OT: Cataract surgery

loco_engr

Just noticed why my vision is blurry in my left eye. I can see a cloudy line in the pupil.
Has anyone here had this surgery.
Initial search stated the an artificial lens is used the replace the affected lens.
How does this work when I have prescription glasses . . . will I need new glasses?
Healing time?
Can you drive yourself home after the surgery?
Much thanks for sharing your experiences 

RRP

I’ll be watching this thread with my own blurred vision. The cataract in my left eye is what has now been defined as ripe and ready to be removed! That will happen in June and then the same for my right eye a week later! Honestly I can not wait! 

CTMike

My wife had this surgery in both eyes - her cataracts were caused by long term steroid use to control her asthma. Anyhow, she was not allowed to driver her self home, and she still needs glasses. If we wanted to pay an extra $2,500 per eye she wouldn’t have needed glasses, and our insurance doesn’t cover that. So she opted for the glasses. Recovery was pretty routine, had to wear a patch on the eye for a couple days if I remember correctly. 

loco_engr

RRP said:

I’ll be watching this thread with my own blurred vision. The cataract in my left eye is what has now been defined as ripe and ready to be removed! That will happen in June and then the same for my right eye a week later! Honestly I can not wait! 

any more info on what the doc said?

shtgunal3

My dad wore glasses all my life. He had cataract surgery 5 or so years ago and hasn’t worn them since. They “made” one eye far sighted and one near. Sorry this is all the info I have.

SamIAm2

@loco_engr - had the surgeries and no, you cannot drive yourself home. Start practicing putting in eyedrops because you will be doing that the day before your surgery (3 different drops) and 28 days after surgery.

Had Pre-Op eyedrops protocol consisting of Atropine(Anticholinergic), Moxifloxacin (antibiotic, Prednisolone Acetate (Steroid Anti-Inflammatory), and Ketrolac (Non-steroiodal Anti-inflammatory) 3 days before surgery at morning and noon and on the day of surgery in the morning and take them with you so you can administer them before your surgery.

Had right eye done May of 2020 and left eye 7 days later. You will be doing eyedrops in both eyes after your second surgery. I was prescribed Moxifloxacin (antibiotic, Prednisolone Acetate (Steroid Anti-Inflammatory), and Ketrolac (Non-steroiodal Anti-inflammatory). Each eyedrop type for each eye is done 3 times a day.

If you are allergic to any of those you should speak to the doctor about substitutes. Never having this type of surgery before I'm not sure how you could now if you have an allergy. But it doesn't stop there. 

You may have a YAG Laser Peripheral Iridotomy and post-op you will need to use  the Prednisolone Acetate 4 times a day. You may also use artificial tears to help your eye feel more comfortable, as frequently as every 10-15 minutes. I don't recall having to do that after my test. 

You may ask, how the heck do you keep track of all those eyedrops regimen? 
Doctor gave me sheets to check off each time I took my drops.  

Good luck with your surgery. And what @CTMike said about correcting lenses is pretty accurate for most insurance.  Oh and also, get some good wraparound sunglasses. You will need them.

Botch

shtgunal3 said:

My dad wore glasses all my life. He had cataract surgery 5 or so years ago and hasn’t worn them since. They “made” one eye far sighted and one near. Sorry this is all the info I have.

I had that done during my LASIK procedure (not cataract) and it didn't work as well as it did for your Dad.  My Far vision is kinda fuzzy, and my Close vision requires reading glasses now.  
But, I'm at the bottom 5% success-rate for everything I've tried, it's just BotchLuck™.  YMMV.  

RRP

oh boy...my s-I-l who normally can have MULTIPLE issues with any medical procedure had NO problem and even went back to work the next day after her first one! For 20 years now she never has had to wear her "former sealed beam glasses" but now says SOMETIMES will need those cheap $4 reading glasses from Walgreens to read a recipe book! I just hope that YOU as well as ME have the same great outcome! Let's stay in touch even off this forum...OK? 

4TheGrillOfIt

Botch said:

shtgunal3 said:

My dad wore glasses all my life. He had cataract surgery 5 or so years ago and hasn’t worn them since. They “made” one eye far sighted and one near. Sorry this is all the info I have.

I had that done during my LASIK procedure (not cataract) and it didn't work as well as it did for your Dad.  My Far vision is kinda fuzzy, and my Close vision requires reading glasses now.  
But, I'm at the bottom 5% success-rate for everything I've tried, it's just BotchLuck™.  YMMV.  

This is what keeps me in glass and contacts.  I’ve heard as many unsuccessful LASIK stories as successful.

However, for the OP had a friend who just had cataract surgery and she does indeed see now better than ever.

OhioEgger

Cataract surgery was the best thing I ever had happen!
Very nearsighted all my life, so I could easily do little things up close, like thread a needle, but couldn't see the big clock across the room without my glasses. 
The choice is between distance only or near vision lenses only in both eyes (meaning you'll still need either readers or normal glasses), one of each (meaning your brain has to split the difference -- some can do it, others can't), or the newer (more expensive) multifocal lenses.

I opted for distance only, which reversed my normal experience, and I love it! Perfectly fine for everything except reading, and cheap drugstore reading glasses work great for that.

SWMBO opted for one of each, and is about 90% happy with it. Still needs readers for close up work, but mostly can get by without them.

kdink

I have been considering this also, After speaking to a doctor, he said that after the age of 50 you are better off doing the Lense replacement rather than Lasik.

