Is it viable/wise for Dad (84, dementia) to have operations?

[crocus]

That's good news SW. Cutting his nails short just before the op is a good idea.

[SheWolf]

Dad had his eye op a couple of days ago, in a private hospital, and so far the outcome seems pretty good. He can't remember much about the op, but that's probably a good thing, as apparently his blood pressure went sky high during the op, so maybe he found it frightening, despite the sedation. Today he was managing to see the TV and walk around without his glasses, which now seem to be surplus to requirements. He also said that the other eye is a bit blurry so he wants to get that one done too - there was no hesitation, just a definite statement that he thinks it's worth doing.

One thing I'm a bit disappointed with - after the surgery the consultant didn't make the effort to come and talk about how things went etc, so we had no chance to ask questions or discuss the best route for getting the other eye done, or whether the follow up appointment will be at the private hospital or the NHS one. Mum had both her eyes done on the NHS and both times the consultant took time to chat to us afterwards, but at a private hospital, there seemed to be less time taken afterwards to monitor his recovery etc. Maybe it's because it was a morning surgery and they close the dept in the afternoon?

It's a big relief that he has good vision in one eye and I just hope the NHS don't have the attitude of 'Oh, the other eye's not too bad - come back in a year', that seems to be so common with cataracts. In the space of well under a year the cataract in his right eye went from 'not bad enough to worry about/operate on' to being so dense he could barely see through it, so I'm tempted to get the other eye done privately too.

Dad has a tiny mark near the corner of his eye, that looks like they injected him through the skin there? Maybe they decided to freeze the muscle to keep his eye still? This is the sort of question I'd like answered, but never got the chance.