Posted on 11/23/2015 10:26:03 AM PST by Allen In Texas Hill Country
Its been about 5 weeks ago I had my first cataract replaced and 4 weeks ago the second. Not meaning to stir up any (too much) controversy I can unconditionally say that if I had it to do over again I absolutely would not have had it done. And I'm posting this entry mainly for nearsighted persons of which I was one. On the one hand I can now clearly see forever and drive a car without glasses. On the other hand, while I only wore glasses while driving a car I now wear glasses near all the time. :<(((((
If your nearsighted you take it for granted when you sit down to eat, look at a computer console pick up the paper, look at a sales tag,,,,,,,,,, and I could go on forever,, that you can read and understand the print, food and whatever. Now I can't! I did not understand that I would lose my nearsightedness. I guess I also should say that I'm guessing that cataract replacement causes this to happen in most/all nearsighted people. If it doesn't and I'm the only unlucky one I apologize for the entry.
So, if you are nearsighted and considering cataract replacement go ahead and do it if it is NEEDED. If it is not needed then give it a bit more thought and/or ask your eye doctor about the effect of your near sightedness. Oh, I did have some cloudiness and now also have a myriad of floaters in one eye that should go away in a month or more.
I am sorry for your experience, but it is not the only outcome and probably not typical to still need glasses all of the time. I had lens replacements more than a decade ago and do not need glasses for near or far vision and I was very near sighted before the surgery. It was a vast improvement over losing clear vision in both eyes and would do it again in the same circumstances. I did, however, thoroughly research various surgical options and surgeons.
How can you be developing cataracts if you had lens replacements? Cataracts develop in the natural lens and that lens is removed before an artificial lens is inserted.
Cataracts are for old people.
I drive a Ford....
Last year at my eye appointment, I mentioned cloudiness and the Dr. told me there were Cataracts developing. I didn’t question further.
I didn’t have a choice. .
One eye was all fogged up to the point that it was unusable.
I had the corrective implant put in and then a couple years later the other eye fogged up the same way.
You might want to get another opinion. If you had lens replacements, the artificial substance used for the replacement lens cannot develop cataracts. There are many other eye conditions that can develop, however, that can cause cloudiness or other distortions.
You can do it any way you want. Only 5 percent of people who have cataract surgery choose to forfeit some distance vision improvement in exchange for not having to wear reading glasses. I was one of those 5 percent. I read for my living and so I was not keen on losing my close-up vision.
It turned out fine. Better than fine. I don’t have to hold reading material a couple of inches away from my eyes in order to read it anymore. I read like a normal person. My distance vision still needs a lot of correction, and I am fine with that. I am going to get middle-vision glasses just for the computer.
The clarity is amazing. I kept going to different places to enjoy the improvement. Times Square was sharp and dazzling once again, after being kind of a blur for many years.
Don’t put it off, once your doctor says you need it. It is scary but NOTHING!! The longer you wait, sometimes the harder it is to get the old lens out and the easier it is to suffer a tear of some kind. Then you have to go back to have the tear corrected.
The operation itself takes 20 minutes. The only hard part is the anxiety.
It is one of the three “miracle” operations that have improved the quality of life enormously for those past middle age, the other two being hip surgery and stents (and bypass).
Great car!
I had been putting off cataract surgery for some time as I was afraid of surgery, especially with my eyes. However, it got to the point that I didn’t feel safe driving, which was restricting me. I did research on the Internet, found a doctor that had good/great responses from his former patients and decided I needed to do it and just had both eyes done a couple of months ago.
My left eye was pretty bad, since I had waited so long (doctor said that was the toughest one he had done - took almost an hour instead of the normal 15-20 minutes). Before we did the surgery we discussed the specific lenses that should be implanted. I’ve been near sighted for years and decided that I’d rather be able to see to drive and other things and use glasses for reading and computer work.
I’ve been THRILLED with the results! I don’t mind using glasses for working at the computer and close up reading (got mine at Costco optical). It’s so great to see each leaves on a tree, flowers, watch TV and do many of the things I had been doing and not seeing well without glasses.
It may depend upon your doctor - I would recommend mine to anyone - he’s super!
Hope things work out for you!
Best,
SC
There was mild cloudiness and he assured me of the 20/20 clear distant vision.
