Reassuringly, to the point 
Thanks, reassuring, any DIY tips as an option?
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I’ve heard a Dremel, an old magnifying glass and a tablespoon of Dettol can be an option…
but then that was blind Billy that told me that.
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They need your co-operation (they like you to keep your eye as still as possible) and they don’t want the faff of a general anaesthetic. With a local the whole procedure from entering theatre to leaving with the gauze/shield over my eye took 12 minutes. Having had it done once I was fine about going back and having the other one done.
The old lens plus cataract was liquidised using powerful ultrasound so the resulting goo could be hoovered out through the very small incision. I believe the new lens is rolled up something like a venetian blind, slid in through the incision and then unrolled in the lens capsule using some kind of special teeny tiny surgical instrument. They take a good deal of care not to rupture the back of the capsule which separates the lens from the vitreous humour in the main body of the eye. The back of the capsule is just 10 microns thick !
For me the worst thing about the whole procedure was the extremely bright surgeon’s light coming through my extremely dilated iris. When I let out an involuntary “Ow !” as it was switched on the surgeon just said “Relax. You’ll get used to it” which I sort of did.
Apparently they do do a few operations under general anaesthetic. In particular they need to do this for people with uncontrollable Parkinson’s tremors. If you don’t have a medical reason then you’d have to have it done privately and I imagine it really wouldn’t be cheap.
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I’ve had laser eye surgery and a vasectomy done under local anaesthetic. I think I’d say that that the latter was worse, although I can’t say I enjoyed either.
Indeed, I’m likely to have repeat eye surgery as I have the start of cataracts too 
I can’t say I enjoyed the cataract surgery but it certainly wasn’t the worst thing I’ve had done (cyst cut off the back of the neck without enough local anaesthetic, forceful extended attempt to boneset my smashed wrist with no anaesthetic at all, stitching a long cut in the palm of hand for which the anaesthetic injections hurt like hell …).
Long story short, loads of old people (many of them quite wobbly if the waiting room at my place was anything to go by) have their cataracts done and those who have serious trouble with it must be so few that the surgical team never raised the issue nor suggested any precautions (sedation etc). Unlike, say, endoscopy or dentistry etc.
The camera into the stomach, shit, I’d mentally blocked that one out.
They advised valium, but then I couldn’t drive home. “I’ll be fine”, I thought.
Reader, I was not fine.
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I’ve had that done twice - once maybe 25-30 years ago and once just a couple of years ago. The first time they offered the tranks but I managed to get through it without. It wasn’t nice though. More recently was a very much gentler experience. It seems modern endoscopes are much thinner and easier to swallow than the older ones. They didn’t offer tranks and I was fine without them. I was even able to watch the screen and grunt an occasional short answer to a question.
Can’t say I’m unduly apprehensive about the actual op. Faiirly sure it won’t be a pleasurable experience but as long as there’s minimal pain, I’ll get over it.
Bottom line is the end result justifies the means……….I hope. 
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I have no regrets, the outcome has been better than I hoped.
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Me too.
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Today’s the day (they delayed it from last week because I had a very slight case of “dry eye” which needed some eye drops treatment)
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All the best Jim
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All the best. I had one of my eyes done a couple of years ago and the results were brilliant.
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Good luck Jim.
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Best of luck Jim !
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Best wishes Jim!
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All the very best !
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All the best Jim
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Best of luck @Jim
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