Cataract surgery

[sotx]

Who's had it? Was it a big deal? How long was it before you could go back to work?

[7sdad]

I've had both eyes done, they replaced the lenses and I could see as soon as I left and went to work the next day. They did one at a time, two weeks apart.

[Billy Bad Bass]

Great questions. I just scheduled my cataract surgery yesterday. Interested in first hand experiences. My Doc was very optimistic.

[7sdad]

I would like to add that I can see perfect from 3 feet out, I still have to wear readers for up close.

[SamHarper]

I'm holding out for a true accommodation IOLs. There are several of them in clinical trials.

[JayB]

Best thing ever. I went with traditional lens so I wear readers also. But being able to see through Binos, peep sight, open sights, scopes is awesome!

I did get some good polarized sunglasses. You will want that because the light will be MUCH brighter now.

[WildThings]

My surgery is next Tuesday. So we will see

[sotx]

I've had both eyes done, they replaced the lenses and I could see as soon as I left and went to work the next day. They did one at a time, two weeks apart.

Good to hear that. Thanks

[D4H]

It's a simple procedure. It was over with in about 10 minutes. Very simple. The worst thing is waiting and getting poked with IV's. I had my right eye done because I couldn't shoot with open sights anymore. I asked the Doc if I could compete with my grandsons in rolling cans while shooting. He assured me I would so I let him do it. Best thing I have ever done. I can roll cans and shoot with open sights now. He wanted to do the left eye also but I declined. The right eye is all I needed for my purpose. I'll get it done someday but I just hate any kind of medical procedure. Get it done. You won't regret it.

[Drycreek3189]

Piece of cake ! Next question ?

[Pstraw]

Best thing I've ever had done like said above. No pain at all.

[tvc184]

Who's had it? Was it a big deal? How long was it before you could go back to work?

I had my left eye done on April 13 and right eye on April 27.

Their instructions (probably standard) were to do nothing for 24 hours until the follow up the next day. After that, at my discretion but no heavy lifting or any activity where you might bump your eye. Eye drops 4 times a day for a week, the 2 times a day for the next week and then 1 drop until the bottle runs out.

My surgeries took about 50 minutes at a day surgery location. That was roughly 46 minutes of prep and 4 minutes of surgery. The prep was being weighed, taking blood pressure, hooking up EKG leads, starting IV, a series of 3 drops in the eye 3 times (I think they used car battery acid), answering some questions (when did you last eat, did you taking any prescription or non-prescription meds today or when was last time, etc.) and replacing my shirt with a hospital gown. I was even allowed to leave my jeans and shoes on. They put disposable covers over my shoes.

They ran Versed/midazolam in the IV as a relaxer. I have had people tell me that it made them drowsy but it might have made me more calm but I didn’t outwardly feel anything. I was fully conscious and could talk to the doctor before during and after the procedure. I wasn’t nervous going in and was almost laughing in anticipation of being able to see again.... which was instantly. Both of my eyes had progressed quite a bit as far as not seeing from the cataracts.

Naturally with your eyes dilated for the procedure, huge amounts of light make it to your optic nerve and the sunlight is almost unbearably bright. Sunglasses for on the way home are a big plus. I knew that it would take a few hours for the dilation to go completely down into return to normal eyesight. A few hours later I was in my bedroom sleeping and when I woke up my eye was apparently still dilated. Even though it was very dark, it appeared very bright in the dilated eye. I was like, crap, I had a side effect from the dilation medicine and my eye never recovered. I walked into the bathroom and looked at my eye in the mirror. The pupil was normal. That was when I realized (as said above) how bright things looked and how obscured my vision was with the cataract.

I have the free (or at least insurance paid) standard lens put in both eyes so like stated above, from about 3 feet on is great. They gave two different options for better lenses all the way up to progressive but with a price tag was either $1600 or $3000 additional for each eye.

Although my vision was instantly clear even walking out of the day surgery, my eyes progressively got a little better each day for about three weeks. My doctor said that is normal. I was told that I might expect some discomfort in the eyes from the surgery which makes about a tiny 2mm cut in the cornea but both of my eyes were okay and I never felt any discomfort. When I took my mother to have hers done about 15 years ago, they put a big pressure patch on the eye for the first 24 hours so she could not see from that side. When I went they had changed from the patch to a clear lens that they tape over your eye so you can open both eyes and see immediately after the surgery. I am assuming that is pretty much standard now but don’t know for sure.

If yours goes like mine, the results will probably be immediate and according to how bad your eyes are/were, almost stunning. I went for my follow up last week on both eyes. My vision have progressed enough that I could just use some cheaters to read and did not need other corrective lenses.

Good luck. Like the other comments, it should go quickly and smooth and be great coming out the other side.

[brutus]

I've had both eyes done, they replaced the lenses and I could see as soon as I left and went to work the next day. They did one at a time, two weeks apart.

Same great process love it.

[WildThings]

tvc184 Thank you so much for that write up. Before reading this I was already looking forward to Tuesday but now come on next week!!!!

[125Dad]

What was the reason for having this surgery done?