I got the verdict from my ophthalmologist this morning. It’s time for cataract surgery. I go back July 7 for a pre-op visit and surgery within a couple weeks. He wants to do the right eye first. Then the Left eye a month later.
Meanwhile I need to decide on my lens. He can give me Tv/driving vision with no glasses. Reading would require glasses.
Or he can give me Reading vision with no glasses. I’d wear glasses for tv/driving.
I’ve always been near sighted. I got my first glasses because Sheet music (age 12) on a stand is fuzzy. I require glasses to read a computer screen.
I still read my phone or a book without glasses. I do have to remove the glasses. I’ve avoided bifocals.
Decisions, Decisions. I’d love reading a computer and driving without glasses. But, that’s backwards from my normal near-sighted vision. I have time to think about it.
They do have a multi use lens for close-up and distance. My ophthalmologist said he’s stopped implanting them in patients. The lens didn’t work well.
There’s also monovision, but it’s not for everybody. Often, a trial with contact lenses is the best way to see if you’re well suited, but then you’d have to be out of the contacts for a couple of weeks before the actual cataract surgery (, since even soft contact lenses can subtly alter the shape of your cornea and affect the surgeon’s lens power calculations):
As someone who is definitely in need of cataract surgery in the left eye (but I’ve been postponing it) this kind of thing interests me greatly. From what I can find, there are a number of brands of multifocal intraocular lens (MF IOL), and a company called Alcon seems to make a lot of them, including Vivity and PanOptix, with different properties and costs. They apparently work well for many people, but not everyone, and there is a neuro-adaptation period with all of them. Some patients apparently never adapt, or are otherwise dissatisfied with them.
Interesting article here, directed at ophalmologists, for dealing with such unhappy patients that contains some useful info:
Personally my inclination at the moment is to take a conservative approach, and simply opt for a monofocal lens that gives my left eye the same focus as my right, so I continue to have excellent uncorrected near vision and wear glasses for driving and other situations where I need sharp distance vision.
I’m inclinrd to do the same. Get the traditional monofocal lens set for near vision.
That’s the type of vision I’ve always had. I do need to ask my doctor about computer monitors. Is it near or far vision?
I wear glasses working on the computer. It’s become a struggle at work. I’ve always stood behind a staff member and read the screen as we discuss their tech problem. The last few years it’s fuzzy and I sometimes miss what’s on the monitor.
Be sure to ask. But also measure the distance from your eyes to the computer monitor. It helps them to know how far away you sit. I have bifocals for near/far and computer glasses instead of trifocals because I spend almost all work time on a computer. I find that I wear those glasses most of the time, but that’s just me. Bifocals are for everything else, though I can do cooking and stuff with the computer glasses. Talk to the doc, because they know the experiences of many patients and can help you determine what works for you. Me? I want good distance vision.
Thank you carnut.
I’m looking forward to the surgery and improving my vision. Friends have told stories of being surprised at the difference. Little things like dust on a ceiling fan are noticed.
I think @carnut gave you good advice. My own situation is quite different.
I spend a lot of time either in front of the computer monitor or laptop or reading (or using my tablet, or Kindle, all of which are equivalent to reading a book). I’ve been near-sighted since adolescence, but glasses are fine for distance vision, and I’ve always been grateful that my eyes are perfect for the increasingly numerous things I do that require near vision. Furthermore, my distance vision without glasses isn’t really all that bad.
This all went to hell when my left eye developed cataracts, and became super-near-sighted. The right eye remains as always. So my particular objective with an IOL is to restore my left eye to its original focus. That’s all I want. Other patients may have entirely different objectives, but using a post-cataract multifocus IOL to entirely eliminate the need for glasses is clearly going to be more challenging, particularly (AIUI) for unassisted near-distance vision.
Those really were my exact objectives too, at least until they did the surgery on the left eye a couple of weeks ago, and I subsequently realized how bad my right eye really is (not just focus, but color and sharpness…everything I see with my right eye is just so sepia-toned and grimy).
So now I go in next Monday for the right eye, which I absolutely would not have predicted two months ago.
Both eyes are/will be single-focus, and I will need glasses for distance viewing, they’ll just be a lot thinner.
Thanks. I may be in that same position. I was told I have slight cataracts in the right eye, too, but not enough to justify surgery.
