Let's talk about cataract surgery.....

[Pieter12]

Not doubting you or what your practioner told you...things pertaining to medicine can change very significantly in a short period of time!tr
I worked in radiation treatment systems for cancer, and I was treated myself with a methodology that did not exist 10 years earlier., and 5 years later yet another methology became available...both, via not only changing technology, but also the accumulation of enough clinical evidence of patients better treated and with fewer side effects to prove the technology benefits! Trifocal intraocular lenses have only been available for about 6 years.

It could also be related to my astigmatism. Once again, at the time I was under the impression that hard lenses (vs soft) were the only effect solution for the amount of astigmatism I had.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It could also be related to my astigmatism. Once again, at the time I was under the impression that hard lenses (vs soft) were the only effect solution for the amount of astigmatism I had.

More extreme forms of astigmatism require the shape of a hard contact lens to help control the shape of the cornea for reducing or eliminating astigmatism.

 

[paul ron]

The protocol apparently is to have a post-surgical evaluation by optometrist 4-6 weeks to determine if any supplemental corrective lenses are needed, and 4 weeks seems to be typical allowance for post-surgery healing

had it done today. all went well. i asked my doc about contacts n he said about 4-6 weeks. but he will give me a prescription for glasses in 2 weeks.

im still blown away by the surgery. i was talking to the doc during the entire proceedure. no pain, just a pinch now n again but it went fast. it took longer preping for it.

tomorrow is the unavailing n see how well my vision improved. now eye drops for 4 weeks n all done.

i cant wait for it to heal so i can get back to everyday activities n clear sight again.

 

[Sirius Glass]

had it done today. all went well. i asked my doc about contacts n he said about 4-6 weeks. but he will give me a prescription for glasses in 2 weeks.

im still blown away by the surgery. i was talking to the doc during the entire procedure. no pain, just a pinch now n again but it went fast. it took longer preping for it.

tomorrow is the unavailing n see how well my vision improved. now eye drops for 4 weeks n all done.

i cant wait for it to heal so i can get back to everyday activities n clear sight again.

It sounds as though the cataract surgery went well for you. The eye drops are needed to kept the eye moist and infection free.

 

[wiltw]

My wife's cataract removal will be done in one eye first for distance with monofocal standard implant on Wednesday (3 days from now), with second eye scheduled for monovision at intermediate distance in the not-distant future. (She successfully had used contacts for monovision in the past, so that is the initial plan pre-cataract surgery.)

It will be interesting to see how her vision in the first eye works out, relative to being able to read at intermediate distance (computer monitor, dashboard in car), before her second eye is done...gives her a chance to change her mind about monovision and do both for 'distance', given the many responses about ability to successfully read intermediate distance even without bifocal implants.

Although she is not a photographer, knowing that monofocal correction often permits successful vision for both distant and intermediate focus means that, for photographers without cameras with built-in diopter eyepieces, they should be able to look thru and see the viewfinder display successfully, even without bifocal post-cataract lens implants. I'll plan to hand her my film Olympus OM-1 and ask her to focus it with her corrected eye a couple weeks post cataract removal, and assess the accuracy, and report back later.

My wife found the first eye experience to be quite easy, and was surprised at being able to read even close distance. She learned from the surgeon during follow-up one day later that the pupil is commonly a bit smaller than usual on the first day, so near vision is better than expected during that time; as pupil returns to usual size, the acuity of near vision falls off. Her second day near-vision acuity is less, as he predicted. She is rethinking how to correct her other eye...distant vision, or intermediate distance. It will depend on how well near vision is sustained in the first eye; intermediate distance for the second eye would facilitate near reading yet provide better depth perception, as the surgeon noted.
Will give her more time to heal before subjecting her to the test of focusing SLR with the distance eye.

 

[paul ron]

am immediate observation today after the bandage was removed... the white ballance color shift. everything is much cooler than the other eye. the new eye is like 4000k vs the other at 3200k. whites are white again and seems brighter.

i cant get my new glasses for distance at least 2 weeks as the eye settles in. reading isnt a problem.

the 3 eye drops are 4 weeks 4 times a day and will be eliminated one at a time over the next month.

im still amazed how easy the surgery was. what a great time to be alive from eye surgery to joint replacements, organ transplants, stents... it was science fiction not very long ago. im definately enjoying our medical technology. BUT... im still a 73 year old Ferrari with the check engine light flashing.

