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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 12, 2016 21:05:30 GMT
I'm going with DH in the morning for a consultation before scheduling cataract surgery. Any questions we should ask that might not be brought up by the surgeon? TIA!
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Post by momof4grandmaof2 on Jun 12, 2016 21:15:19 GMT
None that I can think of that the surgeon won"t cover. I have had both eyes done(actually had cataracts at 27 years old) but didn't have surgery till I was about 45. Best thing I ever did. It will be amazing how much more he can see. I went home with patch that day went back the next for them to look at it and was out driving and running errands that afternoon. Best of luck.
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,816
Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Jun 12, 2016 21:23:06 GMT
Will anesthesia be administered by an MD or a nurse? DH did much better with MD. He also had his done at different times of day, and he much preferred early morning.
Good luck!
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Post by cahwoo on Jun 12, 2016 21:23:36 GMT
My husband wore glasses all his life. He now has to wear glasses just to read. He said if he could have chosen he would have preferred to wear glasses all the time for distance and take them off for reading. Just his preference don't know if it can be done that way when removing cataracts.
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,816
Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Jun 12, 2016 21:25:49 GMT
My husband wore glasses all his life. He now has to wear glasses just to read. He said if he could have chosen he would have preferred to wear glasses all the time for distance and take them off for reading. Just his preference don't know if it can be done that way when removing cataracts. My DH said the same! He's worn glasses since he was two. |
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Post by librarylady on Jun 12, 2016 21:35:03 GMT
I am extremely nearsighted. At the time my surgery was scheduled, I selected the lens (Krystal) that are supposed to move with my eye muscles and focus for near and far vision. I wanted to get rid of wearing glasses. Dr. gave me the vision that has distance in one eye and near vision in the other eye.
My mind is supposed to alternate which image is seen depending upon what the task.
My mind won't cooperate and merge the images or ?? Anyway, I cannot read without glasses, nor knit or see things clearly without glasses that are near.
I am just fine for driving.
I wear bifocals now. I hate carrying reading glasses and wondering where they are now, or wearing them atop my head until I am ready to read or see things that are near. So, I just had some bifocals made.
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Post by bc2ca on Jun 12, 2016 22:26:36 GMT
DH had cataract surgery about a month ago. The surgeon was extremely thorough in telling us what to expect and provided us with his Rx about a week prior to the surgery. I really appreciated that I didn't have to run around the day of surgery getting everything filled. I'm sure their office will provide you with a plastic eye shield to protect the eye when he leaves the surgery and to wear when sleeping for the next few days. I did have to stop and get tape for this shield. This is not my DH, just some random image from the internet so you can see what I mean.  There will be restrictions on washing hair, showering, swimming, gardening, golfing, exercise, etc., after the surgery so if none of that is brought up, you might want to ask. All of this was specified in printed material we received from the surgeon. |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 12, 2016 22:36:40 GMT
DH had cataract surgery about a month ago. The surgeon was extremely thorough in telling us what to expect and provided us with his Rx about a week prior to the surgery. I really appreciated that I didn't have to run around the day of surgery getting everything filled. I'm sure their office will provide you with a plastic eye shield to protect the eye when he leaves the surgery and to wear when sleeping for the next few days. I did have to stop and get tape for this shield. This is not my DH, just some random image from the internet so you can see what I mean. There will be restrictions on washing hair, showering, swimming, gardening, golfing, exercise, etc., after the surgery so if none of that is brought up, you might want to ask. All of this was specified in printed material we received from the surgeon. Uh oh.  Seriously thanks to you and all who responded. |
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Deleted
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Apr 29, 2024 6:24:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2016 22:39:44 GMT
Not really a question, but just a recommendation from someone who's had lots of eye surgeries/procedures. Wear button-up shirts the day of and for a few days after the surgery. These days, this is one of the easier kinds of eye surgery, but I always preferred not having to pull shirts over my head for the first few days.
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Post by bc2ca on Jun 12, 2016 22:56:46 GMT
DH had cataract surgery about a month ago. The surgeon was extremely thorough in telling us what to expect and provided us with his Rx about a week prior to the surgery. I really appreciated that I didn't have to run around the day of surgery getting everything filled. I'm sure their office will provide you with a plastic eye shield to protect the eye when he leaves the surgery and to wear when sleeping for the next few days. I did have to stop and get tape for this shield. This is not my DH, just some random image from the internet so you can see what I mean. There will be restrictions on washing hair, showering, swimming, gardening, golfing, exercise, etc., after the surgery so if none of that is brought up, you might want to ask. All of this was specified in printed material we received from the surgeon. Uh oh. Seriously thanks to you and all who responded. Hahaha, our surgeon only had the no golf ban for 5 days but lots of exercise was restricted for at least a month. Another item was no dental work for a month. |
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Post by freeatlast on Jun 12, 2016 22:59:30 GMT
I had both eyes done with lens implants and laser correction 2 months ago. My doctor gave me a choice - did I want to be able to see up close or far away? I chose distance so I need reading glasses for up close work.
