Not asking for medical advice; I have a very good opthalmologist. He’s said that I am now a candidate for cataract removal, which I understand involves replacing the lenses of my eyes (one at a time) with better ones. He also says that, depending on the results of his pre-op screening, I may also be able to have lasik or similar surgery so that I would not need glasses any more for nearsightedness, presbyopia and astigmatism.
The very idea of somebody taking a sharp object to my eyes creeps me out. Has anyone here had experience with this kind of surgery? What was the actual procedure like? Did you have any post-op difficulties? Did it fix whatever problem caused you to have the procedure?
I expect my doctor to explain in great detail whatever he proposes doing, along with the risks, post-op experience expected, etc., but would like to know what it’s like from point of view of the person submitting to the surgery. Thanks.
I’m looking at (hehe) the same surgery in the next year or so and will look forward to replies on this thread.
MLS, may I ask how old you are? Also, how long has it taken for your cataract(s) to get to the size where they need to be dealt with (from when the doc first detected them)?
I’m 64, and my doc first saw small cataracts (not positive about this) about eight to ten years ago. I’ve always been used to good vision (with glasses) and the cataract in my right eye makes everything slightly double and it is BIG TIME annoying. Especially in the grocery store when I can’t read the overhead signs that tell me what is in what aisle. Also the on-screen menu on my TV.
I’m 66. The first signs of cataracts were noted at least a decade ago, probably more. In fact, they were originally noted by a doctor other than the one I’m seeing now.
I go for checkups at least every 2 years, so I’ve been being told for quite a while that I have cataracts but that they are not serious enough to do anything about. I currently wear progressive lenses.
I had mixed, though generally positive, results. The first one went fine. The second one was somehat botched (there was some debate about why), so I had to have it re-done 3 days later. Then it was fine too. I have been extremely nearsighted since about 4th grade, and after the surgery was the first time I could ever drive without glasses. My sigt went from about 20/300 to 20/40. I do need reading glasses, and I do have distance glasses as well, but they’re not particularly needed.
One other thing. When I had the surgery there were lenses that were very new on the market, and they were designed to be flexed and moved by your eye muscles, so there would be no near- or far-sightedness after the surgery. Theye were so new that my doc refused to consider using them on me, saying there weren’t enough results in to say whether they worked, didn’t work, or made things worse. He offered to refer me to another doc who was trying them, but then my suurgery woulld be delayed by months and I was already unable to drive or walk across the street without risking my life. So I went with the standard lenses.
I dunno – maybe there is more evidence on on those lenses by now. Ask your doc.
And another thing. I was asked whether I would rather be slightly near-sighted or slightly far-sighted after the surgery. I chose slightly far-sighted, since I’ve been near-sighted since forever, and I wanted a change of scenery. I’d guess you’ll be asked that as well.
Local. The eye doc blamed the anesthesiologist for the bad results of the 2nd sugery – that my thrashing around (not in pain, though, just too much movement) might have caused the misimplantation. I had a different anesthesiologist for each of the 3 surgeries. The first 2 were done in an outpatient medical center, and it was the second one of those that went wrong. The third “make good” surgery was in a hospital which used only board-certified anesthesiologists (the other place didn’t).
This might be helpful. I wrote it a few months after the second surgery. In post #4 I linked to the several other threads I did about the whole experience.
I re-read my old threads and there were things I forget about, including that my eye was exptremely bloodshot after the first surgery because it moved while the doctor was holding it. But there was no damage done.
I am having this surgery tomorrow. Will tell you how it went.
I think you may have misheard him. I don’t think he suggested that you have lasik at the same time. What they do is manufacture the lens that they use to replace yours during the cataract surgery with the parameters that would correct your vision.
When they were discussing surgery with me a couple of weeks ago, they said there are three types of lenses out now:
The standard lens - it would correct your nearsightedness but doesn’t correct astigmatism and you’d need reading glasses.
The more expensive lens ($900+ per eye over the standard one, and insurance doesn’t cover that amount) - same as standard lens, but corrects for astigmatism. Still need reading glasses.
The most expensive lens (not sure how much) - corrects everything except astigmatism.
Since I have some astigmatism in one eye, and none in the other, I went with one standard and one #2 above.
Oh and the anaesthesia is going to be the “twilight” kind - the same thing they do when they are doing colonoscopies.
I had cataract surgery on one eye when I was 45. The doc asked if I wanted the lens to see up close or far away. I said give me distance. My thoughts being…when on the beach I would like to check out the chicks without my glasses. So one eye sees up close and the other for distance. The call it mono vision. I like it. I don’t need reading glasses. When I ride I put in a contact lens and both eyes see distance, and I need glasses to read. I understand now they have lens implants that see distance and close up. After the surgery lights had halos. It kind of freaked me out, but they went away.
I am pretty sure the doctor said they’d do all the correction at once. However, he didn’t promise that I would be a candidate for everything; they will decide that when the do the pre-op. But of course I’ll ask for clarification.
The twilight sleep like for a colonoscopy would be fine with me. I’m relieved that it won’t be just numb the eyeball.
And yes, he did tell me that the basic is mostly all covered by my insurances but anything beyond that is not. It could run up to as much as $2000 per eye. Yikes!
I’ll be watching this thread, too. I have been officially diagnosed with cataracts that affect one eye enough to require surgery. My opthamologist was happy for me, hehe, as she’s waiting for hers to get bad enough that she can get both done at once. I’ve known for some time that my left eye is practically useless. Well, not practically, as it works just fine for most things. Just don’t ask me to close my right eye and do anything…like pass a driver’s license exam. I am just 45, so I am waiting for the other eye to drop, so to speak, and get them both done.
Even though I’ve had chelazions excised, which involved holding MYSELF STILL while the doc cut and vaccuumed out my eye <shudder> it did not leave me with fond memories, and hope like hell this kind of thing requires being knocked out. I don’t think I could ‘hold still and steady’ all the way through a cataract operation, gah.
Ditto; I am 45. I had one doctor, over a decade ago, get excited about what he saw in my left eye; he said it looked ‘like the Milky Way’, and asked if he could call in another doctor to take a look. i was amused. I’ve never had any head trauma, so the docs figure this is all calcium deposits from before birth.
Wish me luck.