Pain in eye after cataract surgery: When does it get better?

Update on my treatment and current condition. Will appreciate any insights and guidance
1. have been on autologus serum for 4 months and Bronfenac (as needs for pain)
2. Pain/dry eye was getting better, then last month both pain/dry eye and vison (large brown shadows) got worst
3. Doctor (cornea specialist) suggested perhaps cataract surgery was a wrong decision due to past Lasix (he did not do the surgery)
4. Next steps i) see Dr Anat Galor in Bascon-Miami (she is doing research in optic neuropathic pain) ii) increase concentration in autologus serum iii) try Clobetasol steriod eye drops.
5. Questions - i) Has anybody tried any medicines for neural pain, including medical marijuana ii) any experience with Dr. Galor iii) Any personal do and dont to manage pain and dry eyes.

Thanks in advance

Hello! I am so sorry you are experiencing pain after cataract surgery. I had cataract surgery in my left eye only in September 2022. And I have suffered with severe pain and photosensitivity ever since. I was referred to a rheumatologist because the ophthalmologist believed that my pain was due to uveitis, which was likely caused by an autoimmune disease. Upon consulting with a rheumatologist, I was referred to an uveitis specialist.

Initially, the uveitis specialist could not find anything wrong. She ordered multiple tests which did not reveal any abnormalities. The pain stopped. In the meantime, my rheumatologist ran a battery of tests to determine if I had an autoimmune disease. After months of tests and appointments, I was given a diagnosis of drug-induced-lupus. Several months after receiving that diagnosis, the uveitis symptoms returned with a vengeance. I went back to see the uveitis specialist and she "confirmed" that the uveitis is the result of an autoimmune disease such as lupus.

Because I also have chronic kidney disease, I am very careful about the medicines that I take. While both the rheumatologist and the ophthalmologist have prescribed autoimmune suppressants, I have not taken any of them because of my chronic kidney disease and the costs of these drugs. I have found that prednisol eye drops, a cold pack, and Tylenol are the best remedies for me at this point.

During my most recent eye exam, I was told that I will need cataract surgery for my right eye. Because of my experience with my left eye, I am very apprehensive about following through on any future surgery.

While I can't comment on your pain, my sense after a lot of reading, and having had PRK (a type of refractive surgery not unlike LASIK), is that cataract replacement surgery is not particularly related to LASIK. This said, folks who have had refractive surgery (LASIK/PRK/RK) no longer have virgin corneas - so, in many cases, Intra Ocular Lenses (IOL) like the Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) provide a much higher probability of a good outcome as they can be tuned after surgery to mitigate the greater chance of a wrong script due to the previous surgeries.