Worried about cataract surgery?

RRP

worried? DON’T BE!!!

First eye on 7-1, second eye  on 7-8. 

NO PAIN NO PR!OBLEM,

The lens implant after removable of the cloudy cataracts nearly gave me 20/20 farsightedness, but my nearsightedness is the pits,

Even using those cheap “drugstore” readers don’t hack it! 

Thankfully I have an appt tomorrow and I can get proper, prescription eyeglasses which I have worn for 64 years! 

BTW vanity was NOT my goal…just being able to see clearly again even with glasses!

Photo Egg

Happy all is going well Ron. Always good to hear good news.

HeavyG

Glad to hear it went well. I remember the thread  a few months back where you were asking about this and was wondering whatever happened.

caliking

Glad it went well!

6baluts

- Ditto on glad it did well.
- I have been able to side step that surgery, so far. My better 90% had the surgery on both eyes and breezed through it like you.
- Will admit the night before I gave the Mrs a hard time about the surgery. I qued up the episode of "King of Queens" when Doug got Carrie laser eye surgery using some sweat shop surgery clinic with coupons for her birthday..
- Only thing she has noticed is driving at night now is a PITA and this last go around she finally got herself a pair of perscription sun glasses to go along with her reading cheaters.

OhioEgger

Mine was ten years ago, best thing I ever did.
Before the first surgery it was not worrying. It was terrifying.
But it was great.

JohnInCarolina

Glad to hear it all went well, Ron!

lousubcap

Great news right there.  Way to post the follow-up and encouragement.  

Langner91

Glad it went well!

I am dreading it. I can't get past the thought of a guy kneeling on my forehead so I don't move while he holds my eyelids open with vice grips so I don't blink.

That's what it will take.  I can't even put in eye drops.  

Ybabpmuts

Did both of mine a couple of months ago. Of all the procedures I've had, I expected this to go somewhat smoothly. After the first eye was done, the hospital called me and said I'd need a covid test before doing my second eye. When I asked the doctor why, he started with .. "well .. in about 1 out of every 100 patients, we find we need to fully sedate them, which requires a covid test at this facility. Apparently, when they went to do my first eye, I kept trying to swat the curtains off my face. I'm claustrophobic and the last thing I remember was them telling me that they were about to to put the curtains around my face, and I remember that I started to feel anxiety about it. The next thing I remember I was waking up. Two days later I got call from the Dr's office to setup the covid test for my next eye surgery. Not a big deal, but of all the stuff I've had done, thought this would be the first time that I'd have zero weird complications. The surgery itself was successful, which is the most important thing anyway.

RRP

Langner91 said:

Glad it went well!

I am dreading it. I can't get past the thought of a guy kneeling on my forehead so I don't move while he holds my eyelids open with vice grips so I don't blink.

That's what it will take.  I can't even put in eye drops.  

I was briefly sedated and didn't know ANYTHING that was going on! Like you the thought of eye drops 3 times a day for 2 or 3 weeks bugged me, but I sucked it up like a big boy and let my wife put them in as I was a bad shot half the time!  In fact I believe going forward all those eyedrops convinced me the eyedrop phobia was all in my head and when needed then so be it!

littlerascal56

Had both eyes done in 2015.  Implants were spot on, and I ended up with 20/20 vision without glasses. 5 months later I started seeing “floaters”, and had a retina detachment in Right eye. And some small tears in Left retina. Had to travel 250 miles to have 3 separate surgeries on right eye, and it still is blurry and distorted. They fixed tears in left eye with a laser (in the chair) so it’s still 20/20.

Retina specialist said my cataract surgeon might have went a “little deep” in the capsule during surgery, thus allowing particles to enter the inside of eye and beat up retina linings.
So if anyone starts having lots of floaters after cataract surgery, might want to have a specialist or your eye doctor take pictures of your retina and look for weak spots (lattice tears) forming.
In 2019 my vision started to get cloudy again.  Seem like up to 50% of people form scar tissue behind the implants, thus causing the cloudy vision.  Went to specialist and he broke up that scar tissue with a YAG laser.  Took 1 minute to do both eyes.  Instant clear vision again.

OhioEgger

RRP said: I was briefly sedated and didn't know ANYTHING that was going on! 

The fact is that they use some really remarkable stuff these days.
I was fully awake throughout the entire procedure. I actually felt (sort of) the eyeball being slit open, old lens sucked out, and new lens put in. Listened with great interest to all the chitchat between the surgeon and the rest of the OR folks.

The key thing though, was that I didn't have the slightest interest in moving, talking, or doing anything else, until after they wheeled me out of the OR and I was waiting for SWMBO to come in. Complete inertia. I call that some wonderful anesthesia.

loco_engr

Thanks Ron . . . when I thought I might need this surgey and it turned out to be just floaters.  But I was wondering if this procedure would make my vision 20/20 but from your post I guess not.

GrateEggspectations

johnmitchell

Great news Ron!!

RRP

loco_engr said:l

Thanks Ron . . . when I thought I might need this surgey and it turned out to be just floaters.  But I was wondering if this procedure would make my vision 20/20 but from your post I guess not.

I just had my eye appt this afternoon and am getting glasses due to a stigmatism in both eyes but they will take me back to 20/20. They also will correct my nearsightedness issue so that I can read with ease without wondering where I left any of those pairs of drug store “readers”! Besides I’ve worn glasses for 64 years and have been quite accustomed to wearing these “progressive” style lens much less these frameless glasses.

