The Summer of 2023 - Freedom from Cataracts

[Sue J]

That's great to hear, Sue. So you have four eyes in the house all getting/got updates.

It would have been nice if they offered a family discount bundle price……Get four eyes done for the price of three! Now through Labor Day!

DH and I are the same age and our cataract situations had been developing for a few years. We just happened to both be at the stage where it was time to get it done.

I have a very part-time job as a school crossing guard. I wanted to get mine done over the summer break as I knew the time between eyes would be awkward and then there is a few weeks of healing after the 2nd eye.

I have an appt in early August to get refraction done and get a new pair of glasses. I might not need them full time but want to have a new pair available. When DH went for his refraction he found his new vision is 20/20 and he needs a little help for extra closeup. He didn’t bother to get the glasses. Instead he bought drug store readers and he’s fine. I told him Medicare pays for it and he says he doesn’t need them

 

[Koolau]

It would have been nice if they offered a family discount bundle price……Get four eyes done for the price of three! Now through Labor Day!

I love it!

DW and I always have our eye appts. (and also our dermatologist appts.) together. It's a significant trip, so we wait until we can get the appts scheduled one after the other.

Of course, the eye appts. are sequential. (Derm. appts., we're both sitting there in our underwear together when the doc comes in.)

SO, why NOT a discount? We save the doc all kinds of time.

 

[folivier]

We do the same with our PCP and dermatologist. Main reason though is that we can't or won't forget to ask about something to our doc.

 

[Koolau]

We do the same with our PCP and dermatologist. Main reason though is that we can't or won't forget to ask about something to our doc.

Good point. Last visit to the dermatologist, I was the one who pointed out a spot on DW that I wanted her to check out. She diagnosed it as likely cancer and took a biopsy which was positive. 4 eyes better than two.

 

[target2019]

It would have been nice if they offered a family discount bundle price……Get four eyes done for the price of three! Now through Labor Day!

DH and I are the same age and our cataract situations had been developing for a few years. We just happened to both be at the stage where it was time to get it done.

I have a very part-time job as a school crossing guard. I wanted to get mine done over the summer break as I knew the time between eyes would be awkward and then there is a few weeks of healing after the 2nd eye.

I have an appt in early August to get refraction done and get a new pair of glasses. I might not need them full time but want to have a new pair available. When DH went for his refraction he found his new vision is 20/20 and he needs a little help for extra closeup. He didn’t bother to get the glasses. Instead he bought drug store readers and he’s fine. I told him Medicare pays for it and he says he doesn’t need them

Well, do not hold your breath, as this healthcare boondoggle is very much driven by the almighty dollar!

I do get treated very well, so I don't mind whatever the charge will be. Besides, they clean my glasses each time I go there. Lol.

What's motivating me is September travel plans. I realized after the April appointment that I was going to be unhappy unless I could see things better.

 

[catii]

At age 77, just saw my ophthalmologist, & was pleasantly-surprised when she told me that I'm nowhere near needing cataract surgery. My distance sight is great (20/20 right, 20/40 left), & I use variable lens reading glasses for computer & reading. DW was surprised that she'll need cataract surgery within a year, so thanks for those useful links for her to check out.

 

[akrono]

Implants

When it came time for the cataract surgery I opted for the multi focal implants and it was the best thing I ever did.They provide correction for close up , intermediate and distance vision. I now have 20/20 vision in both eyes and have never had to wear a pair of glasses since the surgery. Its like having your 30 year old eyes once again. As a physically active person, I absolutely hated wearing glasses.
The down side to this is that these lenses are NOT covered by medicare and the cost is completely out of pocket. I would gladly do it again since it has changed the quality of my life. Highly recommended!

 

[Koolau]

When it came time for the cataract surgery I opted for the multi focal implants and it was the best thing I ever did.They provide correction for close up , intermediate and distance vision. I now have 20/20 vision in both eyes and have never had to wear a pair of glasses since the surgery. Its like having your 30 year old eyes once again. As a physically active person, I absolutely hated wearing glasses.
The down side to this is that these lenses are NOT covered by medicare and the cost is completely out of pocket. I would gladly do it again since it has changed the quality of my life. Highly recommended!

Yeah, not available when I needed 'em. Too bad.

 

[target2019]

Two weeks out, and not using glasses when sitting at computer. The left eye has established dominance over the right. Right eye surgery is 3 weeks from today.

I find it helps to use Systane Complete PF 2-3X's a day. I already had dry eye and have used these with success.

https://systane.myalcon.com/products/systane-complete-preservative-free/

 

[NurseSharon]

As an opthamology nurse for the last 18 years, I can attest to how successful this surgery is. The lenses have made huge advancements , and while some patients are apprehensive about it the first time, they are excited to come back for the second one. I hope this helps people who might be unsure of doing this. It can give you freedom from glasses as well as the vision you need to pursue you hobbies.