 

[Pieter12]

Cataract surgery has long been one of the safest, quickest and least expensive surgeries that ca really turn one's life around, especially if the cataracts have gotten to the point of causing near-blindness.

 

[Dan Fromm]

With respect to practices, different practices have different practices. When I had my cataracts done, I was offered the choice of 4 drops 4 times daily or a compounded preparation that was taken as 1 drop 4 times daily. I chose the latter.

About the delay between surgery and readiness for a new prescription. My delay was the better part of 3 months before everything settled down. This was exacerbated by dry eyes, which made doing the refraction difficult. I understand that dry eyes can be a side effect of cataract surgery.

 

[Sirius Glass]

My wife found the first eye experience to be quite easy, and was surprised at being able to read even close distance. She learned from the surgeon during follow-up one day later that the pupil is commonly a bit smaller than usual on the first day, so near vision is better than expected during that time; as pupil returns to usual size, the acuity of near vision falls off. Her second day near-vision acuity is less, as he predicted. She is rethinking how to correct her other eye...distant vision, or intermediate distance. It will depend on how well near vision is sustained in the first eye; intermediate distance for the second eye would facilitate near reading yet provide better depth perception, as the surgeon noted.
Will give her more time to heal before subjecting her to the test of focusing SLR with the distance eye.

Monovision is not for everyone. Monovision bothered me to no end. For me the distance vision with one eye was not as good as with two eyes and the reading vision was not as sharp as with two eyes. The two different focus point, one for each eye meant the I did not see as well as I could and I kept looking at objects with the wrong eye and had to close that eye. Before taking the leap, talk to your ophthalmologist or optician about trying monovision with eye glasses or contact lenses first. Monovision is not for everyone.

 

[wiltw]

Monovision is not for everyone. Monovision bothered me to no end. For me the distance vision with one eye was not as good as with two eyes and the reading vision was not as sharp as with two eyes. The two different focus point, one for each eye meant the I did not see as well as I could and I kept looking at objects with the wrong eye and had to close that eye. Before taking the leap, talk to your ophthalmologist or optician about trying monovision with eye glasses or contact lenses first. Monovision is not for everyone.

My wife had monovision correction via contact lenses for a number of years, so she knows the tradeoffs. For her, the issue (behind her final choice) revolves around needing to carry and use readers (without monovision) vs. not needing them (with monovision).

 

[Sirius Glass]

Cataract surgery has long been one of the safest, quickest and least expensive surgeries that ca really turn one's life around, especially if the cataracts have gotten to the point of causing near-blindness.

I have been told that not just by opthamologists and other medical practice MDs.

 

[gbroadbridge]

i cant get my new glasses for distance at least 2 weeks as the eye settles in. reading isnt a problem.

Keep in mind that it can take months or longer for the implanted lens to be encapsulated fully by the body's repair mechanisms and during that time the 'prescription' can change.

I was given a reading glass prescription 3 months post op at which time my eyes were mostly stable.
In the 9 months since then there has been a slight shift for the better in distance vision (which was predicted by the surgeon) - from 20/20 to slightly better 20/15.

 

[pentaxuser]

tomorrow is the unavailing n see how well my vision improved. now eye drops for 4 weeks n all done.

i cant wait for it to heal so i can get back to everyday activities n clear sight again.

It's only 21 days or 3 weeks of drops, at least in some processes in the U.K. but that involves 2 sets of drops, one 3 times a day and the other 4 times day

On day 2 your vision may not be yet as good as it will get or it might be. I had a little mistiness for a few days From what the consultant said to me, complete healing can take up to 6 months but this ís largely healing that is not obvious to you. Healing in terms of complete lack of irritation to the eye might occur within a week or even less or may take the full period of the drops depending on how much damage occurred during the operatíon

Irritation from the drops is nothing to worry about as I was told and as proved to be the case

pentaxuser

 

[paul ron]

so far its going very well. i saw the doc the otherday n he gave me an rx for glasses n contacts. i cant use contacts for a month he said, but my eye is not going to change much at this point.

3 drops 4 times a day. thurs i wont have to use the anti biotic anymore. the following week another drop will be eliminated, the a week after that, no more drops.

im going to have the other eye done as soon as i can. its a big difference.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Thanks GRHazelton for starting this thread and everyone for all your responses. I found everyone’s information and experiences very helpful. I had my left eye done on Wednesday and am scheduled for the right eye in approximently two weeks. My surgery for the left eye went well and upon removal of the eye patch I was immediately seeing better. Now, two days post op and my vision in my left eye is even better. Hugh difference!!! Besides clearer vision and more vibrant colors what I really notice is the increase in contrast. I’ve been walking around the house, looking at all of our photographs on the walls and marveling at how good they all look. After consulting with my surgeon I opted for standard lenses and will need reading glasses for close up. This should work out well for me since this is what I was use to before the cataracts started.

