Cataract Surgery

[W2R]

I think you will be pleased.....maybe make that delighted w/ the results. It's been so long that I forget the details of immediate post-care, etc. but I remember vividly re-discovering that stop signs were octagonal,not round.

They are? Next thing you'll be telling me they have something printed on them.

Also when walking I used to stop often as I re-discovered the beauty of color and detail in many things around the neighborhood like flowers and plants. I remember ,when visiting DD at med school in NH, having contests to see who could first read the street signs on the highway.....me, of course. I had the eyes optimized for near distances since I was working at the time.....so with reading, microscope use, etc. , I would be "beautified" the majority of the time. I used to delight in taking small print and then reducing it in size again on the Xerox machine and having reading contests with others. Kind of like being reborn. Since I was very near-sighted at the time, the doctor felt it would be better if I were out during the procedure, so I had no anxieties watching the procedure. Hope you have the same great results.

Wow.... this is exciting and helping me in looking forward to this surgery, instead of dreading it. Thanks!

oh....since I was a bit skeptical , I scheduled a month between the 2 eyes. I did go through the "take one lens out" (of the old eyeglasses) stage for distance vision for the new good eye but that didn't work out for me. Turns out my brain tried to average what you would think should be 2 good images but in practice, covering the non-treated eye and just using the one new eye was better. Even better was after the 2nd eye was done.

I'm going to feel like a pirate if I do that; aaaaargh!


But I only have a week between surgeries, so maybe I can do it anyway.

 

[W2R]

OMG Yes, the colors are back! I told DH I thought our two-year old kitchen cabinets were cream-colored but no, now I can see they really are white! And no more halos or jagged glare from headlights at night.

Gee, I wonder if the kitchen cabinets in my house are white! I have only lived here since July, and they look cream colored to me.

The jagged glare from the headlights at night is so bad, that it frightens me to even be a passenger in a car at night. It seems like jagged lights are whizzing all around me from every direction.

I was able to wear a contact lens while waiting for the second eye to be done, so that was easy for me

Oh, OK. I don't have contacts.

 

[Spokane2303]

Mom (88 yrs) had one eye done last Wednesday. Her cataract was very dense and a small tear formed in the lens capsule during removal of the old lens allowing a small fragment to enter the inner part of her eye. The MD repaired this tear/leak and placed the replacement lens. Mom also had an eye that wouldn't dilate completely, so a ring was inserted during the surgery to open it up more for the lens removal.

By day 5, her eye seems to have absorbed the fragment, the MD couldn't detect it on Monday, and the "floater" she saw earlier is gone. At this point, day 6, her perception of color is vastly improved and her clarity is about where is was prior to the surgery without glasses vs pre surgery with glasses. Her MD says her eyesight will continue to improve over the next week or two as the eye continues to heal and the swelling goes down.

Mom did say it was a very uncomfortable procedure and we plan on discussing this with her MD and anesthesiologist prior to her next eye being corrected. We're sure part of the discomfort was related to the cataract density and small tear that happened during the surgery.

With the clarity of hindsight, mom should have had cataract surgery a decade ago when her cataracts were less dense and her health reserves stronger.

Mom is still planning on completing her second eye despite a somewhat complicated first surgery.

 

[W2R]

Spokane, it sounds like she is recovering her sight remarkably well, considering that she had that tear. I hope it does continue to improve.

 

[kcowan]

I had my bad eye dome in 1995, corrected to 20-30. So I wore glasses with one minor correction and one major. Then in 2000, I got the second eye corrected to 20-20 so I never wear glasses (monovision). Had to have that I redone in 2005 (10 minutes with the laser as an outpatient). So far so good. No need to search for reading glasses anymore.

I am going back now for a checkup after 10 years.

 

[folivier]

Has anyone had the multi-focal lens "installed"?

 

[Marco]

I had mine last month (multifocal IOL) and it is breathtakingly amazing! Glasses had been my first everyday thought for 45 years! No more glasses is an amazing experience. The work up and surgery is a pain in the rump, but SO SO worth it.

 

[W2R]

Has anyone had the multi-focal lens "installed"?

I found an entire thread about lens choices for cataract surgery that I think you might find interesting, even though it is from 2010:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/cataract-surgery-lense-opinions-50661.html


I wonder if there will be any correction for my (considerable) astigmatism, which is worse than my near-sighted ness. But from reading that thread it sounds like they can correct that too somehow.

 

[MichaelB]

I had mine last month (multifocal IOL) and it is breathtakingly amazing! Glasses had been my first everyday thought for 45 years! No more glasses is an amazing experience. The work up and surgery is a pain in the rump, but SO SO worth it.

You are young for cataract surgery.

 

[RE2Boys]

It's amazing what they can do now regarding eye surgery!

