# In YOUR opinion, when’s the best time to get cataract surgery? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189 "2024-06-22T02:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/101 "2024-07-12T00:45:09Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > The difference is incredible. I haven’t seen this clearly in decades. That is awesome! So glad for you. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/102 "2024-07-12T13:01:56Z")
Yes, Hooray for success on Round 1. On to Round 2. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/103 "2024-07-12T16:38:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > _This_ surgery it’s about not being too far away from the doctor during recovery. I never even thought to ask about whether it was safe to fly after my surgeries. We went (driving) to visit our daughter in Vermont a week after #2, and were considering going to a ski resort to go tubing. I asked the doc if this was okay, and he said yes, as long as I wore goggles. Which I would have anyway. We wound up not going tubing after all, so it was moot. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > I called and by great good luck my ophtho had a cancellation for this Monday just 2 workdays from today. So I’ll see them in the morning and get this ball rolling 2+ months sooner than previously planned. Yay! When they initially scheduled my 2 procedures, one was to be in early December and the other in January. I asked them to let me know if they had a cancellation that would let me move the second eye up into December, both because I wanted it DONE, and because I’d hit my out-of-pocket limit for the year (plus, it was likely we’d be able to take a medical deduction that year and I wanted the extra out of pocket costs to count). I too got lucky; got #2 done 2 weeks after #1. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/104 "2024-07-12T16:56:30Z")
It is amazing how often my health is great until about Sep, then there’s a flurry of issues that finally fill my OOP for the year in about Nov, and the follow-treatments _always_ run into Jan so I end paying OOP for stuff that ought to have been free if it had happened another month sooner. Just another way the US healthcare paying “system” sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/105 "2024-07-13T00:05:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > then there’s a flurry of issues that finally fill my OOP for the year in about Nov, and the follow-treatments _always_ run into Jan so I end paying OOP for stuff that ought to have been free if it had happened another month sooner. Hah - that’s happened to me once or twice. In the case of the cataract surgery, we had hit our family out of pocket limit by the end of March (2 orthopedic surgeries within 10 days will do that). It can be especially painful if you’ve got a high-deductible plan, which we did (and do); those first few months can be pretty grim! I went from meeting my personal deductible, to hitting my personal OOP limit, in the same month (the rest of the family took another week or two). ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/106 "2025-06-03T17:45:07Z")
i went from grade 1 to grade 2 this year. i noticed glare and odd doubling issues a few months ago. once you edge over the grade 2 line things seem to move fast. you don’t want to get to grade 4 that gets a bit more complicated as the cataract is thicker. i’m doing my home work on what sort of vision to have when it is all done. clear near, intermediate, or far. if i chose clear near or intermediate, i get corrected from -6.something and -8.something to -2.ish, and need glasses for far. if i chose far i will need glasses for near and intermediate. i’m not going to be able to be glass free. i will be able to have way less expensive glasses. i have a “divit” in my right eye retina, and a “wrinkle” in my left eye retina that cataract surgery will not correct. it just is. if i’m looking at a line of letters some will be clear and others will be blurry. eg looking at u z d t f the u will be clear, the z blurry, the d clear, the t blurry, the f clear. that is with the wrinkle. the blurry bit changes depending on where on the wrinkle. the divot always had the same spot blurry. paying for a premium lens as far as i can tell just doesn’t make sense. i’ll know more after my consult on the 13th. i’m a tad bit excited. here is a link for what the numbers look like: [Myopia Vision Simulator | CooperVision US](https://coopervision.com/myopia-simulator) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/107 "2025-06-03T17:51:56Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > if i chose clear near or intermediate, i get corrected from -6.something and -8.something to -2.ish, and need glasses for far. This is pretty close to my situation. I can’t tell what would work for you, only what worked for me. I opted to fine tune towards near/intermediate vision. Uncorrected I’m not -1.5. I did get a professionally fitted pair of bifocals, but I have some “emergency” driving glasses I got 3 for $22 and keep a pair in both vehicles for just in case. I can read without glasses, but there’s less eyestrain with the bifocals. I also have just plain reading glasses for extended reading or craft work to again, reduce strain. Again, these are way cheaper than what I used to need. I’m actually pretty damn happy all around. I’m actually functional even with my uncorrected vision which is a new thing in my life. The other glasses are just “fine-tuning” for specific tasks but, again, a lot cheaper. I was never going to be entirely without glasses but overall my situation is very much improved. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/108 "2025-06-03T18:04:50Z")
