double vision

[janet408]

I have had cataract surgery and was given two shots to deaden the eye. After the first shot I started seeing double. The shot deadened the side of my face ,the second shot deadened the eye. My doctor said this would go away in a few days. It has been three days and I still see double, it hasn't changed any. The double vision is up and down not side by side. What would cause this and how long could it last In reading side effect for cataract surgery, double vision is not listed.     Thank You  Janet

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

You could have a weakness of the inferior rectus muscle (most common) or superior oblique muscle due to the retrobulbar or peribulbar block.  It is a well known, but fortunately uncommon complication of the block and one of the main reasons I do 99% of my cataract surgeries without such a block.  If the anesthetic injection actually hits one of the extraocular muscles it can cause permanant damage to the muscle or its nerve supply.  The good news is that it has only been 5 days - but I am already pretty worried it could be permanant.  There is a possibility this could either go away - but sometimes it remains permanant and prism correction in the glasses or even strabismus surgery can be needed.  I have seen about 5 such cases over the years from other surgery centers.

MJK MD

[janet408]

Thank you very much for your reply.How soon should I have glasses made to see if it clears up.  What is strabismus surgery?  If it is just a weakness in the muscle how long could it take to return to normal. In other words how long should I wait to do something about it.  It is very nerve-raking, and I am very concerned as it makes me very nauseus if I don't keep one eye closed. Thanks again Janet