Cataracts and choices

[Jeff Bartley]

Apparently we all get cataracts. Some get them later in life, others earlier. I guess I’m in the earlier camp as mine were diagnosed about 5-6 years ago. At first I didn’t notice a deference in vision but over the last two years I have given more consideration to having the surgery.

But with the surgery comes choices: which lens and what surgery? The surgical choice is a blade or a laser. The lens choice is much broader. There are single focal lenses which correct for either distance clarity or close up clarity and there are the multi focal lenses that correct for both but come with some side effects, like halos around lights at night.

I am hoping others here can share their experience with cataracts, especially anyone who has had multi focal lenses. I have no first hand accounts of that experience. I will admit that I’m terrified to have my eyes operated on but I’m actually more terrified of choosing the wrong lens. I’ve been told that it’s a bad idea to do cataract surgery twice.

Please don’t be shy about sharing your cataract stories and if anyone has one but doesn’t want to share it to the world feel free to DM me. I have about a month to make the final choices for my surgery, I’m scheduled for early Dec for the first eye.

Thanks! Jeff

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Mine was a laser operation. I did not go for corrective lenses. The world went from yellow and hazy to clear and bright. Sort like the difference between a Van Gogh and an Ansel Adams. I am a year out and still having a lot of sensitivity to dust and brightness. I also have a little tremor that is triggered by fatigue, dust and brightness. I am back to needing reading glasses.
Problems with glare and halos in the car at night are solved. The young man that did mine does up to 30 a day twice a week. They move patients through like cattle. The operating room and equipment are awe inspiring.

Best wishes on your procedures.

[Alan Rutherford]

I had the Vivity extended-focus (or whatever they call it), higher-priced lens put in my right eye a year ago and I'm not happy. Cataracts were stage 3 in both eyes but not a big problem for me, except for target shooting. I was somewhat nearsighted and used cheap reading glasses but could get by without them. Indoors, outdoors and driving I was OK except at large distances. Now that eye has excellent vision at infinity but is worse everywhere else. I can't read without reading glasses. The cataract is gone and colors are now more accurate in that eye but frankly I like the slightly warmer colors I see with my left eye. I feel worse off than before the surgery.

I'm right-eye dominant, right-handed and shoot a pistol with iron sights. I had some astigmatism in my right eye and as cataracts got worse I found I could shoot better with my left eye several years ago. The astigmatism is now gone - that's a plus - but I'm still shooting with my left eye because otherwise I would need corrective lenses to focus on the sights.

I don't know how much better the range of focus of this lens is compared to the cheap ones - if any. The lens doesn't actually change focus. I believe the muscles you use to change the shape of the lens in your eye for focus are no longer functional after the surgery. I couldn't get a clear description of what the lens actually does. I wish I had tried harder.

IMO for those of us who spend most of our life indoors, or at least not looking at the horizon, good focus between about 3 feet and 20-30 feet gets you through the day with the least hassle and you can still read street signs and use cheap reading glasses when you need them. I can't tell you how to get there from where you or I are. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my other eye.

PS: If you really want some opinions, head out to the gun range. Lots of old guys who have a lot to say about eyes. Also prostates, but that's for another day.

[Jim Allen]

The mistake I and the Dr. made was to correct my vision, wasn't given a choice. I was near sighted, had worn glasses for 50 years, and loved the fact that if I wanted to see up close I'd just take my glasses off. That all changed, I still wear glasses almost all the time (because I like to see everything), and if I want to see up close I reach for my +4 reading glasses or a magnifying glass.

[glenn bradley]

I am not a doctor. I am simply regurgitating what I have learned from my father who has been involved in cataract surgery since it was an in-hospital procedure. Large grain of salt rule applies :). First, do not take any advice from someone who is not an ophthalmologist with a history of thousands of cataract operations under their belt. No offense if we have any members who are OD's but most optometrists are poor at pathology and should not be your recommending agent either. Your OD can certainly refer you to someone for that assessment.

Like plastic surgery and dental implants, lasik and other eye work yields big bucks for some shysters. Inter-ocular lenses are not contacts. They are not glasses. They are replacements for your natural lenses. It has become common to do a very slight distance correction today. Using the IOL's in place of glasses or contacts is not the norm. Higher degrees of correction in IOL's would be in rare and specific situations where the downside would be outweighed by the benefit.

