TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

My Dr. said that it was difficult to position the multi-focals properly. That didn't matter, I have a genetic condition that made it a non-choice.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I had my cataract surgeries in Oct/Nov 2020. I am very satisfied with the results after wearing glasses and contacts for about 60 years. It's great to get out of bed and be able to see well and also not think about removing and cleaning contacts at the end of a long day.
I chose single vision adjusted for best distance viewing and knew I would need reading glasses. (I had been using reading glasses with my contacts for years, so nothing new to me.) This choice was $1,500 per eye. The 'bifocal' choice of near/far correction was an additional $1,500 per eye and I just didn't have a lot of confidence in the results.

One good change recently is that my surgery only required one type of post-surgery drops (combines three components that previously were separate drops) for a 5-6 week period. When my wife had hers done a few years earlier, she had to use drops both before and after the surgeries.

One observation that was an 'eye opener for me' was when I compared vision between the two surgeries. I covered my corrected eye and looked at my computer screen and then switched eyes. It was amazing how much brighter and sharper the screen was than the uncorrected eye with my reading glasses on.

cwp3420

It has to do with the glass in the eyeglasses.

rasmatazz Loc: Marietta, GA

I had cataract surgery a few years back and decided to go with a modified vision—distance in my right eye and intermediate in the left eye. I wanted distance in my right eye so I wouldn’t have to wear glasses while photographing. The left eye gave me my reading. It took a little bit to get used to since the brain had to adjust.

Michael1079 Loc: Indiana

I was glad to have gotten this done. I had worn glasses as a youth, and mono-vision gas-permeable contact lenses my entire adult life.

I opted for Mono vision correction on my eyes, Right eye is for reading and left eye is for distance. The brain processes this and it works perfect. No problem reading or driving.

Also, I had astigmatism. This was corrected and there is now no astigmatism in either eye. Just amazing...

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Do you mean a lens like the Nikon 135mm f2 D https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/camera-lenses/af-dc-nikkor-135mm-f%252f2d.html then here is how it works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DczY7xa9iTc

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I am old fashioned, I have magnifying glasses and two "pocket microscopes" (folding pocket sized multi-lens magnifiers) I have owned since I took Geology 101 for 2 semesters (lab and field) back in the early 60's. And I still have the geologist's hammer with belt holster and the Buck General knife and sheath I got for our trips into the field, caves, open pits etc. The guy who was the professor had been a field geologist for Chevron for 20 years all over the world and believed in being prepared. The only thing he didn't have us pack was a gun since the college got antsy about students tramping around Western Kentucky and Tennessee armed. We were almost all small town and farm kids and the idea of tramping around unarmed was strange to us.

jimvanells Loc: Augusta, GA

For this one you want to follow the K.I.S.S. principle. Keep it simple, _ _ _ _ _ _.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I had both eyes done in 2008. Single focus, toric lenses (for astigmatism correction). I'd heard so many horror stories of folks with multi-focal lenses seeing weird things, that I didn't go that route.

I have the same diopter power in both eyes, so I need 1.5 to 2.25 diopter correction for computer or reading work. I have a pair of progressive glasses that start at 2.25 at the bottom and go to no diopter correction at the top of the lens. I can do most tasks without them, until I need to read or do close work. But I wear them anyway.

I've experienced no effects on photography, other than the minor inconvenience of having to wear my progressives to operate the camera controls.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

Well, thanks for that detailed explanation - NOT!

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

Had the surgury in both eyes a month apart 3 yrs ago. Was near sighted so I wore glasses my whole life. After surgury only needed reading glasses which was fine with me. Observations on life after cataract surgury. Biggest difference is that I didn't realize that cataracts were like sunglasses. My first impression after opening up my eye after first surgury and seeing how bright and blue the world was, I know how to fix that in photoshop. Then realized that was the real world not an "old man's eyes". Very pleasantly surprised.

Went from wearing glasses all the time to only when viewing something close up. Again very nice improvement from wearing all the time. Also means that you can buy off-the-shelf sunglasses and not pay an arm and a leg for prescription glasses. Still needed glasses for reading and computer work. I buy two different diopters for that purpose. Somewhere around 3.0 for reading, particularly in bed and 2.0 for computer work. The 2.0 diopters also work well for driving and being able to read gauges on dashboard. Can also buy regular sunglasses with a bifocal section with 2.0 diopter for driving with sunglasses that work pretty well. Are not expensive on Amazon. Since you only wear reading glasses part time, I don't spend a lot of money on them. I buy all my reading glasses at a dollar store for a buck a piece. Buy different frame colors for different diopters so I can see at a glance which ones I need. My particular choice was for black/silver for 2.0 and gold for 3.0. More choices for the black/silver as I wear them more often.

Some comments on the surgury itself. I never wore contacts because I was very sensitive to anything touching my eyes. Much trepidation when told you need to be conscious during part of the operation to talk to surgeon while he was operating. Was no big deal and even had an interesting conversation with the surgeon while he was doing his thing. Lastly after a year or two, I noticed that bright lights tended to glare a bit. Check with my surgeon and he told me that in about 30% of all surguries, the process may cause some growths (don't remember what they were called) in the inner eye which caused the glaring. A quick trip down the hall, he zapped them with a laser and problem gone permanently. With insurance, wasn't particularly expensive. My only regret was I didn't have the surguries sooner.

Inprinter Loc: Indiana

Several years ago, I had both eyes done one at a time over a period of 30 days. I could not believe how much brighter the world was after the surgery. The only down side was the really tremendous increase in the number of floaters that developed over the next several years. Those things got in the way of everything I looked at and affected my nighttime driving. I also had those removed after I had convinced the eye surgeon that since I worked in the graphic arts business it was important to be able to see clearly. He finally agreed. It is very nice to have clear vision at my age(71). I still do photography for folks around town and I will put my vision up against most folks half my age, well almost.

JustMePB Loc: Currently Indian Trail, NC.

When I had my cataracts done over 15 years ago, my Doctor suggested the "Restore" lenses. Multifocal, they have circular rings. He did inform me that I would have to get used to the light rings (halos) caused by bright lights at night. That was easy to get used to. The "Restore" lenses had no noticeable effect on my DSLR cameras. BTW, I am a diabetic with some bleeding in my eyes but not affecting my vision.

abfaxman

I had both eyes done. They didn't do both at same time. After the first one there was a big color shift between the eyes. After the second they where the same. After I am 20/20 and don't need glasses anymore

Waterhouse Stops Loc: So. California

I was relieved to have cataract surgery in both eyes during separate operations from two different doctors at two different times and locations. Mutlifocal lenses were not discussed and may not have been an option at the time. And I am quite sure I would NOT have wanted multifocal lenses because as my eyes have aged naturally, there are mornings when eye clarity and focus acquisition is slow and not instantaneous. My surgeries were seven and ten years ago. I am grateful for the benefits of being able to see normally. However, eyes still age over time and they change beyond what can be expected or can be predicted. Multifocal lenses may add variables with which you do not want to compensate as time passes. I will be close to eighty years old soon. Your results may vary.