I can see clearly now

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doubleh

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Words in a song that now apply to me. I had cataract removal in both eyes last December and got a little hint of what it is like but the results quickly went south and I could only see slightly better than before the surgery. It seems in some cases your body forms plaque under the replacement lens as a reaction to having a foreign body in place and is a fairly common occurance. No one mentioned anything about this happening until after it did.

After waiting about four months for laser surgery to correct this with my vision continuing to worsen I finally got it done Monday. All I can say is the results are startling. For example I am amazed at how good 4K TV really is. :D I am going to be able to use iron sighted pistols again with out anything but regular safety glasses. The world is much brighter, more colorful place and I can hardly wait to get to the range again and see how much if any my shooting improves.
 
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Yes, there's a little membrane behind the lens, that sometimes clouds up after cataract surgery. This can easily be burned off with a laser, and that procedure is considered routine. Fortunately I didn't have to have that done with either of my cataract surgeries.

The replacement implant lens can correct for pre-existing near- or far-sightedness. However, most replacement lenses can't automatically adjust for focus, the way natural lenses can. So, if the replacement lenses correct for distance vision, you'll need glasses for close-up work, and vice versa. Most ophthalmologists will recommend a compromise. Post operation, I can sort of see at all distances, but still need bifocals for things like reading and driving. (My glasses prescription is much milder than it used to be.)

Another solution would be to correct for distance in one eye, and correct for close work in the other eye. This could be disorienting psychologically.

When it comes to shooting, the lack of "accommodation" makes using iron sights difficult or impossible. You have to shift focus rapidly from near (the rear sight) to middle distance (the front sight) to long distance (the target), and post-cataract surgery you can't do this. A peep sight makes this a little easier since you eliminate having to focus at the near distance. Of course, optical sights solve the problem.
 
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I had cataracts taken out a number of years ago, and some minor laser work to clear up that membrane AlexanderA mentioned.
My right eye went first; I procrastinated eye surgery so long (cutting into my EYE????:what::uhoh:o_O ) that I was totally blind in that eye and all one could see looking into it was a opaque milky white cataract.

But now both eyes have bionic lenses. Good eyesight .... no zoom or nightvision, but THANKFULLY also no obnoxious beeping ....:cool::D;)
 
Appointment for my first one is next month - can't get here soon enough. Can't see anything but fog in left eye.
VA Dr. finally saw me after missing a year due to covid. She said eyes were healthy, just clouded over. No change in prescription could improve it. Gave up trying to shoot until I can see better.
It helps to see others posting their results. Thanks!
 
Jim Watson said:
There are multifocal and varifocal implants. They are horribly expensive and do not give as good clarity as a monofocal at its design distance. There is a local shop plugging the Vivity but reviews say it may not be worth the money.
Click to expand...

I hope by the time I need IOL's, the technology has advanced enough so accomodative IOLs will be the norm.
 
Cemetery21 said:
Appointment for my first one is next month - can't get here soon enough. Can't see anything but fog in left eye.
VA Dr. finally saw me after missing a year due to covid. She said eyes were healthy, just clouded over. No change in prescription could improve it. Gave up trying to shoot until I can see better.
It helps to see others posting their results. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Did I post this? Same for me, appt next month and scheduled my eye exam only because I noted an eye getting progressively worse .Glasses doc set up the appt with the best in town from all reports.

He showed me the whole flip chart presentation, including the potential clouding, and almost all who I've read or discussed in "real life" stated they use readers. The idea that it's a static focus lens hadn't occurred to me - good info going in. It is something I've followed for years, and I'm glad I didn't get Lasik as that complicates things. 20-200 each eye will be a drastic improvement to get close to no correction for driving.

We got a 4k TV for the holidays and FWIW the picture is great, if only the content had improved.
 
One thing I forgot to mention was the color clarity. Besides the cloudiness, my whole field of vision had a yellow cast. I had no idea, because I had nothing to compare it to. An hour after the anesthesia wore off, it was like a miracle. Not only was the cloudiness gone, but colors were brighter than I could imagine.
 