I was also ahead of the curve for cataract surgery by about 10 years due to specific circumstances. The rapidity of vision change varies with us all but, generally our vision declines more rapidly as we age. You can see how putting a highly corrective inter-ocular lens in someone 65 years old would make things more and more difficult to correct at 70, 75, and 80. It would be like getting lasik at 30 . . . you now get to correct around the surgical correction for the rest of your life.

Get multiple opinions. Do not shop for bargains. The current state of technology does not allow second chances for eyeball mistakes. Don't shop the clearance rack for brain surgery, eye care, or parachutes. :)

[Alan Rutherford]

... Using the IOL's in place of glasses or contacts is not the norm. Higher degrees of correction in IOL's would be in rare and specific situations where the downside would be outweighed by the benefit...generally our vision declines more rapidly as we age. You can see how putting a highly corrective inter-ocular lens in someone 65 years old would make things more and more difficult to correct at 70, 75, and 80.....

Several people have told me about the option to have one eye focus closer than the other to give a better range of vision without glasses. I would think the simple lenses could be selected to focus at any distance desired - whether that's a good idea or not. Are you saying that's not done?


...generally our vision declines more rapidly as we age. You can see how putting a highly corrective inter-ocular lens in someone 65 years old would make things more and more difficult to correct at 70, 75, and 80.....

I'm not a doctor either but I thought the decline in vision was from a loss of elasticity in the lens with age making it more difficult to focus up close. Also cataracts of course, but with implants they're permanently gone. If that's correct about the reason for decline in vision I don't see why the correction of a lens implant at 65 would be a mistake by 80. (I crossed that bridge years ago, but I still want to understand what's going on.)

[Barry McFadden]

I had cateract surgery about 10 years ago...the knife type not laser. I was at the point when a car was coming towards me at night I would see about 10 headlights instead of 2. I went for upgraded lenses which had better night vision. The scary part for me was being fully awake when the surgery was preformed! I was much more comfortable with the second eye since I knew how it was going to go. I could see halo's around lights for about a week or so and as the surgeon said....it is the eye seing the edge of the lens that causes this.In a week or so your brain decides this edge of the lens it sees is now normal and ignores it and no more halo's....

[Jeff Bartley]

The mistake I and the Dr. made was to correct my vision, wasn't given a choice. I was near sighted, had worn glasses for 50 years, and loved the fact that if I wanted to see up close I'd just take my glasses off. That all changed, I still wear glasses almost all the time (because I like to see everything), and if I want to see up close I reach for my +4 reading glasses or a magnifying glass.

Jim, it’s not an option to correct or not correct your vision with a IOL, the choice is what focal range, either for distance or close up. The other option is the multi focal lenses that cost much more.

It sounds like yours correct for distance?

[Jeff Bartley]

Thanks for the responses guys! Keep them coming! Allen, was the lens you got multi focal? I’m sorry you feel worse off, that’s literally what terrifies me about having the surgery.

[Jeff Bartley]

Also, a couple points to clarify for those that haven’t had to think about this. The surgery itself is done with either a blade or a laser. In both cases they completely remove your natural lens through a small incision. The incision is made with either a laser or a blade. Whichever is used the IOL (interocular lens) is then inserted through the same incision.

Then your choice of lens determines if you’ll need glasses post surgery. Lenses are either simple with one focal range (close up or for distance), multi focal (which work sort of like bi or trifocals), or the third option is called monovision where one eye is corrected for distance and the other is corrected for close up. They say only 20% of the population can make that work. I tried it with contacts and didn’t like it, especially when riding mountain bikes at high speeds through the rocks. The depth perception was just not the same.

And I think what Glen is pointing out is that eye surgery is easier with younger eyes. I’ve seen two ophthalmologist and both encouraged me to get mine fixed sooner than later and mine are 2’s.

Also, Maurice, it sounds like yours were corrected for distance as well.

Again, thanks for the discussion and kind words!

[Alan Rutherford]

.. Allen, was the lens you got multi focal?...

When I asked that question after the surgery the answer was "no" but that's not the impression you get. The doctor's handout says "Correction for residual astigmatism and distance, intermediate and near vision." The manufacturer's website (https://www.myalcon.com/professional/cataract-surgery/iols/clareon-vivity/)says "The Clareon® Vivity® IOL helps your patients take advantage of enhanced vision where they need it most. By harnessing the power of non-diffractive X-WAVE™ Technology, the Clareon® Vivity® IOL delivers monofocal-quality distance with excellent intermediate and functional near vision." An FDA document describes it as "Extended Depth of Focus Intraocular Lens".

