CATARACT surgery and specialty lenses

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Well I got my "Ah ha" moment! Looked out to the courtyard with surgical eye and everything was bright, clear and colorful. Non surgical eye was dull and yellowish. Yay!

I remember the experience after getting the patch removed after the first eye was done. I said to myself - "I remember that color. It's called white." I alternately covered and uncovered, just to grasp how much vision I had lost due to the cataracts. Not just the dulling and loss of vibrancy in colors, but how much extra light I needed to be able to read pre-surgery vs. post-surgery.

 

[Sandi Bo]

Well I got my "Ah ha" moment! Looked out to the courtyard with surgical eye and everything was bright, clear and colorful. Non surgical eye was dull and yellowish. Yay!

Now, is it a problem if I wear my pre-surgery bifocal prescription glasses looking through the lens with the post surgical eye which was corrected for distance vision? I guess I'm wondering if I'll "mess the surgery up." I can see the tv better without the glasses but for reading they work pretty well. However, I find myself walking around wearing them instead of just using them as reading glasses.

So... I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. However, here I am playing one on TUG...

After my PRK in 1999, my eye doctor said I could wear corrective lenses to see the computer screen at work (I was a developer, ALWAYS on the computer) but he cautioned I might have a better overall result if I did not. He said do it if I need to, but my eyes would likely have an overall better correction healing to the 'naked eye'. I think that makes sense, eyes are so amazing how they work together for the good of giving you the very best vision they can. I followed the same advice after my cataract surgery 2 years ago. If I wanted one eye to work for my far vision and one for reading, I wanted them to learn to work as best they could on their own. I did not use reading glasses after my cataract surgery (which at this point was (and still is) only one eye I had cataract surgery on. That eye has the fancy corrective lens that adjusts for reading. I can say I never use reading glasses, that one (corrected) eye does all the reading work. I might have to get in better lighting or use a magnifying glass - but that is for things printed ridiculously small or with colors that don't contrast well.

 

[GetawaysRus]

Now, is it a problem if I wear my pre-surgery bifocal prescription glasses looking through the lens with the post surgical eye which was corrected for distance vision? I guess I'm wondering if I'll "mess the surgery up." I can see the tv better without the glasses but for reading they work pretty well. However, I find myself walking around wearing them instead of just using them as reading glasses.

Wearing your old (pre-surgery) glasses will not damage the operated eye.

They are now of course the wrong power for that eye, so they will blur the vision in that eye somewhat. So you might develop asthenopia (and that's your vocabulary word for the day). Asthenopia translates as eye strain or eye fatigue, and might cause headaches or pain/discomfort in or around the eyes. If you get uncomfortable, remove those "wrong" glasses.

If you don't have a lot of astigmatism, another way to try to get by temporarily is to purchase an over the counter (non-prescription) pair of reading glasses. This doesn't work for everyone, and again can cause eye strain (particularly if the required reading lens power is quite different between the two eyes). To try this: bring some reading material, stand at the rack of readers in the store, start with putting on something like a +2.00 power. Hold your reading material at your comfortable reading distance. You can try different power readers to see if you find a power that's comfortable.

 

[Glynda]

Had my second surgery a week ago. Nice to have great distance vision. However, when I don't have glasses on, I feel myself squinting or maybe I'm scowling. Anyway there is tension around my eyes without them. Hate, hate, hate readers!!! I am constantly switching out or looking for glasses. I've tried three strengths, even bifocal sunglasses. I've worn glasses for so many years that I forget to take the readers off and then everything fuzzes up as I start to walk. I don't go for final appointment until mid April but I do think I will get prescription progressive glasses then.

 

[Passepartout]

Had my 3rd adjustment today on left (near) eye, and the lock-in on the right (distance) eye. I think that tomorrow, the vision will seem better. Still dilated some and a bit tender now. I have found that reading small, close print- like recipes, medicine bottles etc., I find myself covering or closing the distance eye. vice-versa if I want to see a distant object, covering the 'near' eye makes the brain see the object quicker. I'm told that the brain will train itself fairly soon. Whooppee!

If I'd really thought this through, I might have just kept what I had- that is, monovision, post RK & LASIK. I had bifocal eyeglasses that compensated for the shortcomings of the eye surgeries. It may come down to ordering more bifocals to correct what this leaves me with.

I knew, and expected that I wouldn't have my pre, middle-age eyes. So. . . it is what it is at this point.

Jim

 

[Rolltydr]

Had my second surgery a week ago. Nice to have great distance vision. However, when I don't have glasses on, I feel myself squinting or maybe I'm scowling. Anyway there is tension around my eyes without them. Hate, hate, hate readers!!! I am constantly switching out or looking for glasses. I've tried three strengths, even bifocal sunglasses. I've worn glasses for so many years that I forget to take the readers off and then everything fuzzes up as I start to walk. I don't go for final appointment until mid April but I do think I will get prescription progressive glasses then.

I had cataract surgery last August and have only worn sunglasses since, having worn readers or prescription glasses for 20 years before that. I still find myself reaching to adjust or take my glasses off. It’s not because of my vision, it’s because, at times, I can still feel them on the bridge of my nose.

 

[Passepartout]

So now, two days post one eye all locked in, I think this whole adjustable lens thing is the real deal. It was costly (about $6K) and took more time than I wished.