 

[Sue J]

I had my 1 week follow up appt on my second eye this morning. Everything looks good, keep using the drops and see you in 3 weeks for a refraction appt.

I knew going into this that I would be needing some correction for up close after surgery. I was very nearsighted with diopters of 12.5 and 13.25. Thick glasses even with high index material. Since the surgeries I’ve been able to go without glasses most of the time and then using drug store reading glasses. They work well enough for now. They are just annoying! I will get real glasses with Transition sun protection and correction for reading.

On the way out one of the staff stopped me, “Are you Sue J? I’m so glad I caught you. We overcharged you on one of your surgeries and owe you a refund.”

She had called the home phone number and DH told her I was at their office so she looked for me. Turns out I had a Custom Toric lens but they had charged me for a Premium lens. The difference was $1000!!! So she took my charge card and refunded me the difference.

I remember at my evaluation for the surgeries that the doctor spent a long time deciding on the proper lens for me and he described some special features like increased depth of focus. Well, he must have made a good choice because my distance and intermediate vision in that eye is excellent. That must have been the custom features he was looking for.

 

[frances]

multifocal lenses

I’m almost 60 and scheduled for surgery in August. Still not 100% decided on lens. Mostly likely Toric but haven’t ruled out multi focal.

I have the multifocal toric lenses in both eyes. (yes, they do combine the technology)
Had them done August and September 2021.
I very much like for the most part not wearing readers.
I do still have a little trouble trouble with dry eye.

One minor complaint I do have is halos around lights, the moon, street lights, etc. but I'm not a star gazer so it's a non issue for me.

 

[JBTX]

I have the multifocal toric lenses in both eyes. (yes, they do combine the technology)
Had them done August and September 2021.
I very much like for the most part not wearing readers.
I do still have a little trouble trouble with dry eye.

One minor complaint I do have is halos around lights, the moon, street lights, etc. but I'm not a star gazer so it's a non issue for me.

Thanks for the reply.

At this point I am pretty confused as to what course of action to take. I’m probably going to cancel and defer scheduled August surgery. Having read a couple of threads there was clearly a lot I didn’t know about certain options.

LAL, EDOF and multi focal all seem like viable options. I have no idea which to pick.

I tend to spend a fair amount of time on my iPhone. Almost all forum reading and posting is from phone. I wear glasses all the time. I’m not sure how I will feel about having to put reading glasses on every time I pick up the phone.

The eye doctor said here could be some haloing with the multifocals which doesn’t sound promising.

I’ve always thought I wouldn’t like monovision but right now I’m seeing primarily from my left eye as my right eye cataract has made that eye vision fairly poor.

I asked about having a multi focal in one eye and toric in the other but they didn’t recommend that because they said it makes it more likely you will notice the haloing.

 

[frances]

Thanks for the reply.

I tend to spend a fair amount of time on my iPhone. Almost all forum reading and posting is from phone. I wear glasses all the time. I’m not sure how I will feel about having to put reading glasses on every time I pick up the phone.

The eye doctor said here could be some haloing with the multifocals which doesn’t sound promising.
... they said it makes it more likely you will notice the haloing.

I wore glasses all the time before I had my cataracts done and now, as I said, it's readers only occasionally. As for using readers with my computer or phone - never have had to do that. I only really use them when I'm doing something detailed and small, like making a detailed card (I make cards for friends - think Cricut but I use a different platform that's a bit more complicated).

As far as the halos go, like I said, I've only seen it at night and what I would describe it as would be like when you see a halo around the moon on a night that you're going to get rain. It's truly not bothersome. At least not to me.

 

[folivier]

What's interesting once you have cataract surgery and no longer or seldom have to rely on readers is I'm often reaching up to adjust my non-existent glasses. Also I have to remember to wear safety glasses/goggles when working or cutting something to protect my eyes.

 

[target2019]

As an opthamology nurse for the last 18 years, I can attest to how successful this surgery is. The lenses have made huge advancements , and while some patients are apprehensive about it the first time, they are excited to come back for the second one. I hope this helps people who might be unsure of doing this. It can give you freedom from glasses as well as the vision you need to pursue you hobbies.

Last night my nurse picked me up and we went to ob/gyn appointment.

I saw my little grandchild on the big screen.

I've met many nurses along the long journey, so thanks to all the nurses!

 

[target2019]

Thanks for the reply.

At this point I am pretty confused as to what course of action to take. I’m probably going to cancel and defer scheduled August surgery. Having read a couple of threads there was clearly a lot I didn’t know about certain options.

LAL, EDOF and multi focal all seem like viable options. I have no idea which to pick.

I tend to spend a fair amount of time on my iPhone. Almost all forum reading and posting is from phone. I wear glasses all the time. I’m not sure how I will feel about having to put reading glasses on every time I pick up the phone.

The eye doctor said here could be some haloing with the multifocals which doesn’t sound promising.

I’ve always thought I wouldn’t like monovision but right now I’m seeing primarily from my left eye as my right eye cataract has made that eye vision fairly poor.

