Have you had cataract surgery? come tell me about it

I tried quoting and can't get it to work, but re: close up vision. If I have to get a splinter out or read tiny print, etc, I have a pair of 3x reading glasses I wear. I asked my dr if I needed prescription lenses and he said the $ store ones will work just fine. So I have those scattered about- by my bed, at the office, in my car, etc. But on an ongoing basis I don't miss that close up vision.

In about 1916 when uncle was 6 yrs old my grandmother took him to the eye doctor. After getting glasses while riding home on the trolly all he did was look around asking if that was how everyone could see.

He had never been able to see well.

I am looking at surgery in the next couple of months. I've read through this thread. Is there anything you would you had done differently? Ideally, I do this in the summer, but it didn't work out last summer and my vision is getting worse. I'm nervous about having to rely on glasses before surgery since I normally don't wear them and everything in the morning will take longer. The duct tape is holding up very well on my glasses though. LOL They broke this summer, but still work.

I was torn on the vision choices, but I think I've decided on distant vision, or what she called extended distance. I was worried about giving up the close vision, the little that I have, but realized over all that my vision will be better. Scrolling on my phone when I wake up is about all I can see.

After reading this, dry eyes worry me. I guess there aren't many choices when you have cataracts though. Any advice? It'll be nice not to have super bright light to see things, and maybe my dark blue and black clothing will be more obvious. LOL

I know many people chose distance, but the majority of your world is up close.
I have mono and love it. I do not have to wear glasses.

The vision is probably getting worse because of the cataract (cloude) so even if you had a new script to hold you over, it would really not help.

I use eye drops occasionally. I think they are dry because I do live in a dry climate though, not really caused by the surgery.

Best of luck.

I was sitting at an airport and was having difficulty reading the times on departure board, once I returned I had my eyes tested and a new prescription, new lenses etc. Only a few months later, while driving I noticed I couldn't read the road signs until I was close to them. I was really concerned that I was losing my sight, back to the optician. Both eyes had cataracts that needed to be sorted quickly.

I had both my eyes done at the same time, the surgeon felt that only doing one first would leave me too big a sight discrepancy and cause me issues. I was very short sighted, -10.5,- 11.

I left the initial consultation with a booklet about all the lens options and spent a week trying to decide. Then the surgeon rang and said given all the information he had about my eyes I really only had the option of lens type A. So that's what I had.

The surgeon did one eye, then everything got swapped out, scrubbed etc as if I was a new patient and then the second eye was done.

I was given transparent plastic eye protectors and lots of different drops. My dh was astounded that as we left I could read the number plate of a car parked a distance from us in the car park of the hospital, he knew how bad my sight was.

I was given a timesheet/ schedule for all the drops which I followed religiously. I was also disciplined about washing my hands, if I had three different type to administer and you wait ten minutes between each, I washed my hands three times. I set alarms on my phone so I didn't miss a slot. The bugbear was not that you had to put in three different type of drops at two o clock but that you had to wait ten minutes between each one, that was a time suck. I was given a complete set of eye drops for each eye. I marked one set left so I won't mix them up.

At my final check up my distance sight was better than 20/20 and I wear readers for close work. Given my starting point I continue to be delighted to have much better sight now, I can actually buy off the shelf sun glasses!

My dh used the same surgeon a year later, only difference was I did all his drops for him, he is totally rubbish with eye drops but I used to wear contact lenses so eye drops don't bother me.

My advice is follow the care instructions to the letter. The reward is worth it.

The vision in my right eye is awful due to the cataract. I'm tired of not seeing well. I'm wearing reading glasses now so it won't be a new thing for me. In bright light I'm fine without them.

I'm starting to feel that going back to work quickly won't be an option if using drops regularly. I guess I'll know more at the end of the month. Thank you for all the details. It gives me a better idea of what I may experience.

Thank you.

I was weight restricted for 2 weeks. If you have a desk job, you could easily go back to work the next day. They use Valium during the surgery, so you have to wait 24 hours for that to clear your system before you can drive. 

The drops are nothing. It’s more of an annoyance to remember to use them. They only take a minute or two to administer. 

Dad has just gone through cataract surgery (both eyes) over the last 2 months. There was some kind of lens inserted/placed. The first eye was not clear after the first few days. When he went for surgery on the second eye, it was determined the lens in the first eye had turned causing the vision to be blurry.

The first eye was repaired. Dad’s vision is 20/20 and 20/25. He does need cheaters for reading now.

He is quite happy with the outcome. The anxiety was horrible leading up to the first surgery, though.

Have someone help with the drops the first day or two.

You will have so many eye drops for the first week or two. It is shocking the number of applications.

I learned not to tilt my head back, but to pull the lower edge of my eye out and put the drops there.

Yes, it is insane. $11000.00 for me to have the privilege of seeing. And I thought my glasses were expensive.

Insurance pays for the surgery and new lenses. I paid extra for Toric lenses which correct astigmatism.

Not having the surgery the cataracts will eventually cause blindness, therefore no sight. The lenses restore your basic sight and you wear glasses and see normally with corrections.


If you go for higher level lenses, yes you pay extra.

***

I wore glasses from the age of 8 years. No contacts ever. At the age of 70 I was able to see very well without glasses after surgery, and one of the best parts, I could wear reasonably priced sunglasses. Oh yes, I do need readers for reading etc, but I can see when I wake up in the morning and all day too!!

hop2

I don't look in the mirror with my reading glasses, so I'm afraid of what I'll see with wrinkles. Pictures don't scare me so maybe I'm ok. I've been told I don't look mid-50s.   

I remember when my best friend felt bad when her son got glasses because she had no idea he couldn't see the details on the trees. 

Just a warning.

And eye doctor told me I was "ready for cataract surgery." I thought that was ridiculous so I went to an academic center for an exam. I didn't mention cataracts or what the prior doc said.

The academic doc said nothing about that so I asked him. He told me I had just the beginning of cataracts. That was 5 years ago!

Get a second opinion unless you have symptoms or a good history with your doc.