Notices
Pills and Ills This is a discussion subforum for the health challenges faced by riders 50+. These discussions are in no way to be considered professional medical advice.

Cataract surgery

Old 01-27-23, 09:41 AM
  #1  
staehpj1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Cataract surgery

I had my long overdue eye check up yesterday. It has been 4 years and at age 71 I know I should go every years. My eyes have been getting noticeably worse. Anyway the doc said may cataracts were a "2". He said they operate at a "2", but since I wasn't complaing about night driving problems and he could still correct to 20/20 with glasses he said we should wait and most likely operate next year or the following one, but make the call as needed.

I probably could have pushed for the surgery and if I want it next year I am sure all I need to do is say I am bothered by halos while night driving and to be fair that is a judgement call. So my question for those who have had cataract surgery is, would you get it as soon as it seems prudent or put it off as long as you can still have 20/20 vision with glasses and manage to drive at night without too much difficulty.

I suspect, that my opthomologist will lean on me pretty hard to get the surgery when the cataracts get to a "3", he can't correct to 20/20 wth glasses, or I ***** anout difficulty driving at night. Until one of those things happen I think I can probably make the call either way with his blessing. I am set for this year since I just spent a small fortune (well about $1k) on regular and sport glasses, but am considering what I might do next year if I am still about the same.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 01-27-23, 12:39 PM
  #2  
PaulH
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 3,710
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 118 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times in 61 Posts
Just got it done. Last operation was this week.There is so much more to vision than just acuity. I continue to be delighted and amazed by the result. Contrast is much better and the colors are really vivid now. For the first time in my life, I do not need glasses or contacts. Go for the premium lenses if you can.
PaulH is offline  
Old 01-27-23, 12:40 PM
  #3  
DiabloScott
It's MY mountain
 
DiabloScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mt.Diablo
Posts: 9,991

Bikes: Klein, Merckx, Trek

Mentioned: 70 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4310 Post(s)
Liked 2,953 Times in 1,601 Posts
Yeah, get it over with. The replacement lenses never get cataracts so it's not like you might need to do it again. The surgery is the least uncomfortable medical procedure I've ever had - no pain at all, a little swelling afterwards.

Personal anecdote - had both eyes done a few months ago. My distance vision is better than it's ever been (uncorrected), close up is terrible but correctable, and I don't see any better at night... maybe a little worse.

Big thread on this in Pills subforum.
DiabloScott is offline  
Old 01-27-23, 01:08 PM
  #4  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,842

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2575 Post(s)
Liked 1,900 Times in 1,192 Posts
It's up to you (and your ophthamologist). As PaulH says, there's more to it than just the correction. I had mine done just over a year ago; my wife doesn't want to get hers taken care of because I need, and she will almost certainly need, reading glasses. Funny thing, while my eyes are now 20/20 and hers are corrected to 20/20, I'm the one who has to read the small signs far off. Getting rid of the cloudiness I didn't really know was there makes that big a difference.

FWIW, I bought a new pair of cycling glasses (with corrective lenses) the spring before my surgery in the fall; about $750 sunk there. I got a summer of riding with those glasses, and I don't regret cataract surgery when I had it.
pdlamb is offline  
Old 01-27-23, 01:13 PM
  #5  
BTinNYC 
...
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Whitestone and Rensselaerville, New York
Posts: 1,459

Bikes: Bicycles? Yup.

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 464 Post(s)
Liked 1,450 Times in 702 Posts
Coming Soon!
Driving at night is no bueno.
BTinNYC is online now  
Old 01-27-23, 01:56 PM
  #6  
ironwood
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Boston area
Posts: 2,039

Bikes: 1984 Bridgestone 400 1985Univega nouevo sport 650b conversion 1993b'stone RBT 1985 Schwinn Tempo

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 542 Post(s)
Liked 151 Times in 100 Posts
I had the operation about twelve years ago. It really made a difference. I could not drive a car at night, oncoming headlights blinded me, I wondered why people kept their rooms so dark, why not get brighter light bulbs? I thought. After I had one eye done, I could see the difference. Things that were pure white in the corrected eye were a light tan in the uncorrected eye. Rooms that I thought were dark, became well lit. I could drive at night etc.
ironwood is offline  
Old 01-27-23, 03:36 PM
  #7  
staehpj1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Thanks to all for the comments. I can relate to a lot of them. The ones about dark rooms really resonated. It is a ***** of mine that there never seems to be enough light, especially to read things or do fine work.

