Cataract surgery

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halfwright said:
I posted on another thread that I was having cataract surgery and it drew a few comments, so I thought I would share my experience.

I had the left eye done almost 3 weeks ago and the right eye done last Tuesday. I had the option of having the lens for distance or close-up vision. I chose distance.  The results have been fantastic. I have worn glasses for 60 years. Now, I see distance better than I ever did, even with glasses.  Whites and colors are at least 30% brighter. I bought a $5 pair of reading glasses  (2 power) and can read and use the computer easily. I am going to call mine "eating glasses" not reading glasses because I use them to see my food also.  The great thing is the distance vision.  I find myself just looking around and thinking, "I never noticed that before." The lens replacements is so much better than glasses. Glasses can get dirty, scratched and have reflections. If any of you have done photo editing, it is much like the "sharpen" function. The edges of everything are  more defined and details are clearer.

I asked the receptionist how many surgeries that the doctor does, since Rene said that should be a factor. He operates only on Tuesday and has follow-ups on Wednesday. He had 9 scheduled for last Tuesday and she said he usually does from 12 to 15. I did  get a scratch on the cornea of my right eye that caused it to heal 2 days slower than the left, but now it is as good as the other.

Last night was the first time I did any night driving since the operation. I had tried to avoid night driving for the last year or more.  Before the oncoming headlights were a large glob of light and with rays extending out. Now,  they actually look like headlights.

The surgery itself was relatively painless, just some pain from the injections (2) around the eye. The "fear" factor was the worse thing for me. It was very uncomfortable for me to be tied to a table and my head strapped down. That, and not being able to see, caused anxiety. Healing time was 2 days for the left and 4 for the right. There is a feeling of sand in the eye or an arc burn from welding. Drops are prescribed.

Is it life changing? Probably not, but  it is surely life  improving to a large degree and I would dertainly do it again.
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Your experience pretty much reflects the same as mine Jim but I never had any pain at all and don't even recall the surgery being performed but that was 5 years ago.  Now two weeks ago I had laser surgery to remove a film that frequently follows cataract surgery.  I had no idea that I had developed the film before the Dr spotted in on my yearly exam.  Quite common supposedly.  My wife developed a film after two years.  The corrective 'surgery' is a 5 minute treatment with a laser in an office setting - no meds or anything.  Tomorrow I go back to the regular eye doc to see if my vision has changed enough to need a new presription but I don't think it has.  However, the results of the laser surgery were spectacular.  Everything seemed so much brighter all around me. Even my computer screen looked three times brighter on the lettering and displays.  So keep that in mind for the future.

Bill
 
I have mono vision and adapted easily. Actually, I think I could have just had the far seeing eye done as I was very near sighted.  Subsequent to Lasic I had a detached retina in the far eye that changed the vision to near sighted. I elected cateract surgery on that eye to restore far sight; worked quite well. Incidentally, the main difference I observed with mono vision was less brightness. That is I need more light to see clearly.

A caution - after the buckle is used to correct a detached retina, it is rare but blood leakage can form a blister on the eye. I had one and the dr diagnosed incorrectly as cancer and instructed me to have the eye removed. Fortunately his pardner disagreed with his diagnosis and I got a third opinion. Actually just pierced the blister (bubble) to drain it. Scarey stuff!

Ernie
 
Mrs. Muddypaws got her left eye done a couple of weeks ago.  She breezed through the surgery and now had perfect eyesight in that eye.  Like many her comment was "why did I wait so long?"
 
I've worn glasses since before I started school because my poor sister almost flunked first grade.  She couldn't see the blackboard!  I'm very farsighted.  Back in the 1970s I tried the new soft contact lenses.  They were wonderful for about a week - except I didn't recognize that person in the mirror!  Then my eyes started getting extremely "scratchy" and it affected me enough that the girls I worked with told me I had given them a fair try and needed to ditch them before I drove THEM crazy!  That little episode caused a permanent dry eye condition made worse by allergies.  I'm intending to put off cataract surgery as long as possible because I use prescription eye drops to prevent the itching but sometimes they're so bad I really rub my eyes a lot.  It seems logical that rubbing like that would be bad with implanted lenses.  Luckily my cataracts are very slow growing.

