Cataract Surgery Questions

[hoz53]

I suspect cataract surgery will be happening for me in the not to distant future. Just wondering if anyone here has been through it and could give me any pointers. I know there is a selection of different lenses you can get now and I wonder about the pluses and minuses of these. Thanks in Advance

 

[jonbearman]

My dad had it done and said he could see like he was half his age at 82 years old.I am sure there are others here who have had it done out of real necesity and it turned out well. It is better than having crappy eyesight and with todays technology you should be fine.

 

[tenring]

I had right eye cataract removed several years ago, but it didn't help my scores.

 

[bheadboy]

about age 72 i had both removed and implants to produce 20/20 at a distance, no extra stuff. i wear glases to read only. my shooting glasses are bifoc with the top clear, no prescription, and the bottom as needed.

i was shooting ihmsa at the time and found no problems infact my scores went up to internationl class unlimited, unlimited any sight, small bore, big bore, iron and scope, ----being able to see with out the fuzz is great,

hurry up and do it.

Bob

 

[TonyR]

I had both eyes done a couple of years ago and am now 16/20 with both eyes open. It helped my scores a lot because I could see the flags much better and the cataracts seemed to make it hard to use a scope at over 22 power. Now I have them turned up all the way. The cornea transplant unit at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute is among the best anywhere. They measured my eyes for the implants and gave me exactly what I asked for in both eyes. I asked for distance without corrective lenses and now only use glasses for close work. I have talked with others who got something other than what they expected, including some horror stories, so I am glad JHU Wilmer was available close to home.

 

[bdale]

My brother had it done on both eyes and he can see as well if not better than me, I wear glasses but can read some of the 2015 line.

 

[DOGCAPPER]

Find a good surgeon and its a breeze..LT

 

[dannyjbiggs]

I suspect cataract surgery will be happening for me in the not to distant future. Just wondering if anyone here has been through it and could give me any pointers. I know there is a selection of different lenses you can get now and I wonder about the pluses and minuses of these. Thanks in Advance

I had both eyes done this past March and April. It was like opening up a whole new world for me...very little down time. I waited about one month after the second surgery before going back to my short magnums. I went for the distance lens in each eye. Some may do the near/far combination, but I knew that glasses would continue being a part of my life, especially for eye safety in the shooting sport, and because of the need for a slight astigmatism correction. Both eyes test 20/20 for distance, and with the astigmatism correction, the 1000-yard rifle range is now vivid with detail. Both eye operations were a breeze! One of the side benefits for me: I've always been squeamish about eye drops. Well, I fully got over it with the volume that one has to administer! I got to where I could simply loft an eye drop into the air, and then successfully maneuver under it.

Dan Biggs

 

[bmccarron]

Generally, you can have a choice of different lenses. Most common is a stiff lens or a roll-up lens which is more expensive. Advantage is that incision is smaller. I went for both distant lenses and now need glasses for reading, closeup work. You could do one close and one distant, but most men go for two distance lenses. Be prepared for a huge change in the colours in your surroundings. If you have a large degree of astigmatism make sure you discuss this with your doctor. Surgery was scary but painless and recovery time was easy. Hope this helps. Cheers, Brian

 

[TonyR]

The whole thing was easy for me as well except the drops before and after were a pain. I did find that the weight restriction after the surgery is very important. Sometimes after-care instructions are pretty conservative but I would observe whatever weight restriction your doctor recommend very carefully. Mine limited me to the weight of a gallon of milk for a month after the surgery. One day I picked up something a little heavier and felt a sharp pain in my eye. No harm done but I was a lot more careful after that happened. No lifting SEB rests or F-Class rifles for sure.

 

[Lapua40X]

My wife had it done and elected to do a combo near/far sighted lense implant where each eye offers a different visual acuity. She did that in the belief that she would be able to deal with reading over a wider range of distances. But the ever changing demands makes the intended benefits largely unattainable for finer details. She can read a book and identify distant objects but she still reaches for glasses for reading product labels, etc.

 

[jr600yd]

I had both eyes done with the distance lens. Everything is much brighter now and sun glasses are a must when out doors. The drops, before and after, surgery can be a little bit of a pita but its the price you pay. Now I have 20/20 and only require reading glasses (from the local drug store). Still using shooting glasses for safety reasons at the range. The operation takes about 15 minutes per eye but you'll need somebody to drive you home after.