I will enjoy the improvement of the new prescription, but will most likely push for the surgery next year unless my sight is really markedly improved by the new glasses.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 01-28-23, 07:26 PM
  #8  
Hermes
Version 7.0
 
Hermes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 13,097

Bikes: Too Many

Mentioned: 297 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1324 Post(s)
Liked 2,437 Times in 1,425 Posts
Moved to Pills and Ills.
Hermes is offline  
Old 01-29-23, 01:46 AM
  #9  
unterhausen
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,362
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,662 Times in 2,496 Posts
I'm really happy I had it done. I'm one of the people that developed scar tissue after, and they are about to blast that with a laser to get rid of it. But I can still read the bottom row on the eye chart. My close vision is okay uncorrected. I would say the only downside is sometimes I have to wear sunglasses in stores because it's too bright.
unterhausen is offline  
Old 01-29-23, 04:48 PM
  #10  
Speedskater
Full Member
 
Speedskater's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 423

Bikes: Bob Jackson, Trek & Sampson

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 56 Post(s)
Liked 24 Times in 14 Posts
If you are taking Flomax, talk to the surgeon. Flomax slows the effects of some of the eye drops.
Speedskater is offline  
Old 01-30-23, 08:05 AM
  #11  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,842

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2575 Post(s)
Liked 1,900 Times in 1,192 Posts
Originally Posted by unterhausen
I'm really happy I had it done. I'm one of the people that developed scar tissue after, and they are about to blast that with a laser to get rid of it.
FWIW, I asked my surgeon, "Please don't start yelling 'Pew! Pew! Pew!' as you're shooting laser beams into my eye." He blinked and then had a good laugh.
pdlamb is offline  
Old 01-30-23, 10:04 AM
  #12  
VegasTriker
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sin City, Nevada
Posts: 2,879

Bikes: Catrike 700, Greenspeed GTO trike, , Linear LWB recumbent, Haluzak Horizon SWB recumbent, Balance 450 MTB, Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 521 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 227 Times in 179 Posts
Had this done on both eyes last September and opted to pay the $7K complete correction upgrade. For the first time since I was a young child I no longer wear glasses. I was informed before the surgery that with this type of correction I would see halos around bright point source lights like streetlights and headlights. It's true and more pronounced than when my vision was uncorrected. I'd still opt for the same treatment. My vision had gotten so bad with cataracts that 20/40 was the best the optometrist could correct for. I was worried about driver license renewal later this year and now that is not an issue. Surgery and followup were uneventful but a nearby neighbor who had her cataracts removed in September was not so lucky and has vision problems to this day. Medicare and my secondary insurance would completely cover cataract removal but only for the cheapest option with me still needing multifocal glasses. Single vision correction, either far or near but not both, would have cost about $4K and I would then get by with either reading or distance glasses. I don't need a magnifying glass except for very tiny print. A lot of things that were unreadable unless I was very close are now perfectly readable from a distance (e.g.,like overhead street signs that I can read far in advance now).

It's great to not have to deal with glasses. One side effect is I have to be very careful with things that would have gotten stopped by the glasses. There is nothing to protect me from getting splashed or poked in the eye now and who wants to damage a $3,500 eyeball! I did notice far more need to wear sunglasses in bright daylight. I guess the old cloudy lenses blocked some of the sunlight.
VegasTriker is offline  
Old 02-02-23, 12:18 PM
  #13  
nesdog
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
Posts: 2,690

Bikes: Domane SLR7 Disc

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 68 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 38 Posts
I had my first eye done in Dec. and the 2nd last week. I've worn glasses my whole life.

Difference in vision (even though I didn't think I was that bad) is pretty pronounced. Much sharper. I opted for distance lens implant. I've lost very close acuity and need to wear correction for that. This is a monofocal lens that cost me about $3500 per eye as insurance doesn't cover it fully. I am not a candidate for multifocals and I was told it might cause night halos. Surgery was quick, painless and no issue at all.

Ultimately, I'll likely get a prescription for new glasses for close and computer work but be fine for distance. That's pretty cool.

The bad news is that I had a retinal detachment last year and a macular pucker removed, two surgeries. I have left over fluid in one eye that distorts everything. Will need something to fix this, probably another surgery. (I hope soon, this sucks).
__________________
[insert clever quote here]
nesdog is offline  
Old 02-05-23, 04:45 PM
  #14  
peterws
Senior Member
 
peterws's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Near Lancaster
Posts: 548

Bikes: Carrera Virtuoso and friend

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 129 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 47 Times in 38 Posts
Originally Posted by DiabloScott
Yeah, get it over with. The replacement lenses never get cataracts so it's not like you might need to do it again. The surgery is the least uncomfortable medical procedure I've ever had - no pain at all, a little swelling afterwards.

Personal anecdote - had both eyes done a few months ago. My distance vision is better than it's ever been (uncorrected), close up is terrible but correctable, and I don't see any better at night... maybe a little worse.

Big thread on this in Pills subforum.
Some including myself, did need a second op to clear secondary cataracts through YAG laser treatment. You do not need a third. But your vision will need some time to settle down fully. After a year or two, all should be well.
peterws is offline  
Old 02-10-23, 08:45 AM
  #15  
staehpj1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
I got my new regular glasses yesterday, but my biking/sun glasses weren't ready. Any way I was shocked how blind I have been with the old ones. It wasn't that the prescription changed much, but the coatings were shot and they were really like being in a spotty fog. I abused them pretty badly by not using a face sheild in the shop. Too much heat and chemicals did them in.