Roger

 

[AERO]

Thanks GRHazelton for starting this thread and everyone for all your responses. I found everyone’s information and experiences very helpful. I had my left eye done on Wednesday and am scheduled for the right eye in approximently two weeks. My surgery for the left eye went well and upon removal of the eye patch I was immediately seeing better. Now, two days post op and my vision in my left eye is even better. Hugh difference!!! Besides clearer vision and more vibrant colors what I really notice is the increase in contrast. I’ve been walking around the house, looking at all of our photographs on the walls and marveling at how good they all look. After consulting with my surgeon I opted for standard lenses and will need reading glasses for close up. This should work out well for me since this is what I was use to before the cataracts started.

Roger

Found the same had both done but was told I may need glasses for distance later..... - tho now 18 months on I really need glasses for driving..just a tweak though! (at 92 think I'm lucky)

 

[wiltw]

My wife had monovision correction via contact lenses for a number of years, so she knows the tradeoffs. For her, the issue (behind her final choice) revolves around needing to carry and use readers (without monovision) vs. not needing them (with monovision).

My wife, previously having lived well with monovision in her contact lens prescription before eventually transitioning to glassess. chose monovision in her cataract surgery correction. She again finds satisfaction generally in reliance upon dominant eye for distant vision, and the other eye for intermediate vision correction, as she finds that she can generally read books and labels well enough even without that eye being corrected to reading distance (near).
Nevertheless she has decided, at the suggestion of her opthalmologist/cataract surgeon, to have supplmental glasses made, in which the dominant eye has plano (no correction) lens and the other eye is corrected to distant vision as well, which she prefers -- especially for night driving -- because of the added clarity of binocular vision giving her greater security while driving. The supplemental glasses also facilitate correction of astigmatism, which the cataract implants would not do, as her astigmatism was unsuitable for astigmatism-correcting implant.

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

I understand that dry eyes can be a side effect of cataract surgery.

I had that, it went away after a year or so.

 

[benjiboy]

Thanks GRHazelton for starting this thread and everyone for all your responses. I found everyone’s information and experiences very helpful. I had my left eye done on Wednesday and am scheduled for the right eye in approximently two weeks. My surgery for the left eye went well and upon removal of the eye patch I was immediately seeing better. Now, two days post op and my vision in my left eye is even better. Hugh difference!!! Besides clearer vision and more vibrant colors what I really notice is the increase in contrast. I’ve been walking around the house, looking at all of our photographs on the walls and marveling at how good they all look. After consulting with my surgeon I opted for standard lenses and will need reading glasses for close up. This should work out well for me since this is what I was use to before the cataracts started.

Roger

I had my right eye done four years old, ago Roger, and my left one over twenty years ago. Now for the first time in my life I can focus my camera with my right eye without glasses .
I still need to use my glasses for close up focusing, but I'm not really into close up work .

 

[VinceInMT]

I’m glad to hear these surgeries have gone well. I know several people, all of us in our 70s, who have recently gone through this with good results. As far as I know I don’t have the problem but have double vision one one eye. It’s been getting worse. I’ve been to two doctors for that. The first one shrugged so I went to the second. The second change my prescription and there was no change. I’m thinking about a third opinion but may have to travel out of state to find one.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Double vision in my left eye was the first sign of trouble. I ignored it for 4 or 5 years until my eyes got really bad. By the time I went to an eye surgeon there was no question. His first comment was “I hope you aren’t driving”. Hopefully you can get to a doctor that can figure out what’s going one with you eye

 

[MattKing]

I have a feeling that if we can hang around long enough, cataract surgery will become as routine as an oil change used to be for our cars.
Perhaps the same will apply to hip and knee replacements too!

 

[Willy T]

Just completed mine. Shocking improvement; feels like having a whole new sense

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

surgery will become ... routine [for] hip and knee replacements too!

I watched this and then prayed I would never need knee replacement - it is a video of a live knee surgery start to finish.

 

[Roger Thoms]

Just completed mine. Shocking improvement; feels like having a whole new sense

No kidding, and I’ve only had one eye done. I’m really encouraged, I actually want to get out and photograph. I’ve got the batteries charging for the GX680.

Roger