I believe no lens can be truly multifocal without moving parts and/or the use of those muscles in your eye but different parts of the lens can focus at different distances and they say you adapt.

I'm arguably better off now, happy or not. The cataract and astigmatism are gone and distance vision and color are excellent in that eye. But I'm peeved, really peeved, that I can't see what I'm writing here clearly without glasses and I could before. My eyes were fine for driving before and other than driving if I really want to see something sharply at a distance - that's what binoculars are for.

If you can afford the higher-priced lenses I'd think you have little to lose compared to the cheaper ones even if they don't live up to the hype, but ask lots of questions.

[Jim Allen]

Jim, it’s not an option to correct or not correct your vision with a IOL, the choice is what focal range, either for distance or close up. The other option is the multi focal lenses that cost much more.

It sounds like yours correct for distance?

You're right Jeff I was left with 20-20 vision, my surgeries were over 20 years ago, I don't think multi focus lenses were available then. I wasn't given the option of focal range. At the time I was still working and did a lot of closeup work and I missed being nearsighted.

I was in my sixties and my eye sight hasn't changed much since then.

[Alan Rutherford]

... riding mountain bikes at high speeds through the rocks....

I think that's an excellent example of a situation where you want your best vision to be at an intermediate distance.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I had them a couple years ago, and get the best implants you can afford, and if given the choice, purchase an upgrade.

You will also have a choice on the focal length of the implanted lens. I elected for long distance and still wear glasses for reading.

[Doug Garson]

Agree with the recommendation to only take advice from an expert but anecdotal evidence can help you know what questions to ask. I had cataract surgery 12 years ago (I'm 73 now) and went for the more expensive multifocal lenses and have no regrets other than wish I could have done it decades ago. I was very shortsighted and wore glasses from grade 7. My prescription glasses were getting to be around a thousand bucks every few years. Not sure about other lenses mine have concentric focus rings and somehow the brain learns which ring to look thru for different distances. At the time my prescription was at the limit for the lenses I selected. When it comes to reading fine print I do miss my myopic days when I could take off my glasses and focus an inch away and read anything and my mid range, like reading things on the dash when driving or using a computer isn't perfect but I get by. I have computer/reading glasses but rarely need them. I do see halos around lights at night and avoid night driving as much as I can but when I need to, I can see well enough to drive safely. That said, a friend recently had a bad experience with halos and after a few weeks had the multifocal lense removed and went the mono focus route with one for distance and one for close up. He said he saw halos 6 ft in diameter. When I was still wearing glasses I also wore contacts for sports like skiing, I recall trying the one lense for distance and one for close up system without success, don't recall why.
My surgeon was one of the pioneers in the field and per his website has done over 70,000 procedures.

[Jim Becker]

I honestly don't know what process my surgeon used to do the lens implant when I got my right eye done last year...it was absolutely necessary because the macular hole surgery I had to have the previous year accelerated the cataract growth very quickly. My surgeon had a little bit of a challenge because I had had LASIK back in 2003 and no records were available from that surgery for her to know for sure what changes were made. They had been destroyed years ago. She came close, however...20/25 in that eye uncorrected. I believe I have a single focal lens as I still absolutely require correction for reading and other close work. I'm actually fine with that.

I really, really, really can't wait to get my left eye done someday. Why? Color. There's a "yuge" and noticeable difference in color rendering between my "old" 65+ year old left lens and the spanking new synthetic lens in my right eye. Let's just say it's like comparing a soft white lamp next to a full spectrum lamp. I kid you not!!!

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Maurice, it sounds like yours were corrected for distance as well.

Again, thanks for the discussion and kind words!

My new Inter ocular lenses have no correction. I am back to 20 20 when looking at an eye chart. Before the procedure the cataracts distorted my 58 year old lenses and turned them into magnifiers. I could see sixteenths on the tape if I got very close but I could not drive safely at night or see the highway signs in time. I opted for no correction based on an acquaintances bad experience. I can see sixteenths now but only at stretched arms length which is too far from a saw to be useful. It is weird.