Canugghead

Been wearing high prescription glasses for nearsightedness since grade school. Ophthalmologist sent me to cataract doc last year. Nope, doc said I’m not quite there yet, can’t complain  . Will revisit this thread when it’s time, lots of good info. Thanks for sharing Ron and hope all goes well with your stigmatism glasses.

OhioEgger

Canugghead said:

Ophthalmologist sent me to cataract doc last year.

When my cataracts started to become noticeable, I would always ask my doc when it would be time for the surgery. And I always got the same answer: "You'll know".

Turned out they were right. When the time came, I was sure.

JohnInCarolina

GrateEggspectations said:

lol that’s a deep cut my man

1voyager

I'm glad it well for you, Ron.

I had the procedure done 3 years ago. It's a life-changing experience.

It was such an odd surgery. 1 surgeon, 2 assistants. I was fully awake. We talked about football the entire time!

No regrets.

Canugghead

OhioEgger said:

Canugghead said:

Ophthalmologist sent me to cataract doc last year.

When my cataracts started to become noticeable, I would always ask my doc when it would be time for the surgery. And I always got the same answer: "You'll know".

Turned out they were right. When the time came, I was sure.

That's exactly what I was told!

RRP

OhioEgger said:

Canugghead said:

Ophthalmologist sent me to cataract doc last year.

When my cataracts started to become noticeable, I would always ask my doc when it would be time for the surgery. And I always got the same answer: "You'll know".

Turned out they were right. When the time came, I was sure.

For those who wonder what that means - at least for me was difficulty driving at night as oncoming cars nearly blinded me as well as driving into the sun late afternoons. Also - but lesser for me was cloudy when reading. Funny thing though - others will say colors are muted, but I never sensed that, nor was there any perceived difference after surgery. 

OhioEgger

RRP said:

OhioEgger said:

When my cataracts started to become noticeable, I would always ask my doc when it would be time for the surgery. And I always got the same answer: "You'll know".

Turned out they were right. When the time came, I was sure.

For those who wonder what that means - at least for me was difficulty driving at night as oncoming cars nearly blinded me as well as driving into the sun late afternoons. Also - but lesser for me was cloudy when reading. Funny thing though - others will say colors are muted, but I never sensed that, nor was there any perceived difference after surgery. 

It was a bit different for me. Driving at night, I didn't have the extreme glare that others have experienced, but it became difficult to read the highway signs even in daylight. When I found myself asking my wife what the upcoming exit sign said, I knew for certain that the time had come. And I do have to say that after the operation colors became MUCH more vivid.

dstearn

Glad the surgery went well Ron. I had LASIK surgery 21 years ago which was a very fast surgery. I had to use drops plus deal with night driving but it was for only a brief period. I am not at the point that I need Cataract surgery yet but eventually I will as my eyesight has gone from 20/20 to 20/25. I have had readers for 21 years as a result but being able to see distance was my priority.

Picking the best surgeon is the key.

lousubcap

Very seldom will I dredge up a thread from the past but I'm here to tell you that getting the surgery (worst eye first 11 days ago, second on 7/17) was a noticeable game changer.  The worst eye used to be the dominant eye for several decades.  100% cataract covered. Lens corrected to 20/20 at distance. 

I last had a comprehensive eye exam in Oct '20.  "Not there yet."

Well, I noticed the increasing challenges with night driving especially in the rain but pressed on.  A few months ago thru blind (no pun there) luck I blocked the sight in my supposed less dominant eye and was given the wake up call.  Time to get an assessment and that led to the surgery. 

The results are obvious and definitely worth it.  I was able to drive, same day as the surgery (disregard a few CYA rules) and the distant vision that I opted for is back. 

I have talked with several people who have had the surgery and every one is totally on board.

BTW-cataract development is non-linear so take that into account.  I am the youngest of those who I spoke with who have had the surgery.  FWIW-

As everything a male does with physical issues, I waited too long.

Friday night PSA-

CTMike

SWMBO had both eyes done in 2019 at age 57. Hers were caused by the long term steroid use to control her asthma. She said the same thing, relatively painless, and the vision improvement was profound and immediate. 

Ybabpmuts

I had cataract surgery last year. Steroid induced cataracts from all my health issues. I wish I didn't do it. Here's the thing , as you and your partner age, bums get lumpier, but nature compensates for that with bad eyesight and fingers that just can't find lumps in bums. If all of a sudden you wake up and see those bum lumps, you might get mad at your fingers and chop tem off, and then you'd have to pee through a funnel for the rest of your life. It's a slippery slope, that was my point.

Pinch pinch pinch Post commment

RRP

Ybabpmuts said:

I had cataract surgery last year. Steroid induced cataracts from all my health issues. I wish I didn't do it. Here's the thing , as you and your partner age, bums get lumpier, but nature compensates for that with bad eyesight and fingers that just can't find lumps in bums. If all of a sudden you wake up and see those bum lumps, you might get mad at your fingers and chop tem off, and then you'd have to pee through a funnel for the rest of your life. It's a slippery slope, that was my point.

Pinch pinch pinch Post commment

Het Stump...me thinks you need to check your prescription count as you may have skipped a few pills this week! 

Ybabpmuts

There's,s a prescription count?

Retired RailRoader

So glad everything went well and you’re doing OK. I have an appointment this week for cataract eval. My right eye is getting very hazy and my night vision sucks. You made my decision making easier. I’ve been wearing glasses since grade school with a strong prescription.