Patient Section

Cataract Surgery
We would like you to have a positive experience each and every time you visit our practice. Therefore, please make a note to bring the following along with your first visit in order to open your patient file:

  • Your identification card / ID book
  • GP reference letter (if applicable)
  • All relevant previous doctor reports
  • Medical Aid authorization confirmation
  • The initial cash payment for the first consultation (our accounts department will confirm the amount when you schedule your appointment).

We realize the importance of financial planning before any procedure, whether one has a medical aid or not. In this instance, we urge you to make sure what your specific medical aid option benefits include so as to discuss the best treatment possibilities with you.

Key financial information

  • We charge contracted fees;

  • We treat Discovery Keycare patients at the prescribed rate;

  • An initial cash payment is required with the first consultation until medical aid details can be verified.

As a practice we care about our community

To reach more people in the community of Potchefstroom, Dr. Van Wyk initiates cooperation with the health industry and different hospitals to provide services to a large number of people free of charge on an annual basis.

What to expect during your first visit at Dr Van Wyk.

Pre- and Post-operative information

CATARACT SURGERY

Preoperative care

Surgery is done in a day hospital setting. Topical anesthesia is usually offered with drops only. Please be sure to take all your daily medicine as usual on the day of the surgery. You will be notified of an approximate time to go to the hospital. The time spent in hospital will be about three hours. The surgery only takes up to 30 minutes of this time. The rest of the time is needed for preparations and after care. Be sure to eat as normal except if specifically booked for general anesthesia, then do not eat or drink anything for six hours prior to the surgery. Your daily medicine should still be taken with 30 ml of water.

Postoperative care

Your eye will be closed for two hours. Then the treatment with the drops are started and the eye must be covered with the patch and shield for the first two hours. After two hours the eye can be opened and the drops must be instilled according to the instructions given on discharge. The shield must be worn for the first day, without the cotton. The shield must be worn at night for a week when sleeping. You should not experience any pain or constant tearing of the operated eye. Otherwise, the doctor must be contacted immediately. The operated eye must be more comfortable and see better on a daily basis.

Typically the second eye, if needed, is operated a week later. At the follow-up visit you will receive information on which type of reading glasses to use for the first six weeks. Spectacle tests can be performed after six weeks as the eye has then usually stabilized. Please be sure to inform the hospital staff of any allergies, chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension or if you suffer from porphyria. Also bring all issued drops to every consultation.

Retina SURGERY

Retinal Detachment Repair

After the procedure you will have to constantly maintain a certain head position for several days for the gas bubble to gradually disappear. Dr van Wyk will explain and show you exactly what position to maintain and for how long. The positioning is usually for 50 minutes of each hour and then for the remaining 10 minutes of each hour you can move around as you wish.

Your vision will be poor for at least 2 weeks after the operation if gas was inserted in your eye. Your vision will remain blurry if silicone oil was inserted during the repair operation. You should never experience brow pain or eye socket pain or nausea after the operation, otherwise you must immediately notify Dr van Wyk.

Vitrectomy

If a gas bubble was placed in your eye, Dr van Wyk may recommend that you keep your head in a special position for a certain time. You will not be able to travel by an airplane at high altitudes until verified that the gas bubble has faded away. A rapid change in altitude can cause a dangerous rise in eye pressure. However, with oil in the eye it is safe to travel by air.

Epiretinal membrane Surgery

At the end of the operation, we usually put an eyepad and shield over your eye for protection. These will be removed the morning after your surgery. The vision will take 2 weeks to improve.

Macular hole surgery

While the bubble is doing its job, you must lie face down so that the bubble stays in the right place in the eye, sometimes for as long as one week. Although it can be very uncomfortable, this approach is absolutely necessary to achieve the best vision after treatment. The gas/air bubble gradually goes away over time, and natural eye fluids take its place while the hole is healing.

AGE RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION 

Age related macular degeneration is the accumulation of deposits at the back of the eye that can lead to loss of central vision and reading vision. Depending on the type the following treatments can be given: injections in the eye on a monthly basis, vitamin supplements to slow the progression and/or vision aids. The type and severity of the problem is determined through a clinical examination, as well as OCT images. The treatment plan is discussed and thereafter the treatment and progression will be monitored by OCT pictures.

INJECTIONS IN THE EYE

Preparation takes one hour. The injection itself takes only five minutes. The eye will feel scratchy the evening following the injection. The eye must be kept closed, unless otherwise stated, until the next morning. You will be given antibiotic drops to put in the eye for two days following the injection. These drops should be instilled four times a day. The eye must improve on a daily basis and become less scratchy and less red. The vision should not change suddenly, otherwise you should contact Dr Roelof van Wyk’s rooms immediately.

STRABISMUS SURGERY

This surgery is offered under general anesthesia. Please do not eat or drink anything for six hours prior to the surgery. The eyes will not be covered with eye pads but only shields for the first day, and will be red and will tear more than usual. The operated eye(s) will feel scratchy but should not pain to the extent that pain killers are needed. Should you experience pain, please contact Dr van Wyk’s rooms. You will be seen the following day, and the alignment will be checked after the surgery. The eye will gradually turn white again within two weeks.

PTERYGIUM SURGERY

This surgery is usually offered under sedation and topical anesthesia. You will be awake but not aware of any pain. You can eat as usual and must take all your daily medication as prescribed. The eye will be very red after the surgery. Please keep your eye completely closed for the first day. Only open the eye the day after surgery and then start applying the prescribed drops. Instill the drops five minutes apart and then close the eye again. During the follow up visit a few days later, Dr van Wyk will decide if the eye can be kept open. Please bring all issued drops to every consultation.