Sounds like there is a lot of variation in what to expect. I wore a patch for 3 hours post surgery and that was it. I had absolutely no restrictions on lifting, showering, etc. In less than 24 hours, I had 20/25 vision in each eye. Because my eyes were so bad, he did one surgery on Wednesday and the other the following Monday. Some people have much longer times between surgeries.
It is very important to keep up with the eye drop schedule which was the biggest pain in the butt of the whole procedure. And speaking of pain, I took one Tylenol one time. No other pain at all.
Best thing I have ever done for myself!
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Post by lisae on Jun 12, 2016 23:12:19 GMT
If by any chance he takes the medicine Flomax which is also available now in generic, be sure to tell them. It is for urinary function but for some reason affects the pupils and the surgeon should know before performing cataract surgery.
Both of my parents had cataract surgery and did very well. My dad was hard to dilate so they gave us drops ahead of time for his second eye so he could start dilating a couple of days before the surgery. They both can see beautifully for distance and only need glasses for close up. They were not candidates for the type of lenses that allow you to have both distance and closeup vision but they were both in their 80's when they had the surgery.
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Post by librarylady on Jun 13, 2016 0:00:21 GMT
My blood pressure Rx also creates a problem, so make sure your dr knows all medications.
If the dr does not give you a chart to mark, create one for tracking the drops. Those damned drops drove us crazy keeping up with the schedule.
I had mine done (waiting a month between eyes) and then husband had his done. We had 4 months of eye drops and dr visits.
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
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Post by scrapaddie on Jun 13, 2016 0:21:45 GMT
I wish I could get mine done, but they are not bad enough yet!
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Post by cadoodlebug on Jun 13, 2016 0:44:10 GMT
Thanks for all your replies. Luckily DH doesn't take any medications so that is not an issue.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
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Post by mlana on Jun 13, 2016 4:41:56 GMT
My mom had hers done last November and it opened up a whole new world for her. It also sent her straight to her stylist for a new hair cut and dye job. She said she had no idea how old she looked! If you e been putting off a visit to your stylist. You may want to schedule it before he has his first surgery. Just sayin....
The dr was really great about explaining the different types of lenses available. She would have liked to have had one eye done for distance and one done for near, as a previous poster had done, but she had Bell's Palsy a year ago and her affected eye still drooped too much for her to want to risk not being able to see to risk it.
She was only restricted from doing anything for a couple of days. After that, she had to wear dark glasses if she went outside, but there were no movement or activity restrictions with the exception of swimming or hot tubbing.
Her procedure included a year's worth of touch up LASIK if anything changed or she felt her vision could be improved. So far, she's been happy with what the surgeon did.
Marcy
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Post by Scrapbrat on Jun 13, 2016 11:46:58 GMT
My dr. gave me a sort of survey to complete, and the answers to that determined what kind of lens would be implanted. The questions were geared toward things like how important night driving was to me (for instance, did I have to drive at night for my job), and would I prefer to wear readers for near vision or wear glasses for tasks like driving. It was very helpful in making determinations. My surgeries were combined with other eye surgery, so mine took much longer than typical, and for that reason, I was the last surgical patient of the day both times. I wasn't crazy about that but that's how my dr. did it. I did have some brief restrictions after surgery, the big one I remember being basically that I could not put my head lower than my waist for a week (so no bending over). I could shower, but the restriction was just to not get water in my eyes. I asked about that, and the nurse said that just closing my eyes for shampoo and rinsing was fine, so that was not a big deal at all.
My only suggestion would be to discuss the anesthesia procedure. I was kind of shocked to discover that I was going to be awake (but drugged) during surgery (which is common), and I didn't really realize that when the dr. was talking to me about the surgical procedure.
Also, you may already know this, but many insurance plans don't pay for corrective lenses (because it isn't medically necessary to have them), so if your DH is doing those, he may want to ask about costs, as at least part of the lens cost may be out of pocket. |
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Deleted
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Apr 29, 2024 6:24:03 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2016 11:56:05 GMT
Just wanted to say my mom had her right eye done and it is amazing how much better her vision is. It went from 100/20 to 70/20 the day after the surgery and then to 40/20 a week later. My mom can't wait to have the left eye done now.