i am leaning toward near/intermediate… right now due to grade 2 i’m dealing with using “readers” with my glasses. i have “pinch the nose” readers 250, that i can take on and off while using my normal glasses. i knew cataract surgery was in my future and didn’t want to deal with getting bifocals for just a few months. thank you for your feedback broomstick. for fine detail and reading in low light i just take off my glasses now. of course, then i can’t see what the cats are up to when something goes crash. decisions… decisions… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/109 "2025-06-03T18:45:25Z")
Perhaps I should note that I wore bifocals for years prior to my cataracts and I was well adapted to them. Not everyone adapts well. I could have done nearly as well just using the distance glasses. There are a numbers of ways to approach this and multiple options. I think doing research beforehand will be your best approach to being happy afterward. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/110 "2025-06-03T18:58:38Z")
yep. going in i know i won’t be glasses free. it is a decision on wearing a prescription i last had in 3rd or 4th grade or dealing with “readers”. even with contact lenses i had separate glasses for astigmatism for when i was in class or a movie theatr. the more myopic you are the smaller the sweet spot for clear vision. cutting that sweet spot even more for the second focal point… the “pinch the nose” worked better. that way i have full sweet spot for both focus. doing lots of research and you tube videos. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/111 "2025-06-03T23:33:40Z")
Timely that this thread should appear again now. I’m scheduled to get my left eye done on June 18th. I may get the right one done this year too, as I’ve met my medical deductible and might as well get that one done while it’s cheaper. I’ll be getting a distance lens installed - I didn’t want to risk a multifocal since glare really bothers me and apparently they don’t do as good a job in that arena. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/112 "2025-06-19T17:10:13Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > For me it was roughly eight minutes of surgery surrounded by what felt like several years of eyedrops. Fair warning! Ha, yes. I’ve got two types of drops, an antibiotic and a steroid, that need to be applied 4x a day. The antibiotic is for a week, and the steroid is for a month. At my follow-up this morning, they told me the pressure in my eye is a little high (apparently there’s some jelly-like stuff they put in your eye during the procedure that can cause this if it doesn’t clear out quickly enough), so that’s ANOTHER drop 2x a day, probably for a week. The surgery itself was literally a psychedelic experience - swirly colors and people talking very close to your face. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/113 "2025-06-20T14:48:28Z")
I got lucky that my vision is almost 20/20 after cataract surgery. I can read my phone but it’s fuzzy without 2.75x reading glasses. I paid extra for one toric lens to correct astigmatism. The doc said it wasn’t needed in the other eye. I had been near-sighted and wore glasses full-time since childhood. My depth perception is off a little bit. Cutting my fingernails is weird. I have to concentrate more to place the clippers. I had accumulated a protein film on my lenses. The doc zapped it off five months ago ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/114 "2025-06-20T14:56:02Z")
What kind of replacement lens did you get? Single vision? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/115 "2025-06-20T14:58:52Z")
Single vision. AFAIK With one Toric I considered multifocal and I think the cost was a factor. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/116 "2025-06-20T16:08:45Z")
I also got a single vision lens. Things are almost painfully bright now! It’s supposed to be a distance lens but I don’t need glasses to use the computer, which hasn’t happened in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/117 "2025-06-28T00:07:49Z")
As I thought no fancy lenses for me. Retina issues. First eye done! I went for distance. So very surreal. I couldn’t believe how well I saw after surgery. I was able to walk out without glasses. The doctor used shots instead of drops. I ended up with a bit of a blister situation in my conjunctiva. It went down overnight. This morning I was still dilated a bit, at the doctor I tested at 20/25! Eye 2 will be set for intermediate and near. I’m doing really well with having 2 focal points now. I did have them knock the right lens out of my glasses for when I want total distance vision. Gave away all my old glasses! ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/118 "2025-06-28T00:20:52Z")
I took the left lens out of my glasses so I can see well to drive. I’ll still need glasses for sure; it’ll be interesting to see where this ends up in a month, when they will measure me for new ones. I’ll also make an appointment to have the other eye done, probably in the fall since there’s some other health stuff I need to follow up on as well. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/119 "2025-06-28T17:03:02Z")
Now I’m 100 % sure about having the second lens at a different focal point. I guess I need a bit of a blur, being totally corrected to distance is very odd. It feels a bit over corrected. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189/120 "2025-07-09T18:39:17Z")
Eye 2 done. Things are brighter and clearer. Now onto letting things settle and finding the near vision sweet spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-opinion-when-s-the-best-time-to-get-cataract-surgery/1003189.md?page=7)