What happens at the preassessment appointment? At the preassessment, you will initially be greeted by our friendly reception staff. They will provide you with an information booklet which you can read whilst waiting for the nurse. Once the nurse calls you into their room, they will go through some medical history questions with you and measure your eyes for the lens we will use to replace your nature lens. Following dilating drops, a clinician will see you and assess your eyes again. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions at this stage before signing the consent form. Don’t worry, we are all here to help and signing a consent form does not mean you have to have the operation. It is just a record of the discussions you have had and confirmation of the eye that is having the operation. How long do I wait for the operation? Usually, a date for surgery is provided at the time of the preassessment and is usually within 10 days. Do I have one eye done first or both together? We pretty much always do one eye first. The eye chosen depends on the discussions with you and the preassessment clinician. Generally, it will be your worst seeing eye, but it also depends on other medical conditions that affect your eyes. What happens after the operation? After the operation, a plastic shield covers the eye and stays in place for the first 24 hours and then at night for 2 weeks. The discharging nurse will give you a nice hot cup of tea and a biscuit while they talk you through the instructions after the operation. They will give you drops to take with appropriate instructions. When can I drive or go on holiday after the operation? We usually say not to drive until you have passed the driving criteria according to the DVLA, generally, this is normally when you have seen your optician after 2-3 weeks. You can go on holiday after around 14 days. CHEC provides a free home-to-hospital transport service for patients in need who pass specific criteria – if you’re struggling to find transport either to the hospital or back home, please speak to a member of staff on our Referral Booking Management Team to see if you qualify for our home-to-hospital transport service on 0330 100 4730. How long until I can wash my face? We recommend you avoid water in the eye for about 2 weeks. You can wash your face, but use a wet cloth and avoid the eye area. After 2 weeks, you will be back to normal with great vision. How long will my eyes be blurry, light sensitive and gritty? The blurriness of your vision usually subsides after a few days, so if your vision becomes worse quite suddenly please contact us immediately. Grittiness and light sensitivity are common and can last up to 6 months in some cases. It’s annoying but an innocent finding. Can I use eyedrops for dry eyes and glaucoma? Yes, these can be used as well as the new drops you are given. Please use a new bottle and wait for at least 24 hours. What do I do if I run out of drops? Generally, CHEC will provide eyedrops that last 28 days. We do understand that eyedrops can be difficult to instil and sometimes too much is squeezed out. If you run out sooner, then please contact your GP who will be able to re-prescribe your drops for you. When can I return to routine daily activities? If you have undergone a simple outpatient appointment and had dilated drops, depending on your job, most people can go back to daily routine if safe. If you have undergone a minor operation or laser, you should be able to go back to normal activities the next day. If you have had cataract surgery, we recommend you wait for healing to happen and this is usually 2 weeks, but please see below for more details. How do I put eyedrops in my eyes? We recognise that eyedrops are difficult to instil. Unfortunately, the bottles are manufactured to ensure the drops stay sterile and have a reasonable robust resistance to damage. Below is a guide to how drops can be instilled. If you still have difficulty you may wish to ask your pharmacist for a dropper aid. Instillation of Eye Drops Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water Check the dropper tip to make sure that it is not chipped or cracked Avoid touching the dropper tip against your eye or anything else; eye drops and droppers must be kept clean While tilting your head back, pull down the lower lid of your eye with your index finger to form a pocket Hold the dropper (tip down) with the other hand, as close to the eye as possible without touching it Brace the remaining fingers of that hand against your face Instil eye drops into your eye.