Cataract Surgery as it may effect us as Photographers

[Steve Smith]

but for my absolute best near vision I still prop my glasses up on my forehead. It gets weird looks and even occasional argument from those who are not and have never been nearsighted.

I used to get comments at work when something was passed round to be looked at and I said that I didn't need the eyeglass and just took off my glasses to look at it. It goes against any logical thinking non near-sighted people might have.

I wear contact lenses now so I can't do that any more.


Steve.

 

[lxdude]

When I was a young dude I could bring my fingertip right up to my eye, touching my lashes, and still focus on it. Not any more. No closer than maybe 8 inches. It was great for working on tiny things- I probably should have made my living fixing watches. I've never wanted bifocals--for many years, when I've wanted to see something close up, I just look over my glasses.
Now I seem to be getting cataracts- halos around lights and such, though my night vision is still good. That's what my dad was experiencing, and he just had cataract surgery a few months ago at 85. I don't think I'll be able go that far before needing it. I have my doubts whether I'll be going up on the roof when I'm his age either, and he has no problem doing it.

 

[Roger Cole]

Before my cataract surgery I did have a lot of night driving flare from oncoming headlights. That went away after surgery. The cataracts caused the lens flare and were hazy to look at in the mirror. I had surgery on one eye first, then the other one a few months later. After the first surgery I was amazed by how blue and bright the world looked, while the other eye still produced a dim yellow world. My surgeon told me that the natural lens yellows with age and gets dim ( read like looking through a dark yellow filter). Maid perfect sense. After surgery on the other eye the world looked the same through both eyes. Both times, when I left the facility (my wife was driving of course) after the roughly 1.5 hour surgery I couldn't see a thing, but by the time I got home a half hour later I could see well enough to drive but was still too untrustworthy to actually drive due to medications.

I've tried to tell my dad people have that experience - that flare IMPROVES. But he insists he can't see at night nearly as well and that everyone he knows who had cataract surgery had the same result.

At 82 years old though he can't be bothered with facts, he just creates his own reality.

 

[Jim Jones]

Before my cataract surgery I did have a lot of night driving flare from oncoming headlights. That went away after surgery. The cataracts caused the lens flare and were hazy to look at in the mirror. I had surgery on one eye first, then the other one a few months later. After the first surgery I was amazed by how blue and bright the world looked, while the other eye still produced a dim yellow world. My surgeon told me that the natural lens yellows with age and gets dim ( read like looking through a dark yellow filter). Maid perfect sense. After surgery on the other eye the world looked the same through both eyes. Both times, when I left the facility (my wife was driving of course) after the roughly 1.5 hour surgery I couldn't see a thing, but by the time I got home a half hour later I could see well enough to drive but was still too untrustworthy to actually drive due to medications.

My experience was similar. If I had known how much cataract surgery would improve life, I wouldn't have waited until age 80 to do it.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I noticed no change in color balance, so I suspect that it varies.

PE

 

[Jim Jones]

Our eyes adapt as much to color as to intensity, so the yellowing of cataracts never seemed to affect my photography.