Cataract Surgery Anyone? (Page 3): What a nonsensical reply, keep up frog boy.

FlyingTiger Loc: Tortola, BVI

Rongnongno wrote:

I had it three years ago. It does not matter what the existing problem you may or may not have.

You will see the world in its pure color but you also will be far sighted and need reading glasses, several of them depending on the distance.

What a nonsensical reply, keep up frog boy.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

rjaywallace wrote:

Stongly recommend you seek qualified medical advice, not the advice of this mixed bag of Dr. Welby wannabes.
This is about the vision you will have (or not) for the rest of your life. Take it seriously! /Ralph

👍👍👍

pendennis

FlyingTiger wrote:

What a nonsensical reply, keep up frog boy.

The colors ARE better after surgery, especially since cataracts do diffuse light, tending to make it more "pastel" in color. I had a double problem, since I had astigmatism, along with it came chromatic aberration, pincushion and barrel distortion. These are not imaginary problems. It's the result of how light is refracted in the human eye.

The first thing I noticed was that the color spectrum was more vivid. This was confirmed by my surgeon, and further research has borne this out.

My wife used to work for a large florist, and one of her customers was a local ophthalmic surgeon. He would have yellow flowers sent to all his patients post-surgery. My wife asked him why, and he stated that yellow was the first color that should be vivid to post-operative patients..

jmvaugh Loc: Albuquerque

rando wrote:

I've been told I need cataract surgery. My doc asked if I wanted to improve distance or near vision. I told him I was a photographer so my initial response was distance vision. But then I thought about all the menus and buttons on the camera that would near close-up vision. My goal would be to not have use glasses at all when out shooting. How did other UHH handle this quagmire?

I went for distance and just use readers for menus. I wanted to drive, run, and wake up and not have to reach for glasses. You can even get sunglasses with readers on the bottom so you can read outside. But for almost anything else I don’t need glasses.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

My eye doctor indicated about four years ago that I needed this surgery, and have talk to many after surgery that were very satisfied, but have also known others that wished they hadn't gone through with it! Sight in so very important to all of us and about thirty years ago I was advised that I could possibly be at risk for macular degeneration and have been taking medication that will hopefully help to prevent it, and so far my eyes have changed very little, and do not wish to take that chance at this time. I have also talked to my primary care doctor, which I regard as a personal friend, and he agrees with me.

ejones0310 Loc: Tulsa, OK

rjaywallace wrote:

Stongly recommend you seek qualified medical advice, not the advice of this mixed bag of Dr. Welby wannabes.
This is about the vision you will have (or not) for the rest of your life. Take it seriously! /Ralph

I had cataract surgery this past year, and made my decision after talking in depth with both my optometrist and my ophthalmic surgeon. I agree with Ralph, don't listen to the advice offered here but talk to your doctors. Explain your reasoning and listen to what they say. It's your decision and your eyes. While they can remove an interocular lens and replace it, it is extremely risky and not recommended.

Make your choice as if it's the only chance you will get.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

rando wrote:

I've been told I need cataract surgery. My doc asked if I wanted to improve distance or near vision. I told him I was a photographer so my initial response was distance vision. But then I thought about all the menus and buttons on the camera that would near close-up vision. My goal would be to not have use glasses at all when out shooting. How did other UHH handle this quagmire?

My wife did one of each.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I had this surgery earlier this year. A good doctor will ask questions about your lifestyle and give some suggestions, but will leave the final choice to you. You are going to live with that choice, not the doctor. So think it through carefully. After a life of being nearsighted, I opted to have both eyes corrected for distant vision. After experimenting with one lens removed from a pair of glasses, it was clear that it was not going to work for me to have near/distant correction. The switch from being nearsighted has required some getting used to, but the fact is that as I aged, my reading vision was beginning to require some correction also, so it is not as huge a deal as you might otherwise think.

Concerning vision after surgery...my surgeon offered a procedure called ORA (Optiwave Refractive Analysis) during surgery to fine tune selection of the implant that would offer best vision. Insurance & Medicare do not cover it, but in my opinion, it is money well spent (about $400 per eye). I then have progressive corrective lenses that make a little final correction and provide medium and near vision correction.

