what is laser eye surgery used for

how do they remove an eye cyst?

I was wondering how the procedure goes for removing an eye cyst like what they do and if it hurts and what not.. have any of you ever had one removed? how does it all work?

Removing an eye cyst is usually a simple, in-office procedure.

Most likely, your eye doctor will start you off with some numbing drops such as Tetracaine or Proparacaine. Once the drops kick in (which only takes about 10-15 seconds), the doctor will inject a numbing agent- probably Liodcaine with Epinephrine (roughly 3-5 cc’s) into the surgical site around the cyst with a syringe and tiny needle. It sounds scarier than it is! The Lidocaine injection is very similar to getting Novacaine at the Dentist.. you feel a light pinch for about 1 or 2 seconds but the numbing effect kicks in extremely quickly. Once your eye is completely numb, depending on the doctor’s preferences and the patient’s abilities to keep their eye open and still, a lid speculum may be used to prevent blinking during the procedure. A lid speculum is the same surgical instrument used during lasik laser vision correction surgery to hold the patient’s eye open during the surgery. I’ve seen many cyst removals, however, which do not require the speculum. It just requires a patient doctor and a cooperative patient. The cyst is then cut open with a surgical blade and either drained by……**WARNING: DISGUSTING DETAILS AHEAD**
……….scooping out the puss, discharge, and everything causing the infection from the inside of the cyst with an instrument called a curette (which basically looks like a tiny melon baller). Or, the doctor may decide to just lance the cyst off completely using a surgical blade. Either way, they both happen very quickly and is ended with a quick cauterization of the cyst (burning the cyst with an instrument called a cautery machine or cautery pen in order to close the tissue in the open wound which will promote healing). So, if you smell burning skin.. don’t worry. It smells worse than it really is! After everything is done, the doctor will put some antibiotic ophthalmic ointment (TobraDex, Erythromycin, Gentamycin, etc..) where the cyst was. This will help stop any infection. Lastly, a patch will most likely be applied with medical tape over the eye that was operated on to control any bleeding and start the healing process.

Don’t feel weird or bothersome about asking your eye doctor about the procedure. If you have any questions, make sure to ASK! Be an informed patient.

I hope this helps and best of luck to you!