1998: Told I had the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes (age 48)
2001: Spontaneous retinal detachment in right eye, lost 80% of vision. Had retinal surgery two days later with "full buckle".....ie, they drained and inflated eyeball, used laser to tack weld retina back in place. Told that the laser will usually result in a worsening of cataract.
2002: Had cataract surgery in right eye. OMG, what a difference in the way world looked, could see great within two days! And could see 20/40 w/o glasses
2003: Had cataract surgery in left eye. 20/20 after surgery. Unfortunately, six months later I had a retinal tear in this eye. Doc decided, since I seemed to have a predisposition for retinal problems, to do a full buckle on this eye also. But vision in this eye dropped to 20/40 and it is not correctable. Considering that I started with like 20/300 vision.......all to good.

So had my eyes "re-built" when in early 50's age.

 

[Marco]

You are young for cataract surgery.

One is never too young to have corrective surgery.

 

[Tadpole]

Sounds like great results. So, are you wearing your old glasses with one of the lenses gone, for now, or what?

In my case, the eye that was not done is the one I used for long distance vision so I can drive without glasses. With glasses, a bit of astigmatism in the eye that wasn't done is helped. So I am not wearing glasses. For near vision, I can still read at arms length without glasses but I have noticed an increase in mild headaches so maybe I should execute the reading glass prescription. I didn't need an interim solution since I only did one eye.


And about color - Yes, I agree, the color white is the bestest of the best.

 

[W2R]

It's amazing what they can do now regarding eye surgery!

1998: Told I had the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes (age 48)
2001: Spontaneous retinal detachment in right eye, lost 80% of vision. Had retinal surgery two days later with "full buckle".....ie, they drained and inflated eyeball, used laser to tack weld retina back in place. Told that the laser will usually result in a worsening of cataract.
2002: Had cataract surgery in right eye. OMG, what a difference in the way world looked, could see great within two days! And could see 20/40 w/o glasses
2003: Had cataract surgery in left eye. 20/20 after surgery. Unfortunately, six months later I had a retinal tear in this eye. Doc decided, since I seemed to have a predisposition for retinal problems, to do a full buckle on this eye also. But vision in this eye dropped to 20/40 and it is not correctable. Considering that I started with like 20/300 vision.......all to good.

So had my eyes "re-built" when in early 50's age.

Wow! You have experienced my worst fears and came out with better vision anyway. What a hair-raising story and I am so glad that you can see better now. Uncorrectable 20/40 is about where I am now (well, uncorrectable beyond 20/35 anyway) so even if that happened to me I wouldn't be much worse off.

It's interesting to me that you didn't have the retinal detachment until 6 months after cataract surgery in your left eye. I was sort of hoping that the one week wait between surgeries on my two eyes, would prove to me that I wasn't going to get a retinal detachment due to the first surgery, despite my family history. Oh well.

I contacted my brother last night, and neither he nor my other brother has had cataract surgery yet. Still, he was very enthusiastic and urged me to go ahead with the surgery despite our family history of retinal detachments due to cataract surgery. He says eye surgery is light years ahead of where it was in 1949. He is planning to get his cataracts removed too, when they are big enough. It's nice that his input validated my decision to go ahead with the cataract surgery. I wondered if I was entirely nuts to even be thinking about this surgery but I guess not.

 

[UtahSkier]

I had elective cataract surgery done 2 years ago at age 52. Not wrong with my lens. I just couldn't wear contacts any more. It was an expensive procedure, but well worth it. I also chose the far vision only option.


As for dry eyes, consider my experience. I had the cataract surgery because my dry eye pain was too much when wearing contacts.


After the surgery I was still experiencing the dry eye pain even though I was not wearing contacts anymore. I mentioned this to the eye doctor during the 2 month post op exam. He said the best solution for dry eye pain is a premium fish oil (Omega 3s).


Now, I was skeptical as I suspected the DR was getting a kick back for the referral. But damn, even though I had been taking fish oil for several years, the premium fish oil has provided me with great relief from dry eye pain.


The recommended brand is Dry Eye Omega Benefits® - PRN Omega Health


The recommended dosage is 4 capsules daily. I find that I needed 5.


Also, I am right at the threshold between pain and relief. If I miss a dose, I will begin to feel discomfort.


This threshold has been helpful in a way. I have tried many of the standard fish oil brands at the stores. I have been able to establish a cost per day to achieve relief. The brand listed above is the cheapest option for me when I purchase the 12 month supply.


For those suffering from dry eye pain, I suggest getting a 3 month supply and taking 5 capsules daily (about 3000 mg of Omega 3s). Interestingly, the 3000 mg daily is the amount recommended by health enthusiasts like DR Davis.

 

[Moemg]

I had cataract surgery ten years ago and have 20-20 vision ever since . I opted for the mono vision lenses . One eye is for close and one eye is for distance so no need for readers . Make sure and ask the surgeon about your limitations since you weight lift and that will probably be a no-no for awhile . Surgery is painless and very easy . I was driving in two days .

 

[Likes_to_Lurk]

I had cataract surgery last year in both eyes, one in July, the other in September. What a HUGE difference!! First of all, both procedures went well. I left the hospital with a clear plastic patch over my eye. Even with that, I could tell that my vision was much better. As others have noted, colors are noticeably better. After a few days, my vision improved as the swelling subsided.