What is interesting is that as final healing has been completed, my uncorrected vision has changed for the better, and I now see better at a distance without the glasses.

Also worth remembering...vision can change over time. So even if your post-surgery vision is perfect, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way.

And while there are risks to this and all surgery, at the base level, cataract surgery itself is no big thing. I had no discomfort and no complications, and my distant vision was already excellent the afternoon of surgery. (I wore an eye shield for sleeping for three nights, but nothing during the day.) And yes...as seen on this thread, folks who have had the surgery are at something of an increased risk of a detached retina down the road. I have developed a little bit of scar tissue on the back of the lens capsule that will eventually need to be cleaned up with a laser ablation procedure.

Bottom line...do not fear this surgery. I am very surgery-averse, but can tell you that this was really not a big deal in my case. And the improvement in vision is well worth the minor short-term inconvenience. The biggest thing for me was having the IV inserted. Once that was done, I was all OK. And because I have sleep apnea, the anesthesiologist only mildly sedated me, so I got to listen to everything that went on for the 15 minutes or so required for each eye. It was actually pretty cool.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I told my surgeon that I wanted f/22 vision. Best decision I ever made was having surgery.

rando wrote:

I've been told I need cataract surgery. My doc asked if I wanted to improve distance or near vision. I told him I was a photographer so my initial response was distance vision. But then I thought about all the menus and buttons on the camera that would near close-up vision. My goal would be to not have use glasses at all when out shooting. How did other UHH handle this quagmire?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

rando wrote:

I've been told I need cataract surgery. My doc asked if I wanted to improve distance or near vision. I told him I was a photographer so my initial response was distance vision. But then I thought about all the menus and buttons on the camera that would near close-up vision. My goal would be to not have use glasses at all when out shooting. How did other UHH handle this quagmire?

I chose distance. Get a pair of readers in the Dollar Store for a buck, and you can see close-up. Otherwise, you'll need glass all the time - driving, TV, events. Easy choice.

chtrout

Wow what a timely topic -- I also have cataract surgery pending, and have wondered how it will affect my photography, as well as my photo processing in LightRoom and Photoshop...

I will read with great interest regarding everyone's experiences --- especially recovery time. How soon will my vision be fully functional after surgery?

WineO Loc: Poughkeepsie NY

You could get the nearsighted for the right eye and the farsighted for the left eye. I did it and works GREAT.

incognito

Having been an Ophthalmic Technician for over 25yrs. Every ones needs are different and I would strongly recommend for you to discuss all the pros and cons with your Ophthalmologist instead of listening to someone else. I will say that you should not tailor your decision based on photography unless you are a professional and your livelihood depends on it. Also the outcomes will vary from one surgeon to another. Where I worked we quickly learnt who you would run away from. You unfortunately do not have that luxury. I will be having my cataract surgery next month and I am going with the bifocal lenses fully knowing that it has it limitations and a longer adaptation time and need for possible touch up procedures. I do not expect to be eyeglass free but if it works well for me then I will be happy if not then I will kick myself in the butt for the rest of my life.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

rando wrote:

I've been told I need cataract surgery. My doc asked if I wanted to improve distance or near vision. I told him I was a photographer so my initial response was distance vision. But then I thought about all the menus and buttons on the camera that would near close-up vision. My goal would be to not have use glasses at all when out shooting. How did other UHH handle this quagmire?

My contact lenses are "univision". one lens is for close up and one for distance. Not everyone can deal with it. Fortunately I have a superior brain that can distinguish when I am looking far and when I'm looking close. LOL By the way, does medicare cover cataract surgery???

ebcobol

My surgery was for near vision and I have had no problems with enjoying my hobby of photography. I would like to hear more from people with distance only but to be honest my decision was based on that since looking through the lens of a camera requires close-up vision I decided for that whether it really makes a difference ot not only distance chooser would be able to verify and I am happy with long distance glasses.