Cataract Surgery and Pupil Contraction

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Question:
After having cataract surgery, the muscle that controls the dilation of my pupil failed to contract. Was this preventable and what can be done about it?        

Answer:
Sometimes it is necessary to surgically dilate the pupil during cataract surgery if the drops alone do not make a big enough opening to "get in" and remove the cataract as well as insert the lens implant. Stretching of the pupil can rarely damage the pupillary sphincter muscle—the muscle that makes the pupil smaller. There are drops that sometimes will make the pupil smaller and in time (often up to a year) some function may come back on its own.

Answered by: Jeffrey Whitman, MD

Categories: Cataracts, Eye Surgery

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