Bill P

I have been told that the "bifocal" lens replacements have the highest amount of dissatisfaction of any option.

khrunner Loc: Aurora, CO

I hadn't seen my face in over 20 years. My first clear look in the mirror was a shock! My surgery was back in 2003, and the technology has advanced since. I was offered the choice of near or far vision and chose the far. I still wear progressive bifocals most of the time with a very slight distance correction because keeping up with readers is too much trouble. However, I passed the DMV eye test easily and have been known to forget to put my glasses on.

uhb1980q

Not much to add, everything has been said. Crystal clear vision, brighter colors, especially blues. I no longer need glasses for distance but I do need a 2.5 bifiocal for reading. Next checkup, I'll order a new pair of progressives, 0 on the top, 2.5 on the bottom. I'm a audio/vidiophile and I did find that I had to tone down my home theatre settings a bit. The surgery was a breeze. Best thing I ever did.

Rich Doerr

Just had my second cataract surgery. By all means have yours done. I also enjoy photography and it is much more pleasent looking through the viewfinder at a clear image. Also there very little downtime

Ront53 Loc: Maryland

You will have to remove the added diopter from your viewfinder, and enjoy the freedom and new color...
Mine was done in May....

cruise4two

Good to read all the positive responses to cataract corrective surgery as I have cataracts in both eyes that are slowly starting to impede my vision.

My opthalmologist also informed me of another eye condition/disease I have called "Fuchs Dystrophy" that will require me to have corneal transplant (both eyes)...corneal tissue will come from donor. Cataracts and corneal transplant would be done at the same time.

Have any of you undergone surgery for Fuchs Dystrophy along with cataracts ?

KoniOmegaflex Loc: Central KY

I'm 76 and my wife and I both had cataract surgery about two years ago. I find that everything is brighter and color is improved. I can only say good things as my vision is now 20/20 which is great for my age. The only problem I have is with extremely fine print so I have a pair of prescription readers for that. For normal reading I don't use them at all. My wife could originally see great up close but had problems with distance vision. Now her close vision is not quite as good as it was but her distance vision is greatly improved.
We both can see much better when we are driving at night in the rain.
We had the option of getting standard replacement lenses which Medicare would pay for or getting what is called Symphoni (?) lenses which we had to pay 2K per eye extra. The upside is that they work very well for distance and close vision for me but the close for my wife is not quite as good as it had been before.
The Symphoni lenses are not offered by all Optometrists as they must have special equipment to work with them.
The symphoni lenses seem to have concentric circles etched on them and we do get some halo effect from lights. It is not as noticeable after two years as it was at first.
As far as pain, it was almost unnoticeable but my eyes felt a little scratchy the first day but was fine after that. I only took a couple of regular Tylenol.
My wife had a few floaters for a week but I had a minor one for a day or so.
Our optometrist gave us the option of us using drops for a few days before and after or he could put drops in during the surgery and we didn't have to do that.
Hope this has been some help.
All best wishes.
Dale

LiamRowan Loc: Michigan

Caution . . . this is not just a matter of cost. There are medical reasons why some people can't get the "upgraded" lens. My wife wanted it but she was rejected for it. Her "not upgraded" lens gives her what seems to me like bionic distance vision. Simply unbelievable perception of details in the distance. Up close is OK.

msonnleit

I'm an optometrist who has seen the results of many cataract surgeries. While your chances of a retinal detachment increase somewhat after cataract surgery, the vast majority of surgeries results in great vision. The yellowish haze you may be experiencing now should be completely gone, and your visual acuity for distance should be greatly improved, after surgery. There is a healing time of about a month for each eye after surgery, during which time the vision gradually improves. The one consideration is whether you're going to get single vision replacement lenses (both eyes focused for distance, requiring the use of reading glasses, or both eyes focused for near, requiring distance glasses), or multifocal lenses. Some people also opt for monovision--one eye focused for distance and one for near. Your near vision for photo processing would depend in large part upon what kind of lens implant you choose. Your surgeon should be able to help you with this decision, but from what I've seen, both the distance and near vision are not quite as crystal clear after having multifocal lenses implanted, compared to single vision implants. Most people opt for single vision distance lens implants and glasses for reading. But, if it were my choice, I'd opt for a modified monovision--my dominant eye corrected fully for distance, and my non-dominant eye corrected for mid-range. That way, I could go without glasses most of the time, and just wear glasses for detailed close work. Good luck with your decision.

smiller999 Loc: Corpus Christi

I had mine back in January. The end result depends on how accurate their measurements of your eye were. I went from 20/800 before surgery to 20/25 after. That's close enough. However, be aware that your closeup vision will be affected by this, as the replacement lens is fixed focus. Depending on how bad your original vision was (not counting the loss from cataracts) you may need reading glasses for closeup work. I have a pair of +1.75 readers I use when at the computer, and some bifocals with very little correction for distance that I use for driving (so I can see my phone when navigating). YMMV. As others have said, the surgery is a breeze - mine took 15 minutes for each eye (I opted for the laser version so they could correct some astigmatism). The readers are a bit of a pain, but in general the change is amazing.

jmcewan15

I am a physician who has had cataract surgery. Hopefully you will find this explanation useful. Your postoperative result depends upon whether your visual disability is solely the result of cataracts. For example factors such as pre-existing amblyopia, diabetic retinopathy, macular disease, or a corneal dystrophy can negatively influence your postoperative vision. If you have no pre-existing ocular pathology you should expect a significant improvement in your visual acuity following surgery. Your ophthalmologist should be able to provide you with an estimate of your expected postoperative visual acuity. Devices such as a potential acuity meter can assist your ophthalmologist in making such a determination.

Regarding your color vision as people age the color of their lens changes. By the time that people are in their 60s the color of the lens is no longer clear but takes on a yellow green brown appearance. This is called nuclear sclerosis. If you are in your 60s or older you'll see a dramatic change in your color vision following surgery, which you can assess by covering one eye, and then the other while viewing a white object. The eye that has received the surgery will see a white object, while the remaining eye with the cataract will see a yellow object. The magnitude of this change is dependent upon the degree of nuclear sclerosis. There are many different types of cataracts some of which can affect younger individuals. These individuals may not see significant changes in the color vision following surgery.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I had both eyes done, a week or two apart, not really a bit deal at all. When I could see out of the first eye, but the second had yet to be done, I could look at things first with one eye, and then the other, and the change in color was remarkable. However, I got both eyes corrected for distance, after being assured that this would be just right for the viewfinder. And it is. However, it is not just right for reading the menu on the screen, nor for reading the settings on the camera nobs, never mind the fine print on the Rx label. So I regret not getting distance for the right eye - the one I use for the viewfinder - and close up for the left, although I understand that some folks have difficulty adjusting to having the two eyes done differently.

Billy Britt

I had mine done about 2 years ago and what a difference. One suggestion get the RE-STORE lens they are designed in such a way that you will be able to see close and far thereby needing no glasses whatsoever.

cruise4two

Comments anyone ??

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

Ditto, I didn't know how lousy my sight was really getting until the first eye was done.