Good luck to your dh.
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Post by mikklynn on Jun 13, 2016 15:15:45 GMT
My husband wore glasses all his life. He now has to wear glasses just to read. He said if he could have chosen he would have preferred to wear glasses all the time for distance and take them off for reading. Just his preference don't know if it can be done that way when removing cataracts. Yes, they can do it this way. They should give you three options - near sighted, far sighted, or mono-vision (like with contacts, one each way).
Be prepared to pay a LOT out of pocket. Get an exact figure. My insurance paid only for basic cataract surgery, which would be with a scalpel, no laser, no correction of vision or astigmatism. I paid $7,000 out of pocket to get 20/20 vision, using the laser procedure.
Also, they will administer anesthesia. I told them I have a problem with vomiting after anesthesia. They reassured me it was a small amount and I was fine the first time. They didn't tell me the give you more anesthesia the second time, until they had actually given me the anesthesia. I felt terrible afterward and did get sick.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Jun 13, 2016 15:23:17 GMT
My husband wore glasses all his life. He now has to wear glasses just to read. He said if he could have chosen he would have preferred to wear glasses all the time for distance and take them off for reading. Just his preference don't know if it can be done that way when removing cataracts. Yes, they can do it this way. They should give you three options - near sighted, far sighted, or mono-vision (like with contacts, one each way).
Be prepared to pay a LOT out of pocket. Get an exact figure. My insurance paid only for basic cataract surgery, which would be with a scalpel, no laser, no correction of vision or astigmatism. I paid $7,000 out of pocket to get 20/20 vision, using the laser procedure.
Also, they will administer anesthesia. I told them I have a problem with vomiting after anesthesia. They reassured me it was a small amount and I was fine the first time. They didn't tell me the give you more anesthesia the second time, until they had actually given me the anesthesia. I felt terrible afterward and did get sick.
I did not pay anywhere NEAR $7,000. All I had to pay was the incremental cost of the corrective lenses (insurance covered a basic, non-corrective lens). The lenses I got were to correct astigmatism as well as vision. |
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DEX
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,354
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Post by DEX on Jun 13, 2016 17:05:36 GMT
Going in for my right eye this Thursday. I had the left (and worse) eye done 2 weeks ago. It was a piece of cake for me. They gave me medication to relax me. I was awake during the entire procedure but I didn't care. I took nothing for pain. I never even had the feeling of sand in my eye as others report. I was offered an upgraded intraoccular lenses for my astigmatism @ $900 per eye but I opted not to. I am amazed how much better I can see. It is like having the world illuminated by LED lights. I will still have to wear glasses but I don't have to reach for them right out of bed in the morning. I also am grateful that now when I look at a bright light it doesn't seem to cause vision problems afterward. I was also very fortunate in that this Surgi-center had just opened and I was their first cataract patient. My doctor told me that he was using the latest and greatest equipment on me.  |
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Post by micpea on Jun 13, 2016 17:20:42 GMT
Yes, they can do it this way. They should give you three options - near sighted, far sighted, or mono-vision (like with contacts, one each way).
Be prepared to pay a LOT out of pocket. Get an exact figure. My insurance paid only for basic cataract surgery, which would be with a scalpel, no laser, no correction of vision or astigmatism. I paid $7,000 out of pocket to get 20/20 vision, using the laser procedure.
Also, they will administer anesthesia. I told them I have a problem with vomiting after anesthesia. They reassured me it was a small amount and I was fine the first time. They didn't tell me the give you more anesthesia the second time, until they had actually given me the anesthesia. I felt terrible afterward and did get sick.
Not to hijack the thread...I paid almost $12,000 when all said & done. I had full vision correction lens put in as they advised that to be best for my age & lifestyle....boy were they wrong!!! I originally had astigmatism correction & cataract removal with the high def multifocal lens inserts. I had to wait 6 months to get them removed & replacements put in! With high def lens, if they don't work, you don't get a refund. It is my understanding the normal lens implant is the only thing covered by insurance & any corrective lens is out of pocket.
A lot of people have such bad cataracts that with this lens they notice a remarkable improvement in their sight immediately. I had halos, ghosts everything imaginable with the high def multifocus lens...never so glad to have them out. There was no clarity in close up reading, pulling splinters, papercrafting, fly tying etc. My newest lens are for distance only, which should have been their first recommendation, with 1.50 full time readers.
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Seriously thanks to you and all who responded.