We lived on the Mercy Ship and were onboard during procedures. The operations were shown live on CCTV. I could not look.
The Caribbean Mercy | Mercy Ships (https://www.mercyships.org/who-we-are/our-ships/the-caribbean-mercy/)

[Kev Williams]

I couldn't in a million years have a different focal length lens inside each eye. I did that accidentally when ordering a set of "computer" glasses from Zenni, because I did the math wrong on my left eye, so when I got the glasses the right side was in perfect focus at arms-length+about 6", great to see the monitor, but the left lens was perfect at about 12", great to see the keyboard... But it was ridiculously annoying trying to see either one with both eyes open, and almost as annoying closing one eye! I've been wearing glasses since I was 12 years old, and no-line bifocals since I was 20... so far, at 68 I still see great with the right glasses, but IF I ever get cataract surgery I'll just go for mid-range focus and let no-liners do the rest :)

[Scott Winners]

While I have never had cataract surgery, I have been wearing glasses since elementary school. I have never regretted splurging a (relative) few bucks on lens upgrades.

[Alan Lightstone]

OK. Saying this as a human, not a doctor.

I'll need cataract surgery some day. Welcome to living in Florida. The small personal point I wanted to bring up here is about seeing halos at night.

I'm one of the first persons in the US to have gotten LASIK. I flew to Toronto to have it done about a year before it was FDA approved in the US. I'm 26 years out from it.

A consequence of the procedure was that I do see halos at night from lights. But the nice thing is that you brain tunes them out very effectively. At least mine does. If you asked me about driving at night and seeing a halo, I would think for a few seconds and say, yeah I guess I do. But I really haven't noticed them consciously in decades.

I live near a location of a practice that does a monumental number of cataract surgeries a year. I always wanted to visit their facility just to see it. My OR experience can't fathom doing that many cases in a day. They are very well thought of, and you really hear very, very few complaints from patients.

In surgery, volume does matter. And higher volume practices in many procedures have been consistently shown to produce better results.

My best friend is an OD. Would I ask his advice before having the surgery - absolutely. Would he have the final say. No, that's a decision that will be between the ophthalmologist and myself. As it should be. Doctors don't do residencies for fun. They do it to learn like mad. Which they do.

As far as single vs multiple focal lengths. I've worn progressive lenses for years (my ophthalmologist when he did my LASIK said I'd be good for about 10 years then need reading glasses. 10 years later, like clockwork, came the reading glasses.) Many people have trouble with progressives. I couldn't have worked without them with the multiple focal lengths I needed to focus on in the OR. But they're not for everyone, as I assume multi-focal length lenses aren't. In my case, they'll probably be a great thing.

[Jack Frederick]

Curious on the cost of this surgery. I’ll be 74 tomorrow and have worn specs since five. Rt handed, left eyed which was a tid-bit I was unaware of until at about 26 i was on pistol range and the range master walking behind me said, “what are you doing?” He gave me the dominant eye check and I learned a lot about myself that day. for instance as a kid I was a left handed batter but a dead left field hitter. I didn’t see the ball until late. I am somewhat ambidexterous. I am heavily astigmatic in the left eye and where my prescription didn’t change for years the last three I have had to upgrade my specs annually and they are about $700+ for the lenses. Minimum cataracts, no macular. You compensate for life’s changes as you go along, but improved vision would be…wonderful!

[Jim Becker]

Jack, I believe the largest cost for cataract surgery is covered by Medicare which is nice for "mature" folks who largely are the ones that need it. But the one I got done prior to age 65 for medical reasons was nearly fully covered by our private group insurance from Professor Dr. SWMBO's employer. The out of pocket was only a few hundred dollars once I got things straightened out around a "non-network" anesthesiologist that was trying to bill a couple of grand for their services in the OR. The hospital and my surgeon were participating but the happy drug doctor (a contractor, apparently) wasn't. This was before the new "surprise billing" legislation was passed and went into effect, but our insurance carrier dealt with it on our behalf.

Specific to your situation, you'd need your doctor to find a way to medically find a way to justify the surgery given you state you don't actually have cataracts.

[Andrew Joiner]

Yes, it's a big decision and I put it off for a long time. I got to trust my doctor more as time went on and he got to know me and my needs for vision. I also tried prescription progressive lenses again in my glasses for the second time. I tried them 20 years ago and hated them both times. In fact I can't believe people can wear them. This helped me decide on monofocal implants. Once they're implanted lenses are hard to change. Ordering glasses online is easy and cheap now. My doctor agreed that I would probably like monofocals better!



