After reaching a certain age, a change occurs in the lens of the eye, which should be transparent, and the lens begins to dull. As a result, depending on the degree of opacity of the lens, the person begins to lose his/her vision. This disease, which we define as cataract, is a progressive disease and unfortunately, if not treated in time, problems up to blindness may occur as a result. For the treatment of the disease, what needs to be done is to replace the lens with surgical intervention. When it comes to a surgical operation, there may be points of doubt in patients after the operation. At this point, one of the most common questions is ‘Will there be dry eye after cataract surgery?’.
There are some scientific researches that allow us to give clearer answers on this subject. Let’s start from these scientific researches and examine the relationship between cataract surgery and dry eye.
Does Cataract Surgery Cause Dry Eye?
Scientific research published on Springer shows that the risk of dry eye may increase after cataract surgery. In the research, 36 studies conducted between 2011 and 2020 were examined and 775 patients were examined.
Findings According to Research Results
- In all analyses, 37.4% of patients who underwent cataract surgery developed dry eye after the operation. It was also emphasised that these patients did not have any dry eye complaints before the operation.
- According to the results of the study, the complaint of dry eye increased to the maximum level in the first week following the operation. In most of the patients, these symptoms continued between 1 month and 12 months. While the symptoms were at maximum level in the first week, it was also observed that the symptoms decreased over time.
- According to the study, optimising the meibomian glands before surgery minimised the risk of dry eye formation.
Apart from all these findings, it should be noted that risk factors that cause dry eye development after surgery have been identified. Dry eye formation was more common in users with these risk factors.
Effective Risk Factors
- Age: It was concluded that patients with older age are more likely to face dry eye after the operation.
- Gender: It was concluded that the risk of developing box eye after cataract was higher in women.
- Systematic Diseases: Diabetes and autoimmune patients are also at higher risk.
Conclusion;
All this shows that it is possible to develop dry eye after cataract surgery, albeit for a while. Reviewing the risk factors and fully complying with the treatment will be the key points here. In addition, measures such as optimising the patient’s eye before the operation and taking care of the meibomian glands are also effective in minimising the risk of dry eye.
Source
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40123-022-00513-y
