<p>I’m remembering the Coke-bottle glasses my grandmother had to wear after cataract surgery, and how she could never really see all that well even with them. Glad to be living in these times!</p>
<p>I remember my grandmother having to have her head immobilized with sandbags after surgery. Thank goodness we live in today’s times. </p>
<p>dentmom4, I too am horribly squeamish when it comes to things to do with eyes. My advice is to get it done asap – like, this coming Monday AM or Wednesday AM. For some of us, the worst part is the anticipation. Better to get it behind you as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>Thanks, veryhappy. I haven’t even been to the opthamologist yet for the consult so I think the coming week is not an option!</p>
<p>This time of year is very busy at the office and we are swamped next week. I would have a hard time cancelling patients for an elective procedure. I am thinking February, our slowest month of the year.</p>
<p>If I don’t obsess, I am good at denial. I like hearing all the positive stories, so thanks!</p>
<p>Get the multi-focal lens if you can. Insurance typically only covers the monofocal kind but you can read, etc. if you have a lens that focuses close and far. It won’t stop the eye from aging and you will over time need reading glasses but it helps considerably.</p>
<p>My wife has had both eyes done. I also suggest you consider - it may be mandatory - the insurance for a lasik correction within a year. You may need a vision adjustment. You could see 20-30, for example, and not be happy with that eye.</p>
<p>Prep and recovery are usually nothing much more than the hassle of putting a series of drops in your eye in a specific sequence over a set amount of time. And wearing a patch at night to keep from hitting your eye. You can practice talking like a pirate.</p>
<p>Dentmom, here’s the possible issue with you returning to work after the surgery. Do you know what your current glasses prescription is for both eyes in diopters? Like -2.5 or whatever. Wearing glasses for near-sighted people makes the images seen smaller. If there is too great a difference in image size between the two eyes, the brain can’t put the two images together into one image. So if your right eye is -2.5 diopters and your left eye is corrected to 20/20 with the implanted lens, it may be too much of a difference. </p>
<p>I’m having cataract surgery on Jan. 7. Due to scleral buckling surgery in September my left eye uncorrected is now -8.75 diopters, while my right is -3.75. My opthalmologist is going to correct my left eye to -3 with the lens implant so there isn’t too great a difference between the two. If he corrected the left eye to 20/20, I would have to wear a contact in my right eye. Contacts don’t shrink the image seen because they are right against the eye.</p>
<p>Your opthalmologist should explain this if it’s an issue but if there is too great a difference between the prescriptions for the two eyes you may not see one image. If because of the difference he doesn’t correct the left to 20/20 then you won’t be able to see well until you get new glasses. Working with one eye closed won’t work because you will have no depth perception which is probably important in your line of work.:)</p>
<p>My surgery will be sutureless, won’t have a patch, can drive the next day provided I can see well enough. So the actual surgery and recovery are simple and routine, it’s just a matter of how well you can see until you get new glasses.</p>
<p>I am having my first cataract surgery on January 10th and can’t wait.</p>
<p>Thanks, adad. I made it through your post pretty well and it was full of helpful information. My right eye is -5.25 and my left is now -8.75. Left is the cataract. I just got a new lens today and the adjustment is okay.</p>
<p>I did ask the office to sign me up for the consult in January so I took the first step.</p>
<p>I do need to know how the “after” glasses will work. I will not be able to wear/use a contact. Too squeamish. My hope would be a Wed or Thurs and back to work on Monday. But I am really clueless to how it will all work. Might be why the dr suggested I do my right (with a beginning cataract) soon after, but I just can’t commit until I get through the first.</p>
<p>And honestly, I would still be happy after the surgery with non-perfect vision and glasses. I would like the most successful, least invasive, least likely to need a second surgery, and least post-op care. We can afford this (even without insurance) so cost really won’t be a determining factor.</p>
<p>In terms of (surgical) stress to the patient, cataract surgery is frequently likened to “a haircut or a tepid bath”. The actual surgery time (excluding set-up, prep, drape) for an uncomplicated cataract is on the order of 10 minutes. People frequently exclaim afterwards that if they known it would be so easy they would have done it much sooner! Post op pain is minimal to non existent.<br>
I’m a lot more stressed out about dental procedures…fear not Dentmom4</p>
<p>My opthalmologist recommended strongly against a multi-focal implant lens. He didn’t think I would like it at all. I think for those of us who are very nearsighted and have been wearing glasses for a long time(I’m 63 and started wearing glasses in 4th grade) it may be more difficult to adjust to multi-focals. But ask about it. I’m with you on keeping it simple and making sure it works and I don’t mind continuing to wear glasses and bifocals, I’ve done it for so long. I just want to see again.</p>