Next Wednesday will be the final lock-in, then 24 yours later I can ditch the UV blocking glasses. I find I can read, drive, pretty much do whatever I want to do sans-eyeglasses. I think that will continue to improve.

Jim

 

[Sandy VDH]

I remember the experience after getting the patch removed after the first eye was done. I said to myself - "I remember that color. It's called white." I alternately covered and uncovered, just to grasp how much vision I had lost due to the cataracts. Not just the dulling and loss of vibrancy in colors, but how much extra light I needed to be able to read pre-surgery vs. post-surgery.

I had my first surgery yesterday, I go back for my next day follow up his afternoon. I too am surprised by the amount of light that the cataract was filtering out. The difference between the two eye is actually amazing. Everything is losing the sepia filter that had been in place, and I hadn' really noticed until it was removed.

I got a Clareon PanOptix UW IOL lens yesterday.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Did my right eye today. Same lens as left. But I have a typo up there I can no longer fix. Clareon PanOptix UV IOL len

My left 2 weeks out in really clear short and mid, but not yet happy with my distance. I am right eye dominant so the Dr things it should improve as my right eye heals and takes over that dominant role again.

THey do say 3 to 6 months for everything to settle down.

My 1st post surgery check up is tomorrow.

 

[Glynda]

Three months post last eye surgery and I just had to go back to progressive prescription glasses. The readers just drove me crazy. I'm bothered most by how bright sunlight and other lights are. I can not walk outside on a sunny day without my sunglasses or or I am blinded until I can get them on. We've been to some concerts and movies where I also had to wear sunglasses inside.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Three months post last eye surgery and I just had to go back to progressive prescription glasses. The readers just drove me crazy. I'm bothered most by how bright sunlight and other lights are. I can not walk outside on a sunny day without my sunglasses or or I am blinded until I can get them on. We've been to some concerts and movies where I also had to wear sunglasses inside.

I have light hazel eyes, I was already bothered by too much sun and have had to wear polarizing sunglasses for years, or I get an huge head ache from squinting. Lighter colored eyes need sun protection.

 

[Glynda]

I have light hazel eyes, I was already bothered by too much sun and have had to wear polarizing sunglasses for years, or I get an huge head ache from squinting. Lighter colored eyes need sun protection.

Ah ha! I have hazel eyes too. I guess they are light. They are a bluish green.

 

[Kozman]

I had cataract surgery about 6 years ago. I too had the specialty lenses implanted. I too do not need glasses for near or far. However I have retina damage that limits the vision in one eye to 20-40. But I’m happy. Seems the cost back then was $2k. Shows how much inflation we’ve had.

 

[pedro47]

Followup visit with the eye surgeon went great. My right eye (the "good" one) is testing at 20/25, trending toward 20/20 - on the day after surgery. He expects it will be a solid 20/20 by the time it's healed. Left eye is hovering between 20/30 and 20/25 after two weeks, and will likely stay there. But in combination with the extra-dominant, high-performing right eye, it looks like I won't be needing glasses at all - probably not even readers. Things have improved just since this morning, and now I can easily see my computer screen, laptop screen, and even my cell phone, all without glasses. The readers I bought will need to be returned to the store. I just don't need them.

I am absolutely gobsmacked. I've worn glasses for 65 years. I never expected to not need them. Stay tuned...

Dave

DaveNV, it has been almost ten (10) months since your cataract surgery. How are your eyes doing?
I’m now a candidate for cataract surgery after 77 years.

 

[Passepartout]

DaveNV, it has been almost ten (10) months since your cataract surgery. How are your eyes doing?
I’m now a candidate for cataract surgery after 77 years.

Welcome to the club! I got the Light Adjustable Lenses. They have settled in and I haven't even used readers. Cataract is the most common surgery now. You will be fine and enjoy how much brighter the world looks.

 

[Glynda]

Welcome to the club! I got the Light Adjustable Lenses. They have settled in and I haven't even used readers. Cataract is the most common surgery now. You will be fine and enjoy how much brighter the world looks.

Yes! So bright that I must put on my sunglasses before leaving a building and also take them to a concert or movie theater! Alas, I broke down and got progressive RX glasses and sunglasses as the reader thing was just ridiculous.

 

[Elan]

I went in to get my "other" eye evaluated for IOL implant as I have a small cataract directly in my field of vision. I had the first eye done around 6 years ago with a multifocal implant. Still have soft multifocal contact in the good (non IOL) eye and have not had to use readers. IOL eye is good from around 12-18" and beyond, contact eye allows me to read inside that 12-18". Anyhow, I told the doctor I didn't want to wear readers and could I go with another multifical lens that "cheated" towards near vision at the expense of reduced far vision (current IOL gives ~20/25 vision). He was fully on board with the idea. And in agreement that I could still throw on a mildly corrective soft lens if I wasn't totally happy with the results. BTW, both of my eyes refract to minus double digits (for glasses) without correction.
So, that's the current plan. Now I just need to get glasses with one corrective lens and one non-prescription lens such that I can go without the contact lens for at least a week prior to final measurements. Not quite sure what that's gonna look like...

 

[pedro47]

Thanks everyone for your replies.