Theatre Booking

• Your booking for Bay Eye Hospital will be made with reception. 

  • The hospital admission form needs to be filled prior to admission.

  • Admission time will be confirmed the day before surgery telephonically by the practice (not surgery time).

Medical Aid and Authorisation

• The practice will communicate any problems with the authorisation process with you. 

• Please ensure that you receive a DETAILED AUTHORISATION from your medical aid.

  • Please send this to accounts@drtcbotha.com.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

• Arrange transport after surgery, as you will not be able to drive yourself.

• Bring your ID and MEDICAL AID CARD.

• Bring a list of CONDITIONS, ALLERGIES, and MEDICATIONS, especially anticoagulants (e.g. Warfarin, Dispirin, Plavix).

• CONTINUE using all CHRONIC MEDICATIONS. 

• Avoid bringing excessive accessories.

• Dress comfortably. A theatre gown will be provided.

• Please do not wear any make-up on the day of surgery.

Anaesthesia, Eating and Drinking 

• Eye procedures are usually done under local anaesthesia (with an injection to numb the area together with conscious sedation), therefore you can eat or drink as normal. 

• However, if you are having a GENERAL ANAESTHESIA (this will be discussed at consultation) then you need to STOP EATING 8 HOURS before your procedure. Water is still allowed up to 4 hours before the procedure. 

• ALWAYS continue your CHRONIC MEDICATIONS, even if having a general anaesthesia. 

Day Hospital Admission Process

• Book in at the Hospital Reception (at the time provided to you the day before).

  • Bay Eye Hospital contact number: 041 880 1411

• Please note that we do our best to make the waiting time as short as possible. Please be prepared to wait; on rare occasions, even up to 3 hours. 

Theatre Preparation

• Dilating drops will be used to prepare the eye for the procedure, if indicated.

• Vitals are taken by the nursing staff.

• The anaesthetist does the final preparation by doing a sedation and local anaesthetic (small injection). 

Operation 

• There is great variability in response to the local anaesthesia. 

  • Some patients still see, while others cannot see any light, and any variant in between. 

  • Sensation is also different, anything from complete numbness of the whole side of the face to just pain sensation loss of the actual eye. 

• The goal is to not have pain or discomfort during the process. 

• Some stretching sensation or dull movement is sometimes felt.

• Surgery time is very variable between eyes and patients.

Immediate Post-Operative Procedure and Hospital Discharge

• After the operation, the involved eye will be covered with a PATCH and SHIELD to protect it. 

  • This is removed at the post-operative review the next morning. 

  • Patches can be replaced if necessary, but please DO NOT RUB THE EYE. 

• Observation in the ward after surgery is usually quite quick. 

• When you are comfortable, you will be formally discharged from the Day Hospital into the care of a relative or friend who can drive you home. 

  • Due to the effects of sedation, you ARE NOT allowed to drive on the day of surgery.

• You will receive a BAG with an APPOINTMENT CARD. This card gives the time of the post-operative consultation the next morning.

  • The bag contains extra eye pads and plaster tape. 

What to Expect

• Post-operatively (on the day of surgery) your forehead, scalp and cheek may (not always) be numb.

  • This numbness usually resolves within 6-8 hours.

• Experiencing a mild headache is normal.

• Typically, your eye should be comfortable and not painful at any point.

• NOTE ON BLUR. The eye is usually blurry after the procedure. 

  • This is because the pupil is still dilated, the eye could be swollen slightly, or the tear film is abnormal with sediment and ointment. 

  • This blur usually resolves in a day or two, and improvement is possible as the eye heals over weeks. However, depending on other eye pathology, the vision could be poor. 

  • This is also reviewed during your post-operative consultation to exclude surgery-related issues.

Post-Operative Do's and Don'ts

• Please SLEEP with the SHIELD for 1 night after the procedure.

• Hair washing and swimming is allowed, but NO EYE RUBBING OR SQUEEZING during these activities.

Post-Operative Consultation 

• This review is just to check that there are no immediate surgical complications (very rare). 

• Depending on various factors your eye may be red on Day 1. This usually resolves within 1 month.

  • Please contact us if you experience any worsening of redness and/or pain.

• Day 1 and possible 1 month follow up consultations are included and not billed at this practice.

DROPS will be received at the follow-up as arranged. 

• If Klinicare Pharmacy could not get hold of you, or for any other reason the drops are not at the office, then the prescription will be provided at the Day 1 review. 

• Usual post-operative drop regimens:

  • The steroid / antibiotic drop (usually TOBRADEX or MYDEX) 3 times per day. This will be confirmed verbally.

  • Tear lubricating drop / gel (options include OPTIVE / XAILIN) is used as needed if scratching is severe.

• It is preferred to pull the bottom eyelid down to insert the drop, rather than trying to pull the upper eyelid up. This is to prevent pressure on the eye, the same as NO RUBBING.

• NOTE ON DRY EYE SYMPTOMS. As this is still an operation, one can feel irritation for the first few weeks after the procedure. 

  • This is very variable between patients. Some will experience dry eye symptoms up to 3 months after the procedure. Most patients however have no symptoms after a week.

Do's and Don'ts for 1 Week Post-Procedure

• Light exercise is usually allowed: walking, cycling, Pilates, golf, etc.

• Avoid exercises that cause bouncing type movements: running, skipping, squash, etc.

• Rule of thumb, if you must strain to lift something up, then it is too heavy for the week after the procedure.