10 replies to this topic

[raymac46]

Over the past couple of months I have very slowly been on the path to improved vision.
In January 2017 at my eye exam my local optometrist informed me that my prescription would no longer correct my blurry outlook. I have been following the progress for a few years and it looked like it was now time to put things right (Cataract surgery.)
For a variety of reasons I put off consulting an eye surgeon until last May. Then after referral I waited until October to see him.
In the meantime my vision deteriorated rather alarmingly. I couldn't see road signs very well, there was a lot of glare at night and I couldn't see objects in shadow, impossible to read small print. By the time I got to the surgeon his on staff optometrist informed me I was on the cusp of getting my driver's licence revoked by the authorities.
The surgeon gave me a choice of three possible implants:

• Standard spherical lens - covered entirely by Medicare but not the best solution.
  
• Aspherical lens upgrade (I had to pay $125 per eye.) This one gave the best contrast and night driving results, but I'd still need glasses to correct astigmatism.
  
• Toric lens upgrade (I had to pay $700 per eye.) This might correct all my vision defects and likely I'd not need glasses for anything but reading. No guarantees though, and I'd still have glasses if I needed to read small print. Contrast and night driving not as good.

If I wanted the top of the line implants I'd have a further delay as this procedure had to be done at a large Ottawa hospital with about a 4 month waiting list. If I went with options 1 or 2 it could be done at a smaller local hospital and within a 2 month period I'd be done.
Since I wanted the best possible vision and I'd need glasses anyway I went with option 2 (slight upgrade,)
I had my first surgery about 3 weeks after the consult. The difference was dramatic in my newly implanted eye. I could see well enough without glasses to get around but the other eye was yellow and blurry for a month. Then the second operation introduced me to a whole new world of color and clarity.
I had to wait another month to get my final prescription and new glasses - which arrived today. Now I can see clearly at all distances - probably haven't been able to see like this for 10 years at least. The operation corrected my distance vision almost completely. I am very slightly nearsighted but the glasses fix this. They also correct my astigmatism so I can read the road signs perfectly. I am also able to read the finest fine print on the chart. I donated my old glasses to the optometrist for recycling in developed countries. They won't work for me any more.
It's been close to a year since I was first diagnosed as needing cataract surgery and now all is well. The worst part was the 250 odd eye drops I took over a 2 month period. That is over now thank God.

[securitybreach]

Wow, excellent news!!

[abarbarian]

That is super news mate. Bet that is the best upgrade you make last year

[raymac46]

abarbarian, on 11 January 2018 - 07:12 PM, said:

That is super news mate. Bet that is the best upgrade you make last year

No question about it.

[zlim]

I just had one eye done on January 9th and the results are impressive. The other eye doesn't get done until the 30th. I wish it was sooner but my eye doctor only operates on Tuesday and I have appointments on the 16th and 23rd that can be changed and can't be missed.
They took my glasses popped the bifocal out on the left and put in plain plastic.

I can see the desktop computer perfectly. The laptop, tablet and phone are another matter. Thank goodness I've saved lots of glasses. I pulled out the first pair of reading glasses I got. They are half glasses because I was teaching and did not need glasses for most of the time but I did need them for textbook reading. Those glasses are about 38 years old but work well for seeing my laptop, tablet and phone.

I won't get my final glasses until the end of February.

Like you, Ray, I'm am enjoying my new found vision!

[raymac46]

In Ontario they usually go 1 month between surgeries. That gives your first eye time to heal and you finish up the eye drops on it before starting in on the eye drops for the second eye.
That was the worst time as I had one eye that worked very well and one that was horrible. I ended up just dumping my glasses as the prescription was wrong for my good eye and the specs didn't help much on my bad eye. Now I know what "lazy eye" is all about as I just relied on my surgically repaired one to see and get around.
After my second surgery and checkup I was at Costco and saw one of the new 4K HDTVs. I thought it was fantastic. Then I came home and my 2009 Samsung TV also looked fantastic. My computer monitors are also great. Getting your body hardware upgraded is just as good as a new piece of electronics.

[Ed_P]

Wow!!!     Without question the best thing I have read in a long LONG time.  Enjoy your vision.  

[raymac46]

Cataracts run in my family. I was just thinking about the way things have improved in the last 60 years:

• My grandfather (1950s) There was no microsurgery. A cataract removal meant a week in bed with your head in sandbags. They wouldn't risk it with Grandpa. He went blind.
  
• My uncle (1970s) They could remove the cataract but there were no implants back then. He made do with heavy Coke bottle glasses. But he could see.
  
• My mother (1990s) They had implants by then but they still needed to cut your cornea and stitch it afterward. Still a big advance though.
  
• Me (2010s) No stitches, tiny incision. The latest in aspheric lens technology. 99% success rate after a 10 minute procedure.

Another reason why the best time to be alive is now.

[zlim]

Quote

In Ontario they usually go 1 month between surgeries.

Not here. My eye doctor is upset with me because I'm waiting 3 weeks between. He wanted to do it sooner. Here is is 1 - 2 weeks after the first eye is done.

I know what you mean about one eye working and the other not. I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to read.
My old reading glasses work great for the operated eye but aren't good for the still to be operated on eye.

If I hold the item to be read far enough away from me, my current glasses (one corrected lens and one plain plastic) work okay. It like before I started using reading glasses.

[ebrke]

As I recall, I went at least a month between surgeries (almost 15 years ago, so I'm really not sure). I had cataracts early, possibly due to family inheritance (grandmother and mother had cataracts, but two maternal aunts did not). Also, I spent some years in activities (boating) that doctor said could have contributed to the condition due to sun glare. Interestingly, the doctor was rather dismissive of all my years of staring at computer screens for hours every day. All in all, it was a good experience, but my near vision has deteriorated so that I can't read anything without reading glasses. Distance vision has deteriorated somewhat, to the point that I make sure to wear glasses when I drive just to be safe. It was interesting when I had only one eye operated on to see the difference in color, with everything seen through the unoperated eye looking like it had a heavy coat of nicotine staining compared to the eye with the new lens.

[raymac46]

If I were to rate vision capability on a scale of 0-100 it would be like this:

• Before any surgery - 30
  
• After first eye done - 55
  
• After both eyes done -75
  
• With final glasses - essentially 100.

I knew I would need glasses at the end both for distance and reading so this comes as no surprise. Although after surgery I could see a long way things were still fuzzy - I had trouble seeing clearly at church or on the road. Yesterday everything was crystal clear both driving and being in the church building.
I think I might get some computer glasses eventually. It would be nice to have a big clear view of a computer screen without tilting my head to get everything in focus.