I asked about having a multi focal in one eye and toric in the other but they didn’t recommend that because they said it makes it more likely you will notice the haloing.

At 70, much of my time is spent looking at phone, tablet, or computer monitor. So I went with monofocal near vision, and will wear glasses for distance (when I want).

Part of my decision is that I prefer glasses for added protection. Others have preferences for no glasses and go for other options. When I go out I'm going to need sunglasses, so it won't bother me to have some correction for distance.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[Koolau]

And here I sit, trying not to go cross-eyed because an arrogant doctor thought he knew what I needed. He wouldn't listen to me and didn't tell me he was denying my demand for 20:20, not 20:40. I'm also trying to forgive him (I've been forgiven much - heh, heh, from some of you, I'm sure - well, hoping so.)

I'm also trying not to be envious of those who are getting the multi focus lenses. What a wonderful thing that would be.

 

[frances]

And here I sit, trying not to go cross-eyed because an arrogant doctor thought he knew what I needed. He wouldn't listen to me and didn't tell me he was denying my demand for 20:20, not 20:40. I'm also trying to forgive him (I've been forgiven much - heh, heh, from some of you, I'm sure - well, hoping so.)

I'm also trying not to be envious of those who are getting the multi focus lenses. What a wonderful thing that would be.

An arrogant doctor not doing what you want? Really?
Oh I would be SO ... um, irritated. I'd be tempted to do something, but short of getting a lawyer I'm not sure how else it could be handled and then there's the whole having to go through the procedure again. And I definitely wouldn't let that guy touch my eyes again.

And yes, overall I'm pleased with the multi-focal lenses.

 

[badatmath]

Stupid question but do you need the same kind of lens in both eyes? (I guess I'd be looking at toric and mono to see up close).

My eyes are quite different now, one with heavy astigmatism. It would be great to get them to sort of match again one day.

I used to be nearsighted but am now farsighted too and find it the most annoying thing ever. . . (aging RK patient). I think it is because the astigmatism has gotten so much worse but IDK really the cause.

Can anything stave off cataracts? Vitamins, etc?

 

[Koolau]

An arrogant doctor not doing what you want? Really?
Oh I would be SO ... um, irritated. I'd be tempted to do something, but short of getting a lawyer I'm not sure how else it could be handled and then there's the whole having to go through the procedure again. And I definitely wouldn't let that guy touch my eyes again.

And yes, overall I'm pleased with the multi-focal lenses.

Yeah, it was almost 25 years ago and NO, I didn't let him touch my eyes again. Barring demonstrably horrible results (maybe eye loss?) it's impossible to prove negligence - especially since lots of people like the idea of one eye for reading and one eye for distance.

 

[target2019]

Stupid question but do you need the same kind of lens in both eyes? (I guess I'd be looking at toric and mono to see up close).

My eyes are quite different now, one with heavy astigmatism. It would be great to get them to sort of match again one day.

I used to be nearsighted but am now farsighted too and find it the most annoying thing ever. . . (aging RK patient). I think it is because the astigmatism has gotten so much worse but IDK really the cause.

Can anything stave off cataracts? Vitamins, etc?

Causes
Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye's lens. Proteins and fibers in the lens begin to break down, causing vision to become hazy or cloudy.

Some inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems can increase your risk of cataracts. Cataracts can also be caused by other eye conditions, past eye surgery or medical conditions such as diabetes. Long-term use of steroid medications, too, can cause cataracts to develop.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...op when aging,increase your risk of cataracts.

As for vitamins, that's probably been studied.

 

[badatmath]

As for vitamins, that's probably been studied.

Yeah a quick google looked inconclusive at best on vitamins.

I know one lady in her 30s who has already had cataract surgery.

 

[JBTX]

I went ahead and pushed my schedule back to September. As I waffle on the choice, I’m starting to lean towards the Panoptix Trifocal so that I’m not dealing with readers or permanent correction, which I’d likely have to have with the other non multi focal choices. From everything I hear any haloing is not a big deal and not bothersome to most.

Has anybody here had specific experience with the panoptix trifocals?

 

[target2019]

Here is a 2021 article from AArg about the introduction of trifocal IOL:

The first trifocal IOL was recently approved by the FDA for use in the United States. This article will review the optics and use of trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs), focusing on the PanOptix IOL from Alcon, and comparing it to the currently approved bifocal and extended depth of focus lenses in the US. It will also be compared to other trifocal IOLs available internationally. https://eyewiki.aao.org/Trifocal_Intraocular_Lenses

I think there may be concern about normal pupil changes under various light conditions, and the effect on different types of lenses.

I think your surgeon is looking at your eye measurements as you go through the choice of lens.

I am not the best source for information, though. I think that my ophthalmologist looking at the measurements of my eye is the best source. Since we have a long relationship, there's a level of trust.

Alcon is a trusted name. But the evaluation of how suitable a product is for you is up to your ophthalmologist.