AlexanderA said:
colors were brighter than I could imagine.
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I'm hoping for some improvement there. Photos on the computer are very dark and have little detail. I blow them up and get 6" from the screen, but can't see what others are posting about. This has all happened in less than 6 months. Dr. said my type was fast progressing. I asked the surgeons office to put me in if they get any cancellations before July 14th.
 
AlexanderA said:
my whole field of vision had a yellow cast. I had no idea, because I had nothing to compare it to
Click to expand...
Had mine done Nov/Dec '19. Had not really noticed the color change until the Dr had me cover up the uncorrected eye on the day-after visit. That was a revelation, "white" was really "white."

Did not get the corrected lenses as I couldn't really front another $3K on the first $3K for the two surgeries.
 
gyp_c2 said:
Told the Doc' I wanted 'em focused at front sight distance.
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That's, what, about 2 1/2 feet? That's about the "compromise" distance I mentioned earlier. You're still going to need bifocals to see anything further away (such as your target), and anything closer.

Theoretically, cataract surgery can eliminate the need for glasses, if all we're concerned about is distance vision. But modern life (including reading, computers, etc.) requires clear vision at all distances, and often it requires quick shifting between various distances. Young people can do this, but as we get older, our vision becomes more and more ossified. Cataract surgery can help, but it is no panacea.
 
I've needed mild readers for 20 years, I'm 63. I can see well enough without corrective measures at distances beyond about 5', but I did get a pair of bifocal glasses last time. Other than the readers on the bottom the only time I notice an improvement with the top part of the glasses is when watching TV. Everything is a bit sharper, but other than that I don't notice.

I get an eye exam once a year and they've been telling me that I have a cataract forming in one eye for about 3 years now, but there is need for surgery yet. It's just a matter of time.
 
By telling me how much she could “see,” my wife nearly drove me nuts for about 2 weeks after she had laser cataract surgery. After I had laser cataract surgery myself, I got my wife back by spending 2 weeks telling her how much I could “see.”:evil:

Kidding aside, before the surgery, without my glasses, I couldn’t spot big game animals in the distance, and I couldn’t see through my scope with my glasses. As I’ve mentioned before, I put a pair of “crocodiles” (or whatever they’re called) on my glasses so that I could quickly pull my glasses off and let them dangle from my neck as I brought my rifle to my shoulder.

That’s all over now. My bifocals have no correction at all in their upper lenses, and only +2.5 in their lower lenses for close up - like reading. And they work great for me for hunting and shooting - with or without a scope.

I could get by with a cheap pair of department store reading glasses, but I still wear good, prescription bifocals for a couple of reasons: first, because I like having a little eye protection provided by my glasses' polycarbonate lenses, and second, because I kinda grew used to wearing glasses over the course of 35+ years.;)
 
Poper said:
Sure it did.
It cost you the premiums for the secondary insurance.
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But I would pay the premiums for the secondary insurance anyway. There was no marginal increase in cost for this particular surgery, nor did the rates go up.

When you have Medicare as primary, it caps the total fee. The doctor cannot charge more than the "Medicare allowable." So when Medicare then pays 80% of the allowable, only 20% of the diminished amount is payable by the secondary insurance. This low "moral risk" is why they can keep their rates low. The key factor in all this is the Medicare reimbursement rate. (Most people needing cataract surgery are Medicare age.)
 
I got the regular distance lens. Walmart readers aren't going to do it for me as my left eye needs a little more help up close than the right one does. I have been using them while waiting on the laser fix but reading for any length of time gives me a headache. Up until my cataract surgery a headache was a very rare thing for me. I am scheduled for a follow up exam for progressive bifocals next week and I will get polycarbonate transition lens. I also need prescription glasses because of double vision. I see a faint ghost image of everything. I can ignore it fairly well but it's better when it isn't there. I am also going to have my prescription put in my ray-ban shades. I have worn shades all my adult life because of the glare and it's even brighter now, about the only down side to the whole deal.

I am sitting in front of a 24" monitor right now while typing this and it's perfectly clear with bare eyes at about 20 inches distance. I just moved forward and the print begins to blur just a bit at around 18 inches. I am extremley happy with everything now.
 
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