By the way, YAG lasers are used when that "film" develops.  It's kind of like a scar tissue.  Jerry thought he might need it but the doctor (who has done thousands of cataract surgeries) says he doesn't need it.  The first night we went out and I drove but he said the lights really bothered him.  He's definitely more sensitive to light now than he was and prefers to sit at tables facing away from windows when it's bright outside.

Mother had her cataract surgeries when she was around 75 and said her vision was like when she was 20.

This has been an interesting and very informative discussion.

ArdraF
 
Jim,
My cataract surgery experience last summer is virtually identical to yours.  I've worn glasses for 60 years, too!  My biggest issue is the ingrained memory.  I still want to take off my glasses, which I no longer wear, when I go to bed, and put them on in the morning.  After my first eye was done, I noticed the "new" eye saw brighter and whiter, while the "old" eye saw yellow and a bit fuzzy.  My night vision is improved.

Rene, hold out for cataracts!  With Medicare and a supplement, my total out of pocket cost was $$$-0-!  One script was expensive, so Dr used a different med which my ins did cover.
 
Thanks to all who have told of their experiences and others that shared their knowledge. I now have things that I know to look out for, such as safety glasses and "fog" or secondary cataracts. I hope that all you old people have benefited from this thread as much as I have.
 
halfwright said:
Thanks to all who have told of their experiences and others that shared their knowledge. I now have things that I know to look out for, such as safety glasses and "fog" or secondary cataracts. I hope that all you old people have benefited from this thread as much as I have.
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Thanks Half for starting this thread. I learnt an awful lot. I'm going to wait till I get the cataracts before doing anything like Gordon said. I was talking to the DW last night and I was wondering if I should wish for cataracts or let mother nature take it's course.  ???
 
Halfwright, did you have laser surgery to do your cataracts?  I had mine done a year ago and she did it with a scalpel, never had injections, just a couple of drops.  I have a slight astigmatism, which could be corrected with the new lens, but Medicare does not cover that lens.  Will have to get glasses to correct that plus I need to have progressive lenses to cover my reading needs.
 
My wife and I have both had cataract surgery and been very pleased with the results. She was 68 for hers, and I was 71 for mine. Our Medicare Advantage plans paid all but about $200 in procedure and drug co-pays. Our dog even had the surgery at Cornell University Vet Hospital when she was 12 years old and nearly blind with cataracts, and it made a very noticeable difference in her quality of life.
 
Keven,

It was a laser.

Another thing I learned is that taking Flomax , Tamsulosin or any medicine for urine control can cause problems in the surgery in some cases. There is a work-around for it,  but the surgeon needs to know if you are taking the medicine.

 
halfwright said:
Keven,

It was a laser.

Another thing I learned is that taking Flomax , Tamsulosin or any medicine for urine control can cause problems in the surgery in some cases. There is a work-around for it,  but the surgeon needs to know if you are taking the medicine.
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Jim - According to the surgeon who repositioned my IOL's, Flomax, Tamsulosin, or any of the other prostate medications are Alpha blockers and alpha blockers dissolve the zonules - the tiny fibers that hold the lens capsule in place - and that is what caused my problem. When the first one had to be repositioned in February, he told me it would only be a matter of time, not if, that the other eye would have the same problem. And it did, seven months later. Dissolving celluloid, which is what the zonules are made of, is one of the additional affects of these drugs. It would have been nice if my primary care doctor who perscribed these meds to me would have told me of the future risks, knowing that my lens had already been replaced and the zonules had been weakened.
 
John Stephens said:
Jim - According to the surgeon who repositioned my IOL's, Flomax, Tamsulosin, or any of the other prostate medications are Alpha blockers and alpha blockers dissolve the zonules - the tiny fibers that hold the lens capsule in place - and that is what caused my problem. When the first one had to be repositioned in February, he told me it would only be a matter of time, not if, that the other eye would have the same problem. And it did, seven months later. Dissolving celluloid, which is what the zonules are made of, is one of the additional affects of these drugs. It would have been nice if my primary care doctor who perscribed these meds to me would have told me of the future risks, knowing that my lens had already been replaced and the zonules had been weakened.
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WOW.  Now that is news to me and I do take Tamsulosin so I am going to check this out right away.