<p>I’m surprised that you don’t have a problem with such a difference between eyes. Maybe it’s different because my change from -5.25 to -8.75 happened in about an hour with the buckle surgery. I have a small cataract in my right eye but it could be 5 or 10 years before it gets to the point where I need it removed. My surgeon doesn’t want to do that one until it’s necessary on its own.</p>
<p>Dentmom, my MIL had her second cataract a few weeks ago. She is the patient who yells ouch and whines with a blood pressure cuff inflated! Other than the whining about “poor me”, she sailed through the surgery and post op period very well. She had a follow up the next day, one week later and is due for the one month followup next week. (So that you can plan your time). She no longer needs glasses for driving. She only used magnifiers for reading.</p>
<p>This is what we did for my husband, who had his second cataract surgery in October. Ahead of time, we ordered a pair of glasses from Zenni optical (on line, from Hong Kong I think) with one plain glass lens for the cataract eye, and a prescription lens for the non cataract eye. We have been ordering glasses from there for years, had them checked by our ophthalmologist, and they are great. AND they run about $40 a pair. Can’t beat that. This way, my husband could return to work with a working pair of glasses. A few weeks later, when his ophthalmologist gave him his new prescription, we ordered a second pair of glasses (same shape) with the correct cataract eye lens. We put the lens in the first pair, and voila! All set. He has a spare frame, but that can come in handy one day, too. Oh, and he was fine a few days after surgery, maybe 3 if I remember.</p>
<p>You are all continuing to help me! Thanks.</p>
<p>Annoyingdad: My eyes have varied this widely since my teens, so I am very used to it. However, in the last year, my left eye went from -7.5 to -8.75; according to the eye doc, all due to the cataract. So I feel I must get this done and not wait. I am also thinking the mono lens would be my best bet in terms of adjustment.</p>
<p>musicmom: I am pretty stoic about everything except my eyes, but I understand about dental work. LOL.</p>
<p>ECmother: thanks for the heads up about followup visits. The better prepared I am for the consult the better.</p>
<p>Update: I went for the consult today. I actually scheduled it for Feb 21. I couldn’t wrap my thoughts around next week, plus it would mean cancelling a lot of patients, and then the doc was on vacation.</p>
<p>I refused to watch the video, accepted no pamphlets, had to stop the dr with the demo model. IV sedation basically available when I walk in the door. Good idea!</p>
<p>I may do the other eye, but I could not bring myself to schedule. Must see how the first one goes! Now I begin the mental preparation…thanks to all for continued support.</p>
<p>Good for you, dentmom! I’m sure you’ll be happy when this is behind you.</p>
<p>I had my first cataract surgery a month ago. No big deal, but I do understand about being nervous with someone operating on your eyes. I had the second eye done last evening and went to dinner within about 30 minutes of getting up off the table. The big issue are the restrictions on bending and heavy exercise. Since nothing seems wrong, it is difficult to remember to take it easy. Also the eye needs to be protected at night so that means wearing an eye shield while sleeping for 3-4 nights. No big deal.</p>
<p>I recommend you set up appointments to have both eyes done with the shortest interval possible. In my case I had to wait 6 weeks for surgery, 4 weeks between and now an additional 4 weeks of eyedrops and followup visits. Once you get the first done, you will want to have the second done ASAP. The whole process is much easier than a trip to the dentist for a simple filling or even worse a cleaning.</p>
<p>Good luck Dentmom, thanks for getting back to us! As I said before, if my MIL can go through this, (she yells with the B/P cuff inflated), I know you will sail throught it. The anticipation is worse and I think being in the medical profession can sometimes be a detriment!</p>
<p>edad makes a good point. If you also need to have the second one done, schedule that appointment now. You can always cancel if you feel it’s too soon.</p>
<p>I will also have early cataract surgery (probably 57-58 or so) due to early onset cataracts. My surgeon says the surgery is NOTHING like it was when our grandparents had it. Today, cataracts can be found much sooner. No more big coke-bottle glasses or white-cloudiness on the eyes. I am very nearsighted, and my surgeon tells me that after my cataract surgery I will not need eyeglasses anymore. He considers it a to be like a medical Lasik procedure. My cataracts will be removed, my lenses/corneas “adjusted” and I’ll have close to 20/20 vision after the surgery. Of course, I’ll still need reading glasses…</p>
<p>Had my one week followup yesterday. All went well. The hardest part was having to hold off on my morning coffee until afterwards. The muffin was crummy. At the surgical center at 6, surgery started at 8, home by 10. No sutures, no day-time patch. Did have to wear a hard plastic patch at night for a week but only because of my previous retinal detachment surgery.</p>
<p>I am liking the stories! I am also extremely near-sighted and while I should not need glasses for distance, I will for reading. They are more concerned about how I will manage with the difference from new left to right one. They are having a temp left lens made for my glasses with just a bifocal.</p>
<p>The wait for scheduling is only a week or two and if I do my right, I would need to really coordinate it my work load and D2016’s swim meets in March. And, who knows, I may work myself into schedule mode before the Feb surgery. I am nothing if not methodical.</p>