Cataracts - Which lens?

[eytonxav]

I guess I'll have to just wait to see how my right eye vision settles.

Don't worry about the vision being sub-optimal just after surgery. It can take a few weeks up to a few months to fully clear up.

 

[MRG]

Don't worry about the vision being sub-optimal just after surgery. It can take a few weeks up to a few months to fully clear up.

+1
That was my experience. It kept getting better.

 

[MissMolly]

Explanade - well it sounds like so far, so good for you. Glad to hear. I went back to the eye doc last Monday. Vision in right eye has deteriorated to 20/100 with glasses and left eye to 20/60 + 2 dioptres with glasses - soooooooo, I have no choice now. She says I'm not legal for driving. Surgery is scheduled for Jan 3. Eye doc says since I have always been extremely near-sighted I should lean that direction, so what we are going with is kind of near-sighted but better for things like computer work, cooking, etc.

 

[W2R]

Explanade - well it sounds like so far, so good for you. Glad to hear. I went back to the eye doc last Monday. Vision in right eye has deteriorated to 20/100 with glasses and left eye to 20/60 + 2 dioptres with glasses - soooooooo, I have no choice now. She says I'm not legal for driving. Surgery is scheduled for Jan 3. Eye doc says since I have always been extremely near-sighted I should lean that direction, so what we are going with is kind of near-sighted but better for things like computer work, cooking, etc.

With your vision as bad as it is right now (worse than mine was before surgery), I suspect you are going to LOVE the results! January just might be a very beautiful month for you.

 

[explanade]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and I hope your surgery goes well MissMolly.

W2R is it normal reading glasses or prescription for near vision?

 

[W2R]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and I hope your surgery goes well MissMolly.

W2R is it normal reading glasses or prescription for near vision?

I just use normal reading glasses. I determined the strength from the selection at Walgreens, but they were vastly overpriced so I ordered some at 3 pairs for $10 from Amazon.

 

[Winemaker]

DW was as blind as a bat ,( that's why she married me)totally glasses dependent. Two weeks ago, she had the laser cataract surgery for her right eye, today at 930 AM, she had the left eye done. All is well.
Currently, as we sit here she is able to read the numbers on the TV remote, a feat she could never do before. This past 2 weeks she was for the first time , get up in the middle of the night to "powder her nose" without her glasses without breaking her leg or anything else. It has been difficult the last two weeks to live with the good/bad eye situation but hey, it's only two weeks. She is now also able to see distance, even before the cataract diagnosis, she could only see shadows in the distance. She is very pleased right now, no more coke bottle lens, and she will be able to put makeup on without glasses.
Happy DW, happy life!

 

[explanade]

Laser cataract?

 

[Teacher Terry]

I had one eye done in Sept and I can see much better (20-30). I get the other eye done in January. I just got the regular lenses. I need my reading glasses to read.

 

[Winemaker]

Laser cataract?

Yes, laser catact surgery. It has been around 10 years. While both methods are safe and effective, the total laser surgery cost is born by the patient and NOT the insurance company. Her fee was $2500 per eye. The laser surgery is a more accurate method and has less inflammation than the traditional surgery. You can look at the pluses and minuses each, they do it better than I ever could.


https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/traditional-vs-laser-assisted-cataract-surgery

 

[MRG]

Yes, laser catact surgery. It has been around 10 years. While both methods are safe and effective, the total laser surgery cost is born by the patient and NOT the insurance company. Her fee was $2500 per eye. The laser surgery is a more accurate method and has less inflammation than the traditional surgery. You can look at the pluses and minuses each, they do it better than I ever could.


https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/traditional-vs-laser-assisted-cataract-surgery

+1
That's how mine was done.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I do not have cataracts, but I am very near sited and I have worn glasses since the 4th grade. Two years ago I got pre-screened for Lasik by my ophthalmologist, but when I went to see the eye surgeon, he looked my eyes over and told me that I wasn't a great candidate. I'd maxed out my FSA in anticipation of the surgery, so I decided to try contacts for the first time since high school.

After much experimentation, what I determined worked the best for me was a slight amount of mono-vision. I wear a full power contact in my left eye, and in my right eye, which has the best vision, I wear one that is .25 power less than optimal (-4.75 vs. -5.00). With this combination I can use my phone (4.7" screen), see the car's dashboard and generally function without reading glasses. Exceptions are for small print and the dreaded dark menu in a dark restaurant.

I guess with cataracts you may not be able to experiment with contacts, but I was dead set on getting both eyes done for the best distance vision with Lasik. Now, if it was offered, I would choose the slight amount of monovision that I have with my contacts.

Edit to add: we have been unable to convince my 95 year old father, who needs cataract surgery, that there is no eyeglass prescription that will help him read the newspaper. Reading this thread has helped me understand it better, but still not sure how we can explain it to him.

 

[MRG]

I do not have cataracts, but I am very near sited and I have worn glasses since the 4th grade. Two years ago I got pre-screened for Lasik by my ophthalmologist, but when I went to see the eye surgeon, he looked my eyes over and told me that I wasn't a great candidate. I'd maxed out my FSA in anticipation of the surgery, so I decided to try contacts for the first time since high school.

After much experimentation, what I determined worked the best for me was a slight amount of mono-vision. I wear a full power contact in my left eye, and in my right eye, which has the best vision, I wear one that is .25 power less than optimal (-4.75 vs. -5.00). With this combination I can use my phone (4.7" screen), see the car's dashboard and generally function without reading glasses. Exceptions are for small print and the dreaded dark menu in a dark restaurant.

I guess with cataracts you may not be able to experiment with contacts, but I was dead set on getting both eyes done for the best distance vision with Lasik. Now, if it was offered, I would choose the slight amount of monovision that I have with my contacts.

Edit to add: we have been unable to convince my 95 year old father, who needs cataract surgery, that there is no eyeglass prescription that will help him read the newspaper. Reading this thread has helped me understand it better, but still not sure how we can explain it to him.

Yeah glasses don't work. My dad's stepfather had inoperable cataracts(1960s), he was unable to read or function much.

My Aunt wasn't eligible for surgery either as she had lost an eye as a child. She was pretty much blind when she passed.