Bill
 
I also take tamsulosin and have for about 8 years. There was no problem during the surgery, but I am concerned about continuing to take it. I do not know if the problem is cumulative or how wide spread it is. I, too, am going to talk to my primary physician. I was told to stop taking tamsulosin and warfarin 4 days prior to surgery. But, from John's experience, the effects might be cumulative. Now another thing to worry about.

Bill, let us know what you find out.
 
I am very nearsighted and I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old.  In my late 50s I was diagnosed with cataracts.  In 2014 I had a detached retina and needed a repair.  Not fun.  The cataracts were repaired with new lens later in the year.  I had bad astigmatism along with bad nearsighted vision.  I tested out with 20/20 in my right eye and 20/30 in the left.

This year my right eye was getting cloudy again and I was told I needed a procedure to remove the membrane behind the lens.  This was a laser procedure and only took a few minutes to fully restore my vision.  I have 20/20 in both eyes now. 

I can't speak to other medications, I only take a baby aspirin each day and nothing else.

"CX"  now 62
 
Will have to get glasses to correct that plus I need to have progressive lenses to cover my reading needs.
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If you haven't had progressive lenses before do talk with your optician about the difference between them and bi- or tri-focals with lines.  Not everyone can adjust to them.  Jerry tried them and finds the ones with lines more to his liking.  I don't believe I would like them and I'm used to the lines.

ArdraF
 
I have to wear lined bifocals. I suffer from vertigo really bad with progressive lens.
 
Rene T said:
Hi Max,
I was kinda bumbed when the doctor said I was not a candidate at this time. We're going on a 10 day cruise the end of January and was looking forward and was all siked (spelling?) up to not need glasses before the cruise.
Yes I decided against it for 2 reasons. One was that I may get cataracts anytime in the future and having it done now, it would have been a waste of money and two, it would have cost $9000.00.  :'( :)(
I'll wait till I need it done. 
I need to hear from more people who had the "mono vision" surgery.  Right now, I would do the distance and live with having to wear glasses for reading. I don't read much anyway.
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I am definitely unhappy with mono vision.  A good doc would let you try contacts to see if you can tolerate mono vision.  Eric is happy that he had both eyes adjusted for distance.  BTW, if given a second chance I would never have opted for Lasik.  I was never a good candidate considering my age and my visual needs for activities I enjoy. 
 
John Stephens said:
MN Blue Skies sounds like he or she had an incompetent eye surgeon. LASIK should not hurt other than a bit of stinging for about a day that a couple of aspirin or Tylenol can alleviate. Someone else brought up the point of making sure your doctor has performed the surgery of any kind - cataract or LASIK - numerous times. Going to a doctor that performs eight or nine surgeries in one day means nothing. You want to find a doctor who has performed this surgery a minimum of 10,000 times. A good doctor would have not waited to suggest contacts until after the surgery to determine if you could tolerate mono vision, but instead, prescribe you contacts prior to the surgery and ask you to wear them for a month. Please do not assume that LASIK is not good for anyone just because you had a bad experience. I'm very sorry that this happened to you, but I think it was due to the individual doctor, not the overall procedure.
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John, the doctor who did my Lasik surgery has performed over 98,000 procedures.  Possibly more than any other doctor in Minnesota.  I think his practice has devolved into a Lasik mill.  I absolutely agree that he should have given me the option of trying contacts for mono vision.  Beyond the problems with the mono vision I also have problems with ghosting, halos, etc.  It's extremely difficult for driving much less driving with an RV.  (Depth perception is a common problem with mono vision.) I understand that many people are happy with Lasik but there is no going back for those of us who have had problems.  I'm very glad this subject came up so that people who are considering Lasik realize that there can be a downside.
 
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