Ier had both eyes done a week apart in December of 2021. I put it off for a long time and talked about it he:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?271654-Avoiding-Cataract-Surgery-and-Getting-New-Eyeglasses&highlight=
I finally went with non laser assisted. My research indicated laser assisted didn't provide better results and fewer surgeons in my area did laser assisted.


I chose monofocal lenses. I did a lot of research on the pros and cons of all the land's choices. The con with monofocal is I'd have to wear glasses. The cons list for other lenses was longer.


In my case I prefer to wear glasses all the time like I have all my life. Many times over the years my eyes have been saved by my glasses taking the impact of a stray object. I also dislike reading glasses as I found out after my cataract surgery. I could see fine in the distance with no glasses for the first time in 60 years,but I had to wait 6 weeks for my RX bifocals. So I got an assortment of reading glasses. It drove me nuts to not have them on all the time to read. I made an adjustment to have them hang around my neck. That was convenient but still a hassle. I also found that even expensive reading glasses had less quality optics than my new prescription bifocals.


When I got my new bifocal prescription glasses it was like a miracle. I could see further than 20 ft slightly better than through my monofocal implants alone( glasses off). Vision from 3 ft to 20 ft was vastly improved looking through my prescription glasses. Reading took some getting used to because before cataract surgery I could see up close really good without glasses . To take out a Splinter or see details I'd always take my glasses off . My old bifocals were set for computer reading distance. Right after cataract surgery up close is permanently blurry unless I put on a pair of 3.00 reading glasses. I did adjust to this and can now remove splinters at computer reading distance with RX bifocals on.
Strangely now 10 months after cataract surgery I need a new prescription for glasses. I remove my RX bifocals to see sharply in the distance. My opthamologist says that happens occasionally but new RX bifocals are $31 shipped from Zenni. I'm so used to ordering glasses online now it's a no-brainer.
I'm happy with my cataract surgery. One big downside is I have big cloudy floaters. My Dr says I had them long before the surgery but now with the overall cloud of the cataracts gone the floaters are more obvious.

[Ron Selzer]

Curious on the cost of this surgery.

$6000 extra 3 years ago for my wife to get progressive lenses versus standard lens.
Top eye Doctor in Ohio
Insurance covered complete operation, I paid for the better lens.
Ron

[Edward Weber]

I just wanted to say thanks to the OP and everyone, this has been a great discussion

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I learned a lot too. During the cataract procedure I also had a stint put in my right eye to reduce the risk of glaucoma. I have had 3 checkups since and my pressures are good.

[glenn bradley]

Several people have told me about the option to have one eye focus closer than the other to give a better range of vision without glasses. I would think the simple lenses could be selected to focus at any distance desired - whether that's a good idea or not. Are you saying that's not done?

A coworker was talked into this by his lasik guy and has been unhappy ever since. It is not unusual to see him with his hand over one eye or the other depending on what he is looking at. If you are lucky you can have your lasik tweaked after a decade or so. Not so much with implants.




I'm not a doctor either but I thought the decline in vision was from a loss of elasticity in the lens with age making it more difficult to focus up close. Also cataracts of course, but with implants they're permanently gone. If that's correct about the reason for decline in vision I don't see why the correction of a lens implant at 65 would be a mistake by 80. (I crossed that bridge years ago, but I still want to understand what's going on.)

Lens degeneration certainly contributes to our declining eyesight. An implant removes this decline. If only that were the only thing that started to show the effects of father time ;). If you are unfortunate enough to have blood sugar issues retinopathy can be problematic. Macular degeneration, muscle atrophy, macular edema, and pressure (glaucoma) are some common issues for the rest of us as time goes on. Your inter-ocular implant does nothing for these.

My point is that an aggressively corrective implant can become problematic as we age. Trying to correct the previously mentioned issues if they come along is bad enough. Trying to prescribe glasses that you have to wear over what are essentially permanent glasses just makes things more tricky.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to do or not to do anything. I just have a knee-jerk reaction to some things growing up the son of an eye doc. Your reliable medical professional is still your best option for answers to these questions. The sales clerk at Ernie's 1-hour LASIK . .. not so much. :D

[Lawrence Duckworth]

I learned a lot too. During the cataract procedure I also had a stint put in my right eye to reduce the risk of glaucoma. I have had 3 checkups since and my pressures are good.

