I had a cataract in my right eye from years of steroid eye drop use for uveitis. Earlier this year I had cataract surgery in my right eye (my left eye never gets uveitis and my vision in that eye is perfect...knock on wood). You get a "secondary cataract" after cataract removal, which isn't really a cataract because your lens is removed in cataract surgery. It's actually the bag that holds the lens that gets cloudy after cataract surgery. My opthamologist told me that every cataract procedure caused from uveitis almost always ends up with a "secondary cataract".
I have known I had one for several months and it was confirmed by two prior doctor visits. Your vision slowly starts to look like it did before cataract surgery. I was afraid to do it even though it is pain free and relatively safe. I made the appointment last week then Friday thought I had UVeitis, if you read my "I'm an idiot" post you will see where I accidently put in dilating drops instead of steroid drops. I kept my appointment today anyway because even if he couldn't do the YAG laser he could confirm the uveitis and let me know if I need to up the steroid drops.
He confirmed I had UVeitis (+1 inflammation) but said it was ok to have the procedure. First they do this one test where you stare at this asterisk like shape in this machine (I can't remember what this test is called or what it does), next a vision test, then they take the pressure in your eye, they would have dilated my eye next but my eye was still dilated from Fridays "oops". Then the doctor looked at my eye with a slit lamp, put numbing drops in then he put some goop on a special contact lens with a thing on the end of it that he holds on to in my eye (I think it had some sort of magnifying glass on it). Then he starts zapping away. It wasn't painful but very strange. He said he was conservative in the amount he took off because he could always do more later if I needed it. He told me to increase my steroid drops for a week then taper over the next week, I have a follow up appointment in two weeks. Because my eye is dilated and because of all the goop he put in my eye I won't see what my final vision will be for a few days and even after that the uveitis and steroid drops blur your vision as well.
Anyway, just wanted to describe the procedure incase someone else here ends up having to have it done. I stressed for days for nothing really.
