Cataract Surgery

[gromit]

In Georgia, all it takes to eliminate the vision restriction on a Driver's License is to go there and re-take the vision test. Documents from a doctor are not needed.

 

[W2R]

In Georgia, all it takes to eliminate the vision restriction on a Driver's License is to go there and re-take the vision test. Documents from a doctor are not needed.

I'll try that on Monday and see if it works. That would be the easiest thing to try first.

 

[W2R]

I have my new driver's license, with no vision restriction! All that was required was for me to pass the vision test. That was pretty easy for me to do with my "new eyes".

Still dutifully following my eyedrop schedule and marveling at everything I can see now.

 

[omni550]

I have my new driver's license, with no vision restriction! All that was required was for me to pass the vision test. That was pretty easy for me to do with my "new eyes".

YAY!!!! You must be thrilled!

omni

 

[Tadpole]

 

[Marco]

I have my new driver's license, with no vision restriction! All that was required was for me to pass the vision test. That was pretty easy for me to do with my "new eyes".

Still dutifully following my eyedrop schedule and marveling at everything I can see now.

Congrats! It's so liberating isn't it.

 

[W2R]

YAY!!!! You must be thrilled!

I am! In about a half hour I'm going to get behind the wheel for the first time since my surgeries, and drive to Weight Watchers.

Tadpole, I love the video! "I Can See Clearly Now", for sure!

Congrats! It's so liberating isn't it.

Yes, it's a huge relief. F was very kind to chauffeur me around when I couldn't drive, but I so much prefer being able to get places independently.

Also, it's a big relief to know that I won't need glasses to drive. I know I won't need them for anything else (except readers for close up), so other than that I will truly be free of glasses now.

 

[MRG]

Congratulations WR2.
Life without glasses, wow! I'm scheduled on November 9th for my right eye, can't wait. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[W2R]

Congratulations WR2.
Life without glasses, wow! I'm scheduled on November 9th for my right eye, can't wait. Thanks for sharing your experience.

That's so exciting! I'll be hoping that your outcome is as good as mine has been. Just remember that it takes a few days after each surgery for vision to clear up. Looking forward to reading about your experiences.

Yes, it's amazing to live without glasses. At bedtime, I automatically reach up to take my glasses off and nothing is there to remove! And then in the morning, I can see right away too. Pretty cool. No more smudges on my glasses, either.

I am off - - time to drive to Weight Watchers, which will be my first time to drive since the surgeries.

 

[W2R]

Just wanted to post a follow-up. I had a post-op checkup by my opthalmologist this afternoon, and he says everything looks great. My vision is 20/25 in each eye separately, but 20/20 when using both of them together.

I had some trouble with double vision for a few weeks, but it went away. I told him about that and he said it was hard to say what caused that, but that probably we could write it off as just part of the healing process. He wants to see me one more time, in 4 months, but that's it.

Total cost of the procedure, with Medicare and federal BCBS Standard, was $142 for eye drops.
Pre-op terror was infinite, as was post-op relief and glee at being able to see so well.
Operative and post op pain was zero.
Vision is the best of my entire life.

 

[BobW]

Congratulations W2R.


Thanks for posting your experiences. I'm scheduled to have my left eye done next week, and reading about your experience made it a little less terrifying. I'll be glad when its over with.


Bob

 

[W2R]

Congratulations W2R.


Thanks for posting your experiences. I'm scheduled to have my left eye done next week, and reading about your experience made it a little less terrifying. I'll be glad when its over with.


Bob

Bob, I hope your experience and results are as good as mine! Let us know how things go, and good luck to you.

 

[splitwdw]

W2R, Glad to hear your double vision went away. That had to be a little scary after the surgery was such a success.

 

[MRG]

Congratulations WR2. It always feels good to have the doc sign off.

If all goes well this Monday will be my second surgery. I'm sure ready to be closer to done. Even with just one eye done I don't know if I've ever seen this well.

