Avoiding Cataract Surgery and Getting New Eyeglasses

[Doug Garson]

I occasionally suffer from dry eye, can't say I noticed any difference post surgery.

[Chris Parks]

I've had cataract surgery in the past year and it's nothing short of a miracle. Now, instead of using powerful trifocals, for most things I don't need glasses. I just ordered a light prescription reading glass for very fine print or low light situations but where there is good light I don't need glasses even for fine print.

I just passed my driver's test with no glasses. I'm 82.

I was nearly legally blind when it was detected that I had a cataract in the right eye and I had extremely limited sight since my childhood, the doctor said they could correct my vision when the cataract was done so I asked if he could do it that afternoon and he laughed. I have now had both done, need no glasses for reading or long vision and it is the single biggest lifestyle improvement I have experienced. I would do it again in a heartbeat if neeeded.

[Curt Harms]

SWMBO just had cataract surgery on one eye that has other issues including glaucoma. Her eyes are pretty deep set and she looked like she'd been in a fight after surgery but she has heeled nicely. The Dr. did a procedure for the glaucoma at the same time and her eye pressure dropped to about half of what it was. Her vision is now 20/40 which is better than it was but by how much I'm not sure. It took her a few days to adjust and probably needs prescription glasses. She has been using readers with meh results. I expect she'll have the other eye done in the future.

[Doug Garson]

Curt, I assume it was the glaucoma procedure that caused the "looked like she'd been in a fight" my cataract surgery was totally painless and I had no visible signs of trauma after the surgery.

[Andrew Joiner]

There's two methods of anesthesia for cataract surgery: topical anesthesia, achieved with eye drops, and injection anesthesia, where a needle delivers anesthetic to the tissue around the eye.
My understanding is the needle type can sometimes give a "black eye" look.

[Bernie Kopfer]

The most wonderful result from cataract surgery was the ability to drive at night and not being blinded by oncoming cars .
And not even to have to wear glasses when driving. Might even see better without them on. So now I have minimal correction except for close up which I need for shop work.
As an aside, be careful with progressive lens. You might be one of those for whom when using them there are no straight lines. Hell when trying to do woodworking. DAHIK. Yellow shooting glasses do wonders for nighttime driving, with or without cataracts.

[Joyce Knights]

I think it will be better if you will undergo surgery then getting a glasses all over again. My aunt has undergone eye surgery due to cataracts a couple of years ago and so far everything works fine. She had a clearer eye vision.

[Doug Garson]

One additional factor I took into consideration in my decision was the cost. Because of my strong prescription my glasses were expensive and as my cataracts got worse I needed to replace them more frequently. The cost of cataract surgery was a once and done expense. Expense was not the final decider but it was a factor in doing it sooner rather than later.

[Tim Janssen]

I had cataract surgery two years ago. Before the surgery I needed bifocal glasses. I now only need glasses for reading or close-up fine work. I was 87 at the time.
All the best to you. I'm sure you won't regret it.

Tim

[Brice Rogers]

Bernie, I identify with your comment of "no straight lines". I used to shoot pool as a hobby and was reasonably good at it. After I got progressive lenses, I found that I had become a horrible pool shooter. I found that if I took off my glasses and squinted, that I could shoot like I used to. I also found when freehand drawing to lines that were supposed to be parallel that they came out non-parallel.

But other than that, I like the progressives.

[Lee DeRaud]

As an aside, be careful with progressive lens. You might be one of those for whom when using them there are no straight lines. Hell when trying to do woodworking. DAHIK.

Yeah. I've got an old pair that I keep in the car as "shopping glasses", basically emergency readers for places where I might need to read shelf tags or price stickers. Learned early on not to wear them when buying lumber: "Why are all these boards warped so badly?!?"

(That pair was originally quite expensive, but I only wore them a week or so before I gave up on them for everyday use. The main problem is that anything in the general direction of my feet blurs out completely, so going down the stairs at work had great potential for putting me into "Slinky mode".)

[John Goodin]

It seems many people put a natural trust in person's ability or competence when it is a professional field. I am coming to realize that despite all the years of school and training they vary in competence and bring many biases to the job. This is becoming particular evident in the medical field. I have experienced and known too many people who have had less than stellar medical care over the last few years. While the doctors were not guilty of malpractice many were not up to date on current research or not believers in newer and better treatments. One thing they all seemed to have in common was an absolute surety in their opinion or diagnoses. Medicine while a science, is not as black and white as many assume. If your doctor seems overconfident in an issue concerning your health it would be wise to advice from a second professional.

[glenn bradley]

I did lots of vision tests with friends reading street signs. One thing I found is I could see as good or better than most people with my current glasses.

This is a truly frightening thing when you realize it, isn't it? When I went through the time and creative Rx leading up to my cataract surgery, I was shocked to find out that my seriously degraded vision that I could barely get by with was actually better than most people on the road today.

I had to do some serious soul searching and beg belated forgiveness from all those drivers who I had told "stop texting and drive!" or "what a moron!" or "pay attention dummy!". I now know that they were not necessarily texting, unintelligent or inattentive.

The DMV allow people to drive with vision that should deny them permission to operate a machine that weighs a ton and a half, has 150 - 200 HP and can go 90 miles an hour. I now find myself being much more gracious toward those that can't park, must swing left to turn right, have no clue where the actual physical boundaries of their vehicle are and other such delights encountered on our shared roadways.

[Larry Frank]

I now find myself being much more gracious toward those that can't park, must swing left to turn right, have no clue where the actual physical boundaries of their vehicle are and other such delights encountered on our shared roadways.

I am not gracious to people who could injure me or kill me or others because they can not see. How can they drive if they do not know the boundaries of their vehicle. Will they be able to miss a person or child in a cross walk?

I must be missing something....

[Andrew Joiner]

This is a truly frightening thing when you realize it, isn't it? When I went through the time and creative Rx leading up to my cataract surgery, I was shocked to find out that my seriously degraded vision that I could barely get by with was actually better than most people on the road today.

Oddly, I wasn't frightened I was actually encouraged. I could put things in perspective. I needed to know what my friends consider as acceptable vision clarity. Some couldn't read distant signs like me with my current RX eyeglasses that I now know give me 20/40 (enough to pass DMV test).
3 friends don't do night driving. 1 of those probably has cataracts, but hasn't been to eye DR in years.
I'm just happy the DR says new eyeglasses can get me to 20/20. Sure one eye will have the cataract fuzz, but I'm OK with that.