Ybabpmuts

I have level four cataracts in both eyes. Waiting for surgery now. Mine are due to heavy steroid use over time. Steroids are the one drug that makes my body feel so damned good, regarding my psoriatic arthritis (in all the little joints in my body) yet they think it also plays an underlying roll in my systemic AVN (aka bone death, in all the big bones in my body) so I'd go on and off of it .. for quite a few years. Over time, it wreaked it's own havoc on me. I have other medical procedures that I thought I'd have this year, yet my eyesight has gone so far downhill, in such a short period of time, that its taking precedence right now.  I will say this, I'm amazed at the number of appointments this requires, and the time this is taking to get done. I've had major joints replaced, multiple times, that required far fewer appointments and far less scheduling time than this is taking. When they found the avn in my hips, I had two new hips in less than a month. This will take a whole three months before both of my eyes are done, and I haven't been able to see the TV in months, or drive a car at night, heck, driving during the day is sketchy, so I don't do that very often either. Not being able to see is rough, last week I rejoiced because I thought I had grown a two foot long pubic hair, turns out my black silk underwear had a thread coming undone. Such a let down.

StumpBaby

1voyager

It's a life-changing experience. 

I had my left eye done first. I was awake during the surgery. Awake as in having a conversation with the assistants! Imagine taking a shower and keeping your eyes open in the spray. That's what it felt like. (Of course, just the eyeball.) It was no big deal from a procedure standpoint. Zero pain post-procedure.

After the surgery, the surgeon placed a metal-lined patch over the eye, then I was discharged. There was a follow-up exam the next day. I was allowed to remove the patch during the day. There was some light sensitivity for a few days. I used prescription eyedrops for 10 days, then just regular eyedrops, no prescription needed. As someone else said, be prepared to use eyedrops several times per day. Simple instructions - "use when your eye itches". That went off-and-on for about 2 months.

Some people are able to wear their glasses with the corresponding lens removed. I couldn't. There was still a depth perception issue, but not as bad as before. The surgeon chose an intermediate lens. 

I had the other eye done about 6 months later. It has been about 5 years since the second surgery. I no longer have to wear glasses. No depth perception problem. No "halo". No cloudy vision. I could wear glasses with slight correction for distance but the optometrist told me that it's not needed unless I feel uncomfortable driving. 

Again, it has been a life-changing experience. 

dannys

I had this done recently.  It was like night and day. Before surgery everything was dull and muted and lights had a halo round them. After everything was clear, bright vibrant colors.  And yes, I need glasses for reading (and computer work).

As others have said, there is a pre-op regimen of 3 different eye drops. And you will be taking these for weeks afterward too.  You won''t be allowed to drive yourself home, but you can drive the next day.

As for the implants. There are several types. Single-focus, bi-focal or progressive, and astigmatism correction. Most insurance covers only the first. I probably should not have ruled out the bifocals as quickly as I did since I find myself putting the glasses on and off. Even at the grocery store.

loco_engr

RRP said:

oh boy...my s-I-l who normally can have MULTIPLE issues with any medical procedure had NO problem and even went back to work the next day after her first one! For 20 years now she never has had to wear her "former sealed beam glasses" but now says SOMETIMES will need those cheap $4 reading glasses from Walgreens to read a recipe book! I just hope that YOU as well as ME have the same great outcome! Let's stay in touch even off this forum...OK? 

not a problem Ron

abpgwolf

I had this done a few years ago, like everyone said, it's very tolerable (other than the eye drop routine). I was working from home on the afternoon of the surgery. The need for glasses after surgery depends on your specific condition and the replacements lenses used after the surgery. I went from almost legally blind to wearing mild reading glasses. Best wishes

Mark_B_Good

My uncle recently got cataracts in both eyes. He said it is the absolute best thing he has done for himself.  His eyes took 3 weeks to become fully clear, and he says reading, distance, night driving all like he was when he had perfect eyesight as a child.

Now, there are options ... and of course, with the options, the costs went up. They can treat short and/or long sightedness ... best to speak to the doctor about the options ... and my uncle ... he was like, is this a sales gimmick? But he didn't want to take chances and got the full monty for $6000 ... and HE IS VERY HAPPY HE DID.

Sweet100s

@loco_engr

re: Can you drive yourself…

When a relative had minor outpatient surgery like this, I researched that his insurance would cover “home health” if approved by the doctor.   Home health services include: 

1) Transport to/from the surgery location
2) Help for the # of days prescribed by the dr after the surgery

It was a huge peace of mind for me given I am not near him, and his daughter (my cousin) is lazy and unreliable.  

He said he wouldn’t need it but ended out much appreciating it.
I called every couple hours to check in.  I could tell that he and the home health aide were getting on quite well.
The home health aide mostly did cleaning and cooking, and was simply there for walking assistance in case he became unsteady.  She was awesome.

So…

Step #1:  Call your insurance #.  Press the buttons for benefit coverage questions.

Ask your benefit coverage specialist to email you
- a link to which Home Health agencies they cover in your city
- What info the doctor needs to include in the “prescription” for home health

Step #2:   Look at the agencies’ Yelp reviews.  Pick your top 2.  Become an established “customer” with 2 of them.   This is simply 1 form and 1 phone call / intake interview re:  what procedure you’ll be having and what types of assistance will be needed.

Step #3:  Get the prescription for your surgeon or doctor for post surgery home health assistance for 2-3 days.  Take a cell phone picture of the script and submit it to the insurance for pre-approval


Huge benefit of doing this now, for cataract surgery: 

This is not a critical emergency situation.  Becoming an established ‘customer’ of 2 home health agencies means when you do have a future emergency situation, you can easily schedule home health help. 

If you’d like extra help with any of the above just message me.