Eye Care Records Before Cataract Surgery: What to Bring to Your White Plains Consultation

Your cataract consultation is an opportunity to understand what is affecting your vision and discuss your next steps. Bringing a few key records helps us make that conversation more useful. At Maple Eye and Laser Center in White Plains, we review your eye history, medications, and daily visual needs as part of an individualized evaluation.

Gather Your Previous Eye Care Records

If you have received care elsewhere, request relevant records before your appointment. These help us understand previous findings and treatments, especially when you have another eye condition alongside cataracts.

Useful records to bring or arrange to have transferred include:

• Recent eye examination reports and eyeglass prescriptions.
• Retinal scans, photographs, or visual field results, if available.
• Records of glaucoma, retinal disease, corneal conditions, or eye injuries.
• Reports from previous eye surgeries, laser procedures, or eye injections.
• A lens implant card or operative report if you have already had cataract surgery in one eye.

These records supplement our examination. We may still need updated testing to assess your current eye health and plan care.

Include Details About Previous Procedures

Tell us about any LASIK, PRK, or radial keratotomy (RK), even if it was many years ago. These procedures change the cornea and can affect the calculations used to select an intraocular lens, the artificial lens placed during cataract surgery.

If available, bring measurements and prescriptions from before and after that procedure. Include the approximate date, which eye was treated, and the surgeon’s name. Also mention complications, additional treatments, or concerns about your vision afterward.

Prepare a Complete Medication and Health List

Bring an updated list of prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, vitamins, supplements, and eye drops. Include each product’s name, dose, and how often you use it. A current pharmacy list can help, but check that it includes products you purchase separately.

Add medication allergies and the reactions you experienced. We also want to know about significant medical conditions, previous reactions to anesthesia, and the names of your other treating doctors. Accurate information helps us identify issues that may need further discussion before surgery.

Write Down Your Symptoms and Questions

Before your White Plains consultation, note when vision problems began and which activities have become difficult. Examples might include reading small print, working at a computer, or driving at night. Bring your current glasses so we can discuss how well they meet your needs.

Write down questions about whether cataracts explain your symptoms, how other eye conditions could affect results, and which lens options may be appropriate. You can also ask about the potential need for glasses afterward, recovery, and follow-up visits. We use your examination findings and goals to discuss whether surgery is appropriate and what outcomes are realistic.

If Some Records Are Missing

Let our team know which records you cannot locate and provide the previous office’s contact information. Ask how to arrange a records transfer and whether anything specific is needed before your visit. You can also bring a trusted companion to help take notes and remember questions.
​​​​​​​

To schedule your cataract consultation, contact Maple Eye and Laser Center in White Plains, NY, by calling (914) 948-5157.