 

[Sled2live]

I had cataracts removed from both eyes about 10 years ago while in my mid 40's. At the time, I required contact lenses that would equate to about -13 and -13.5. In other words in glasses they were coke bottle bottoms for lenses. At that time the replacement lenses only were available in whole diopters (I am not sure if that has changed). Thus when the proceedures were finished my vision was a little better than 20/20 in my left eye and a little worse than 20/20 in my right eye (approximately 17/20 and 23/20). I feel very fortunate of this minute difference because it allows me to read "most" small print without reading glasses. I do have a couple pair of reading glasses around for the super small stuff.

To get to this level of vision without corrective lenses also required me to undergo an astigmatic keratotomy proceedure on both eyes to correct my severe astigmatism after the cataract surgeries had healed. 4 months of surgery recoveries wiped out 35 years of horrible vision (even with corrective lenses) and in the last 10 years I have become spoiled with my improved vision.

The only drawback I have encountered is that with my implanted lenses, when wearing polarized sunglasses, I do not see the LED readouts, such as on my car dashboard instrument panels. With non polarized sunglasses, that is not a problem.

Good luck with your surgeries. My night vision improved dramatically.

Scott

 

[gotcha]

I haven't seen these negative results mentioned yet. Had a dual glass lens replacement about 10 yrs ago. I also had astigmatism so no longer need glasses for distance just reading. Over the years my eyes have become more light sensitive & require sunglasses during daytime hours to prevent pain. It also takes my eyes much longer to adjust for bright on-coming lights when driving at night. lighting at night has a star burst around it that can be distracting at first. My symptoms may be due to other eye health issues. I'm still pleased w/ the positive aspects of the results. You may want to consult w/ your Doc to see if you could be subject to what I've experienced. Good luck!!!

 

[gary0529]

This will be a second hand report but the second hand is my wife who is a pathologist who makes her living and reputation with her eyes and spends many hours every day in front of a microscope and this requires constant refocusing at different levels.
3 years ago she had both eyes done ( 3 months apart) and opted for the newest multi-focus implant.
Yes, it did cost us a few bucks out of pocket as the insurance company will ONLY pay for the single focus lens but it has made her older eyes like new again.
She absolutely is ecstatic with the surgery and new lenses.
Yes, there is some extra photo sensitivity in that she really needs a good pair of polarizing sunglasses in the bright light but that is about all I have ever heard her say to the negative.

I will probably be needing the same surgery in the not too distant future (getting old is a b-----h)
and will have no qualms about going the same route and expecting the same results.

If you have a cataract that is impairing your vision I say go for it and don't look back.
Ask plenty of questions to the ophthalmologist and follow the post op instructions and you should be GTG.

Gary

 

[Texas Solo]

My wife has had both eyes done in the last two weeks. She had been wearing glasses since grade school, and her prescription got worse every year. Now at age 55, she has near 20/20 vision. Distance is perfect, only a very slight correction needed to read. Lasik will cure that. Insurance company will only pay for the Mono lens, not the multi focal. We opted to pay that difference for her, which was $6000 for both eyes. For us, it was worth it. She has a slight sensitivity to bright light, but shopping for sun glasses was a new experience that she really enjoyed! NO PRESCRIPTION!
The regime of drops you'll need to administer is daunting, but I made a schedule for her that she can cross off as it's done.
I can e-mail that to you if you'd like.
Get a good surgeon, avoid the horror stories. Check his credentials and reputation.
If you're in So. Texas, I can recommend one.

 

[hoz53]

Wow this is terrific. I just checked in and find all these great responses. By 4th grade I was wearing coke bottle glasses. I'm 57 now. I've worn contacts since high school. The last 10 years my corrected vision hasn't been to great. I'm chomping at the bit hoping To have this surgery but my eyes have not been ready. I'll be going to the eye Dr soon to find out the latest. Hopefully it's time. To have the results and vision you guys describe here would be like a miracle to me. Thank You all so much for the info. I'll keep everyone posted. Napsack

 

[KevinL]

Both eyes. Far lenses. Bigest problem I had was getting used to readi.g glasses. I have multiple eye problems so this was the easest thing I have been threw. About 3 years ago I had the side efect of the (film) over the emplanted roll up lens $1500 5 min lazer treatment took all the glare away. But it also made me legaly blind. Now remimber I have multiple eye problems. This last lazer was the first prosedure I DID NOT ASK ABOUT SIDE EFECTS. To every action there is a reaction. Ask what they are then make your decetion.
All told I would have it all over again but that is me.
Kevin