BTW, as part of the testing they also did a glaucoma test. I agreed it was important because glaucoma cannot be cured, but can be managed if caught early. Turns out I’m fine – just have cataracts. I think it’s advisable for anyone who is old and decrepit like me to get tested for glaucoma.
That’s an unusual take on the multifocals. Are you sure he wasn’t talking about the sort that purports to adapt within the eye somewhat like the natural lens does? (“accommodative”) Because THOSE never worked well (my eye doc noted, and said she never used them for that reason) - while the dual focus sort are pretty commonplace. If it’s something you’re interested in, it might be worth getting a second opinion.
My ophthalmologist did not voice any qualms about it at all - just over 3 years back. The previous one did make the valid point that people who have trouble with progressive / bifocal glasses (like me) were likely to be unhappy with them. I went that route anyway, as I had been able to adapt to room distance progressives (computer / reading distance, sorta could see TV, but would not drive with them). I opted for the low-add version.
There absolutely is an adjustment - and I do see haloes around lights when driving at night. I don’t really notice them unless I want to - my brain has gotten good about basically saying “not relevant info, pay attention to other stuff”. Since I was beginning to see haze around lights at night ANYWAY (due to the cataracts), it’s actually no worse than that, and in some ways better.
But by and large, it’s been a non-issue. I didn’t ever have to think about how to focus my eyes when switching from, say, distance to dashboard. I can see a computer screen adequately for short tasks, though I do wear glasses for all-day use as they do provide clearer vision.
All right, my right eye is now in full re-lensification mode!, and my eyesight is terrifically enhanced. Woot! There’s more soreness in this eye, but on the flip side, it didn’t require a stitch.
But now I can see all the places that need repainting in the house, so there’s that.
Also, some billing issues from the hospital, and they are basically resisting contact, but I’ll get that sorted out.
Definitely worth making sure you understood everything, and have the best info possible about all the options. That was what terrified me about the whole thing: that I’d choose an option, and find that it truly was intolerable - and it’s not terribly easy to revise a lens implant! I gather it CAN be done, but the docs would prefer not to have to (as would I). So you’re doing the right thing by gathering all the info possible well ahead of time.
Also, make sure you and the doc are using the same terms to mean the same thing. I had noted, back in August 2018, that my eye doc kept using “accommodating” to mean the multifocals, where websites referred to “accommodating” to mean the sort of lens that responds to eye muscles to try to mimic what the natural lens does. She was very clear that they do NOT do that latter sort any more because they worked so poorly.
@enipla (the OP) and I have both gotten multifocal implants, and are happy with the results. Dunno if anyone else in the thread has stated, one way or the other.
An article from a couple years ago, talking about patient satisfaction with the two types (accommodative, multifocal):
And an article on a couple of upcoming types of accommodative lenses that are under development:
OP here. I now have a cataract in my right eye. It was expected. The left eye that I had surgery on is doing great, and is doing all the work.
I would have had this done a month ago, but it interfered with a three week trip to Hawaii. I’ll get on it as soon as this vacation is over and I’m back home on the mainland.
We can only experience the lenses we choose, no do-overs allowed…
Having said that, I have been very happy with my Vivity lenses (see up thread) which are ‘extended depth of field’ as opposed to the older ‘multi-focal’ lenses.
Slightly different correction in each eye. Dominant eye has perfect distance correction. The other is corrected for close reading, good enough for tablet and phone but not full mono-vision. I have weak readers, 1.25, for occasional use with small text.
One adjustment I’m having to make: for pretty much my whole life I’ve read books by holding them up to my face. That doesn’t work now, as my eyes can’t focus that closely; instead, I have to hold them about a foot away. Not a major problem, just something to get used to.
I’d like to have the vision of a 20 year old but that of 40 (occasional use of readers) is good enough.
One thing I realized during this process was how much your eyes work with each other and your brain. I kept comparing by closing one eye, then the other. Then I realized that my brain integrated the image from each eye and I saw better with both eyes open. Despite a slight difference in correction between them, my brain seems to shift from one eye to the other depending on what I look at.
The lens may not refocus but my brain does. My Dr explained that the Vivity lens is easier for the brain to accept than monovision with one near and one far single focus lens.