I thought I had cataracts...but I'll be going in for more glaucoma tests this week. :(

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I thought I had cataracts...but I'll be going in for more glaucoma tests this week. :(

I hope you get good news. Dad and B.I.L. are both on drops for glaucoma Its inconvenient but effective.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Speaking as a doctor - I don't have cataract yet, but did hundreds of anesthesia for cataract surgeries. Could be done with light sedation or without it, ophthalmologists choice mostly and availability of anesthesiologists. It is not painful procedure, but could be very scary. Somebody working in your eye!!
Laser just help to destroy old lens, ophthalmologist still needs to make small incision and pieces of old lenses needs to be remove. A new one coming thru same very small incision.
My recommendation - choose your eye doctor very carefully, ask hundreds questions and don't afraid of procedure - in last 20 or more years it's done millions time with much improved technology and technics.
Ed.

[Alan Lightstone]

Speaking as a doctor - I don't have cataract yet, but did hundreds of anesthesia for cataract surgeries. Could be done with light sedation or without it, ophthalmologists choice mostly and availability of anesthesiologists. It is not painful procedure, but could be very scary. Somebody working in your eye!!
Laser just help to destroy old lens, ophthalmologist still needs to make small incision and pieces of old lenses needs to be remove. A new one coming thru same very small incision.
My recommendation - choose your eye doctor very carefully, ask hundreds questions and don't afraid of procedure - in last 20 or more years it's done millions time with much improved technology and technics.
Ed.

Hi. I didn’t know we had another anesthesiologist on the board. Yep, seen hundreds and hundreds of these and choosing your doctor is real important. As a patient having LASIK, with just essentially no sedation, it does truly get your absolute attention to be motionless.

[Jerome Stanek]

$6000 extra 3 years ago for my wife to get progressive lenses versus standard lens.
Top eye Doctor in Ohio
Insurance covered complete operation, I paid for the better lens.
Ron

What is the Dr's name my wife is needing to get it done

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Im another one looking to get cataract surgery and like many, I’m taking drops to control glaucoma.
One of my issues is that my body kinds of freaks out with surgery. I couldn’t abide the prostate biopsy sedated and eventually had to be checked under general anesthesia. Makes me concerned about doing extended surgery for cataract and glaucoma.
I can’t have a colonoscopy either. One of my many curses.

[Chris Parks]

A coworker was talked into this by his lasik guy and has been unhappy ever since. It is not unusual to see him with his hand over one eye or the other depending on what he is looking at. If you are lucky you can have your lasik tweaked after a decade or so. Not so much with implants.

I reckon I was nearly legally blind before I had the first cataract done and before the operation the doctor mentioned he would like to correct my vison in the eye for long distance and give me a corrective contact lens for the other eye for reading. At that time mono vision was a fairly new thing but I thought about it for about one second and said yes as nothing was irreversible. I took to it like a flock of ducks to swimming and have never regretted it at all and my second cataract was set up for reading, twenty years down the track and I have never regretted it but I can put a corrective lens in my reading eye and wear reading glasses if needed as mono vision destroys depth of field to some extent and fine jobs like soldering can be a bit tricky. It is a good option but only after testing which could be done using lenses.

[Doug Garson]

Im another one looking to get cataract surgery and like many, I’m taking drops to control glaucoma.
One of my issues is that my body kinds of freaks out with surgery. I couldn’t abide the prostate biopsy sedated and eventually had to be checked under general anesthesia. Makes me concerned about doing extended surgery for cataract and glaucoma.
I can’t have a colonoscopy either. One of my many curses.
Can't help you on the freaking out with surgery, lucky for me I don't have that problem. When I had my cataract surgery, as I remember 12 years ago, I was just mildly sedated and it was over quite quickly. I think I spent less time in the OR than in the prep area, maybe 30 min or less. Since your in Vancouver, you might want to consider the Valley Laser Eye Centre I went to in Abbotsford although I'm sure there are many good clinics in Vancouver. Dr John Blaylock was one of the pioneers of cataract surgery, he was the only one doing laser cataract surgery in western Canada when I had mine done.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I was very worried about the surgery. The Doctor, Nurses, and Anesthesiologist were very reassuring. The Anesthesiologist in particular went out of his way to make me confident, comfortable, and relaxed. The entire procedure was done in a few minutes including the stint. I do not know if it can be done with general anesthesia. You need to be awake and able to follow orders.