I had both eyes corrected for distance only. I now test 20/15 in both eyes and couldn't be happier after years of being nearsighted and needing contacts/ glasses.

I use drugstore readers for reading. I also got a pair of lineless bifocals (top is plain, no correction), for situations like shopping where I need to frequently shift between reading and distance. My medical insurance covered most of the cost of the glasses because they were post-cataract surgery. Medicare covers this also.

I was very nervous about the surgery, but I am soooo glad I had it done.

W2R, good luck with the procedure.

 

[gromit]

I found an entire thread about lens choices for cataract surgery that I think you might find interesting, even though it is from 2010:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/cataract-surgery-lense-opinions-50661.html


I wonder if there will be any correction for my (considerable) astigmatism, which is worse than my near-sighted ness. But from reading that thread it sounds like they can correct that too somehow.

The lens for astigmatism is considered a "premium lens" , more expensive than a standard lens, and the additional expense is not typically covered by insurance. Mine was about $1400, so if you're set up for astigmatism correction they probably told you to expect to pay an amount like that.
In my case, correcting the astigmatism was worth more than what it cost.

 

[W2R]

I had cataract surgery ten years ago and have 20-20 vision ever since . I opted for the mono vision lenses . One eye is for close and one eye is for distance so no need for readers . Make sure and ask the surgeon about your limitations since you weight lift and that will probably be a no-no for awhile . Surgery is painless and very easy . I was driving in two days .

Thanks! That is very encouraging.

The information sheet that the surgeon gave me in the surgery packet, said no more than 25 pounds for 1 week following each surgery. So, you're right, weight lifting is out. Since my surgeries are scheduled a week apart, one week really means two weeks. I might make it three just to be extra careful.

It also says no yard work or aerobic activity for one week. All activities are permitted two weeks after surgery (so, three weeks after my first surgery).

 

[W2R]

I had cataract surgery last year in both eyes, one in July, the other in September. What a HUGE difference!! First of all, both procedures went well. I left the hospital with a clear plastic patch over my eye. Even with that, I could tell that my vision was much better. As others have noted, colors are noticeably better. After a few days, my vision improved as the swelling subsided.

I had both eyes corrected for distance only. I now test 20/15 in both eyes and couldn't be happier after years of being nearsighted and needing contacts/ glasses.

I use drugstore readers for reading. I also got a pair of lineless bifocals (top is plain, no correction), for situations like shopping where I need to frequently shift between reading and distance. My medical insurance covered most of the cost of the glasses because they were post-cataract surgery. Medicare covers this also.

I was very nervous about the surgery, but I am soooo glad I had it done.

W2R, good luck with the procedure.

Thank you! Wow, your experience sounds like a dream come true. 20/15? That must be heaven. At least it would be for me.

 

[nwsteve]

Mom did say it was a very uncomfortable procedure and we plan on discussing this with her MD and anesthesiologist prior to her next eye being corrected. We're sure part of the discomfort was related to the cataract density and small tear that happened during the surgery.

.

I had both eyes done about 7 years ago. The only real discomfort I had came from the second anesthesiologist--night and day from the first. First time, anesthesiologist used a slow advancing technique to introduce the drug while the second seemed to just jammed the needle and injected.
Suggest exploring the possibility of using a different anesthesiologist.
Nwsteve

 

[W2R]

The lens for astigmatism is considered a "premium lens" , more expensive than a standard lens, and the additional expense is not typically covered by insurance. Mine was about $1400, so if you're set up for astigmatism correction they probably told you to expect to pay an amount like that.
In my case, correcting the astigmatism was worth more than what it cost.

Thank you!


Aargh. The surgical coordinator that went over the lens choices with me, said that with my kind of eyes there were only two kind, multifocal and not, but that I could get "monovision" with the latter if one was near and one far. I cannot bear multifocals so I told her that, and I would rather use readers than have the monovision.

But anyway, I wonder because my astigmatism wasn't even mentioned, nor were the premium lenses discussed. Sounds like I might be back to trifocals, oh yuck!

 

[braumeister]

My doc talked about the one near/one far option, but said he only recommended it to patients who already had good experience with the same kind of contact lenses. He went so far as to say that he himself had tried the near/far contact lens routine for several months but had to give it up. That was good enough for me to decide against it.

Here's an interesting discussion about astigmatism and cataract surgery:

Can you explain the surgery for cataract with astigmatism?

 

[Marco]

I had been diagnosed with astigmatism years and years ago. After several pre-surgery exams the Dr. (not the optometrist), determined that I had a very little astigmatism, not enough to worry about.

 

[rodi]

W2R - just wanted to wish you luck on the surgery. I have nothing to add to the conversation since I haven't had it done.

 

[W2R]

Here's an interesting discussion about astigmatism and cataract surgery:

Can you explain the surgery for cataract with astigmatism?

Interesting article! Thanks