I didn't want to ride in the mud and sand with my new regular glasses so I dug out some 10 year old glasses. The prescription was close enough that they were 10X better than the ones I have been using and to be honest I don't notice any difference from the new ones at least out and about. I probably would for reading and close work, but even there they are pretty good! I think I will keep them for wearing when I want to ride in low light conditions.

I have not driven at night since I got the new glasses. I wonder if I will find I have issues that I didn't notice because I was too blind otherwise to notice much.

Any way I see so well now I may not push for cataract surgery next year, but will just go with what the doc recommends without lobbying one way or the other.

Glasses have gotten so expensive that cost of the surgery is not really a factor. It is pretty easy to drop a grand or more when the prescription changes. The surgery is a one time thing. Insurance will pay for part of it and glasses, if any, will be cheaper after that so pretty quickly I figure I'd be past the break even point financially. Being able to ditch the distance prescription would be priceless so when the doc recommends it I won't hesitate.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 05-19-23, 01:10 PM
  #16  
daniell
Full Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 318
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 65 Times in 42 Posts
I saw the eye doctor today. (No pun intended) Soon he will measure my eye to prepare for cataract surgery. Medicare does not pay for laser surgery. Doctor thinks that I would be better off with it. I will pay out of pocket for it.
daniell is offline  
Old 05-19-23, 02:47 PM
  #17  
freeranger
Senior Member
 
freeranger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 06 Lemond Reno, 98 GT Timberline mtn.bike

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 418 Post(s)
Liked 688 Times in 429 Posts
I just had my right eye done yesterday (5/18), after having the left eye done a week ago. I was told a year ago that I was a candidate, but waited as I didn't think my vision was that bad then. Wish I'd have done it when first told I was a candidate. It's a world of difference! I didn't realize how bad my vision had become until after I had the surgery. If your doc says you are a candidate and you can tell that your vision could be better, you might want to do it. It's an easy, quick, painless (at least mine was) surgery and the improvement is nothing short of incredible. Mine was out of pocket as the lense also corrects astigmatism and a procedure was done at the same time to prevent pressure from building up in the eye (for prevention of glaucoma). I still need "readers" for close up but distance vision is perfect, and it hasn't been for the last 69 years! Haven't tried night driving yet, so no comment on that. EDIT--it was laser surgery.

Last edited by freeranger; 05-19-23 at 02:52 PM.
freeranger is offline  
Old 05-19-23, 03:27 PM
  #18  
daniell
Full Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 318
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 65 Times in 42 Posts
Originally Posted by freeranger
I just had my right eye done yesterday (5/18), after having the left eye done a week ago. I was told a year ago that I was a candidate, but waited as I didn't think my vision was that bad then. Wish I'd have done it when first told I was a candidate. It's a world of difference! I didn't realize how bad my vision had become until after I had the surgery. If your doc says you are a candidate and you can tell that your vision could be better, you might want to do it. It's an easy, quick, painless (at least mine was) surgery and the improvement is nothing short of incredible. Mine was out of pocket as the lense also corrects astigmatism and a procedure was done at the same time to prevent pressure from building up in the eye (for prevention of glaucoma). I still need "readers" for close up but distance vision is perfect, and it hasn't been for the last 69 years! Haven't tried night driving yet, so no comment on that. EDIT--it was laser surgery.
Thanks so much for your input. I really hate medical procedures. More than 6 years ago I had quadruple bypass surgery. That was a day after knee surgery. Not feeling well after the knee surgery, the hospital took me to another hospital that did the heart surgery. If I had to plan it, I don't know whether I could have done it.
daniell is offline  
Old 05-19-23, 03:48 PM
  #19  
freeranger
Senior Member
 
freeranger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 06 Lemond Reno, 98 GT Timberline mtn.bike

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 418 Post(s)
Liked 688 Times in 429 Posts
daniell I know what you mean--my nerves go on high alert if the word surgery is mentioned. But after my left eye was done, and seeing the difference it made (unintentional pun), I couldn't wait to have the right one done! Colors are brighter, everything is clearer. I had an 82 y.o. friend state when his cataracts were removed it was the closest thing to the fountain of youth he ever had done. I now know what he meant!
freeranger is offline  
Old 05-30-23, 02:18 PM
  #20  
daniell
Full Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 318
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 65 Times in 42 Posts
Today I returned to the eye doctor to make preparations for the cataract surgery. He will first do my dominant eye. My other eye is a lazy eye. This is the problem. If he corrects the lazy eye too much, I may see double. Since I had bypass surgery 6 years ago, I need to return to the cardiologist and get a medical release. I feel like I am spending half my life in doctor's offices. When my father hit 94, he said that he had enough
daniell is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.