 

[kaneohe]

for educational purposes only (not to alarm), there is such a thing as double vision but it can be corrected w/ corrective lenses with "prism". A long time after my cataract surgeries so I cannot be sure if it was related to them or not, I was diagnosed with a mild case of this. The brain doesn't see the images from the 2 eyes as one so the lenses are designed to move the images closer together....typically for me this means the top of one lens is thicker than the bottom for one eye and the opposite for the other eye. The implanted lenses for me were optimized for near vision so I need to wear glasses for distant vision anyway.

The tipping point is when you are driving and you aren't sure which image of the road you should be following. That's a bit scary. Without the glasses, sometimes I have to mentally divide by 2 because I know there is only one moon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_correction

 

[W2R]

Congratulations WR2. It always feels good to have the doc sign off.

If all goes well this Monday will be my second surgery. I'm sure ready to be closer to done. Even with just one eye done I don't know if I've ever seen this well.

Believe me, I understand! I am happy to read that you are seeing so much better after surgery on the first eye. Let us know how the second surgery goes.

 

[W2R]

W2R, Glad to hear your double vision went away. That had to be a little scary after the surgery was such a success.

Thanks! It was, but I guess it was nothing to worry about.

 

[W2R]

for educational purposes only (not to alarm), there is such a thing as double vision but it can be corrected w/ corrective lenses with "prism". A long time after my cataract surgeries so I cannot be sure if it was related to them or not, I was diagnosed with a mild case of this. The brain doesn't see the images from the 2 eyes as one so the lenses are designed to move the images closer together....typically for me this means the top of one lens is thicker than the bottom for one eye and the opposite for the other eye. The implanted lenses for me were optimized for near vision so I need to wear glasses for distant vision anyway.

The tipping point is when you are driving and you aren't sure which image of the road you should be following. That's a bit scary. Without the glasses, sometimes I have to mentally divide by 2 because I know there is only one moon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_correction

Thanks, kaneohe. I'll definitely keep that in mind and seek out prism glasses if it returns and is bothersome. My brain right now seems to be letting the images converge so I hope that continues. The double vision wasn't too bad when I had it, but at the time I worried that it might get worse.

 

[rdy2go]

A friend of mine is an ophthalmologist and he once told me that they used to keep a patient in the hospital for days, block their head with pillows and make them lay still. Now, people come to the hospital or surgery center, get their cataract fixed and go to the mall for lunch and shopping right afterward. Amazing!

 

[W2R]

A friend of mine is an ophthalmologist and he once told me that they used to keep a patient in the hospital for days, block their head with pillows and make them lay still. Now, people come to the hospital or surgery center, get their cataract fixed and go to the mall for lunch and shopping right afterward. Amazing!

So true! Cataract surgery today is nearly miraculous compared with what it was like years ago. Although, I must admit that my surgeon's instructions were to rest for the remainder of the day after surgery.

 

[tmm99]

Thank you very much for sharing your journey with us. I will come back here when it's time for my surgery (not yet needed) to calm myself down. Very happy to hear your double vision went away and you now have a 20/20 vision.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[tmm99]

A friend of mine is an ophthalmologist and he once told me that they used to keep a patient in the hospital for days, block their head with pillows and make them lay still. Now, people come to the hospital or surgery center, get their cataract fixed and go to the mall for lunch and shopping right afterward. Amazing!

I've heard something similar from my former SO's mom - Her mom (or was it her grandmother) had to have sand bags placed to block her head movement and lie in the dark for a week.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Marco]

Finally had my 2nd eye done last week. Had a three month interval between the right eye, and now the left. Surfing the VA's voucher system, and then the Veteran's choice program was no fun. Got it done though and I am thrilled with the results. The IOL technology is great and bound to get better. Right now I am thrilled to be glasses free after 47 years!

 

[jebmke]

This was a great thread. I am up for my first eye (right) on March 2. These posts have helped calm me down a bit - the idea of having someone working on my eyes has a big creep factor. Mine is going to be blade-less and the lens will be toric to correct for astigmatism. She can't tell if it will correct 100% until she plucks the old lens out.

Thanks to all the contributors to this thread.

 

[Big_Hitter]

DW is also having one eye done 3/2.