When we lived in Minnesota, our Golden Retriever, Prior Lake Jake, developed a cataract on one eye. Our vet said we were fortunate that there was a dog ophthalmologist, located (naturally) in Edina.
The doctor fixed Jake’s eye in an overnight stay and he came home with a lampshade fixed around his neck to prevent scratching the repair.
Cost was $850.
Love your car. Needed to get cataract surgery. Told doctor I had a strange nerve network in my face so that proper deadening took place. As he was making cut to replace first lens for my right eye I sat up on the table, new lens popped out with some tissue so he used spare lens. Second eye went much better. Can see computer screen and read without glasses by primarily using my left eye and without glasses. Have to have distance vision glasses in order to drive and don’t drive after dark in strange areas. Depth perception is a real problem and I see a retina specialist every three months. As long as the right eye pressure remains steady and doesn’t deteriorate it’s fine and I’ll continue to work around the issues.
Yes, I would do it again but probably with a different doctor or at least make sure that my doctor paid attention to what I said.
You had cataracts replaced or lenses replaced?
I am referring to the coincidence of seeing things about cataract surgery here for the first time. I go tomorrow up in Ontario, Canada. Left eye only. The trials of driving into bright sunshine and then in the dark had me worried. Ok, I am 84 and love my Mini-Van. It is imperative for me to get the surgery. I go for a very searching review next year as an older driver.
The die is cast and I will go through with it. I am near sighted. I have trouble reading now because of the cataract. I hope to be excused putting this question up and should really have got by mail to you.....
My two day preparation with three small containers needs four drops per day from each. Then spread over four weeks still continuing with the drops. It has driven me scatty cos' I am a bad aimer. My wife reluctantly agreed to put the drops in. Just wondered about the preparation in the USA. Is this what has to be done?
See post #12. Something to think about for Charles?
Thanks. It’s hard to find good ones from bad ones til you go to them.
Cataracts.
Yes, it sounds the same. The anxiety about the operation is worse than the op. Its about a 20 minute no pain job. Take care of the eye for the next 2 weeks and its over.
Random thought about the cloudiness you mentioned, probably not related to what you are experiencing, but here goes. After lens replacement, a fairly common side effect is that the membrane that forms the back of the capsule where the natural and then artificial lens is implanted will gradually become cloudy - sometimes quickly and sometimes over a few years. If that happens, the repair is quick and easy, but scary sounding. A doctor will use a targeted laser that is finely calibrated and burn a hole in that membrane behind the lens to remove the occlusion.
I’m sorry it did not work out for you. : (
My father and his brother had cataract surgery and both wished they had done so earlier. Done in their 70’s and 80’s.
I got my little sister lasik this July as she was near -9 nearsighted and her glasses were thick. Now she sees 20/15. She was worried about having to use reading glasses but the plus is she can see great and as she is in Minnesota she will no longer have glasses that fog up in the winter or break. I told as she gets older she will probably need reading glasses but 90% will not.
I too had lasik back in 2007. I was -6. something in both eyes. I have some astigmatism in the right eye and from what I have been reading the eye doctors can correct much of it now. The halo effect should go away or lessen and if it does not then they can do a correction.
I use +1 power reading glasses at work when I look at the pc monitor as the company has lousy Dell Optiplex 790 desktop pcs. The video card uses about 30 watts as the power supply is only 300 watts. I checked into replacing but Dell support recommends another video card that does not improve the text sharpness. My personal desktop is home built and has a video card that recommends as a minimum 500 watts... XFX Radeon R9270X ($149) and a Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H motherboard. ($155) The power supply is a Antec 850 watt one. ($130)
I do not use reading glasses for my pc : )
I can read the text on pill bottles most times but will use reading glasses to read magazines or books occasional as your eyes do get tired and as you age they cannot focus like before.
Think of the positives. Walk outside and look around and see everything sharply where before they were blurry or cloudy. Having to wear reading glasses on sometimes is a small price.
I use these very lightweight reading glasses. Made of titanium. Get the +1 and no stronger unless you really need it. The eye doctor told me not to wear my glasses too much as the eyes will become dependant on them.
LianSan Titanium Lightweight Reading Glasses Men Womens Fashion Rimless
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HUIOS8U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00
Also get the “Snellen WALL Eye Chart”. I can read the bottom line. Type the name at Amazon search box.
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