is the culprit of itchy, dry, and foreign body sensation in the eyes. Don't let cataracts take the blame! (Warm reminder: If dry eye symptoms are severe, go to the hospital for treatment in time!)