[Ron Selzer]

What is the Dr's name my wife is needing to get it done

Dr Erdy
Erdey Searcy Eye Group50 McNaughten Road
Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43213
good luck to your wife

Ron

[roger wiegand]

I got multifocal toric lenses about four years ago now, to correct both my astigmatism and cataracts. I'm quite happy with the outcome. I've never seen this well before. I chose to opt for good focus from computer (and bench) distance out, with cheaters for reading and close work. I can actually read reasonably well without glasses, but it's more comfortable with. In the shop I use the Dewalt bifocal safety glasses with a 2x lens and I'm good 95% of the time. Trying to do close work overhead creates a problem, as the magnifier in the bifocal is only in the bottom, of course. Still not sure if I should have opted for great close vision and glasses for distance, but it's too late now. The procedure was by laser, gave me a cool light show, and almost immediate recovery with no discomfort at all. I was astonished by how bright and blue the world was afterwards-- they did one eye at a time so it was fun to compare the sepia "before" to the bright blue "after".

[Jeff Bartley]

I got multifocal toric lenses about four years ago now, to correct both my astigmatism and cataracts. I'm quite happy with the outcome. I've never seen this well before. I chose to opt for good focus from computer (and bench) distance out, with cheaters for reading and close work. I can actually read reasonably well without glasses, but it's more comfortable with. In the shop I use the Dewalt bifocal safety glasses with a 2x lens and I'm good 95% of the time. Trying to do close work overhead creates a problem, as the magnifier in the bifocal is only in the bottom, of course. Still not sure if I should have opted for great close vision and glasses for distance, but it's too late now. The procedure was by laser, gave me a cool light show, and almost immediate recovery with no discomfort at all. I was astonished by how bright and blue the world was afterwards-- they did one eye at a time so it was fun to compare the sepia "before" to the bright blue "after".

Roger,

It’s my understanding that the multi focal lenses can correct for reading through distance. What brand lens did you get? And have you experienced the halos at night?

I really appreciate everyone’s feedback here, these discussions make us a community for sure!

[roger wiegand]

Roger,

It’s my understanding that the multi focal lenses can correct for reading through distance. What brand lens did you get? And have you experienced the halos at night?

I really appreciate everyone’s feedback here, these discussions make us a community for sure!

I'm sure development of new products continues, so what was state of the art 4-5 years ago might not be now. I got the Tecnis Symfony IOL. I get some haloing, actually quite pretty crystalline diffraction looking rings. After a short while my brain started filtering them out, I have to focus on them to notice them now. Way better than prior to the surgery, when the halos from the cataracts were driving me batty.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have some shiny arc distortion around the edges, It comes and goes.

The advances in techniques and equipment lead to the cataract O.R. on the Mercy Ship becoming obsolete after a fairly short time. Surgeons experienced with analogue microscopes could operate on the boat. Young doctors trained on more modern equipment could not make it work.

[Andrew Joiner]

I got multifocal toric lenses about four years ago now, to correct both my astigmatism and cataracts. I'm quite happy with the outcome. I've never seen this well before. I chose to opt for good focus from computer (and bench) distance out, with cheaters for reading and close work. I can actually read reasonably well without glasses, but it's more comfortable with. In the shop I use the Dewalt bifocal safety glasses with a 2x lens and I'm good 95% of the time. Trying to do close work overhead creates a problem, as the magnifier in the bifocal is only in the bottom, of course. Still not sure if I should have opted for great close vision and glasses for distance, but it's too late now. The procedure was by laser, gave me a cool light show, and almost immediate recovery with no discomfort at all. I was astonished by how bright and blue the world was afterwards-- they did one eye at a time so it was fun to compare the sepia "before" to the bright blue "after".
My experience is almost identical to Rogers except--
1- I can only read large print without my RX bifocals.
2- I did use bifocal safety glasses with a 2x lens until I got my RX bifocals.
Funny because I have monofocal lenses.

[mike calabrese]

I did not read all the posts completely through so someone may have already mentioned what I am saying below ...sorry if so.
I am about to have the surgery have been wearing contacts forever,. Running up to that i did a YouTube search for Cataract surgery and there is a ton and a half of real information there from doctors practicing coast to coast on the process A to Z . The two main methods and most Importantly the pluses and minus info on the 3 tryes of lens repalcements and what to expect with each type including toric lenses for astigmatism.
ONE BIG COMMENT there was mention above about lasic surgery...NOT THE SAME as cataract surgery again I did not read all the way through.
mike calabrese