Cataracts - how did you manage them?

John Kielly

John Kielly

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CharlieH said:
In another thread, Charlie said:

vicvanb, I too had cataracts come on fast, I was 20/400 in one eye and couldn't see to good out the other. I had both eyes done and now I'm 20/20, it's a miracle what they can do. I had to have my friends encourage me to take that step and I'm passing on that encouragement to you, it's scary but you won't regret it. I was almost incapacitated and now it's like a new life has been given to me.
Charlie Hood
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I'm in a holding pattern waiting for the cataract on the centre of the lens on my aiming eye to get bigger or for my ophthalmologist to nag me into getting it popped now, but I haven't got a handle on what happens next.

Does the replacement lens have any focusing capability, or do you have to decide what "setting" to use? If they're a fixed value, I would be inclined to have one with a long distance "relaxed" focus to suit the disciplines I shoot, but I would welcome advice from those who have been worked over.

John
 
John Kielly said:
I'm in a holding pattern waiting for the cataract on the centre of the lens on my aiming eye to get bigger or for my ophthalmologist to nag me into getting it popped now, but I haven't got a handle on what happens next.

Does the replacement lens have any focusing capability, or do you have to decide what "setting" to use? If they're a fixed value, I would be inclined to have one with a long distance "relaxed" focus to suit the disciplines I shoot, but I would welcome advice from those who have been worked over.

John
Click to expand...

John, I'm glad you asked, people really need to think about this part. My doctor noticed I had put "machinist" as my former occupation. He said "your like me, you work up close, you would probably like your primary focus to be up close". Naww, I don't think so Doc and went with what I thought was best, which was for ONCE in my life to be able to see at a distance without glasses. I got what I wanted, I'm 20/20 at long range, but I do believe I'd have been better off to have listened to his experience. I still love the results but it would be nice to be able to shave in the morning or work on small details without glasses. You'll still have to have glasses one way or the other and in my environment I think it would be better to be able to see up close and correct the long range.
Charlie
 
I am also waiting on my cataracts to get bad enough to operate on. I currently have "second sight" where the cataracts act as a pin hole camera and I am able to see at a distance without my bifocals, just use cheaters for reading. In discussions with my opthomalogist the options are near vision lenses, distance lenses, or the new multi-focal lenses. Women seem to like near vision lenses and use glasses for driving, men prefer distance lenses and use cheaters. Some people get one near and one distance lens. The brain learns to use the correct lens for the situation. Some people can't learn this and may eventually have one lens replaced. I have several friends that have the multi-focal lenses and most have not been happy, requiring touch up surgery to try to improve their vision. Personally I am looking at distance lenses since am already using the cheaters to read and don't require any correction at a distance, i.e., shooting. Good Luck.
 
Also, let me add for what it's worth, my vision is useable from about four foot out and really good at six foot on. Good luck all!
 
not well...
i was pretty much blind in one eye..and fuzzy in the other before the va would act.
i can see great now . they did both eyes..
BUT...
i had left rifle shooting eye done in distant vision and right eye done in near vision..this is a great general approaqch to "seeing" use reading glasses for print.

now the big BUT....I CANNOT SEE IRON SIGHTS WITH MY LEFT EYE, and cannot see pistol sights with my right eye.......
was not a good choice for a shooter..
i do not know what the good answer is....
i shoot scoped rifles and use cheap reading glasses for most pistol work...
ok i can see most of the front sight on a 38spcl..i can hit an 8" pie plate 4/5 times at 21 yds..and 5 for 5 at anything shorter...just not real clear. looking to add some contrast to the sights.

my eyes have new plastic lenses..not recut original lenses...
mike in co
 
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Be aware - they don't always come out what you want. My first eye I can see long distance great, which was what I wanted. The second eye doesn't focus at either end. Just the luck of the draw I guess.

Glenn
 
mike in co said:
not well...
i was pretty much blind in one eye..and fuzzy in the other before the va would act.
i can see great now . they did both eyes..
BUT...
i had left rifle shooting eye done in distant vision and right eye done in near vision..this is a great general approaqch to "seeing" use reading glasses for print.

now the big BUT....I CANNOT SEE IRON SIGHTS WITH MY LEFT EYE, and cannot see pistol sights with my right eye.......
was not a good choice for a shooter..
i do not know what the good answer is....
i shoot scoped rifles and use cheap reading glasses for most pistol work...
ok i can see most of the front sight on a 38spcl..i can hit an 8" pie plate 4/5 times at 21 yds..and 5 for 5 at anything shorter...just not real clear. looking to add some contrast to the sights.

my eyes have new plastic lenses..not recut original lenses...
mike in co
Click to expand...

What are "recut original lenses???"
 
laser/lasik...as oppse to lense replacement

mike in co
 
No surgery, lasers, etc needed. If the way my CATarACTs is causing problems with seeing through my scope....I just knock the darn cat out of the way.

Hovis
 
joke all you want...its ok...
but it was not a joke..night time driving was almost hazardous.
scope shooting had a fuzzy blur where the crosshairs should be.....
( i often used a large target that allowed me to center the crosshairs in the vert/hor split of the target..i could not actually see the center)
it sucks...
and while not perfect i am quite happy to see again...
mike in co
 
Thanks guys.

Mike, I think Hovis was trying to draw to your attention that my issue of concern was cataract growth on the lens of the eye, not corneal irregularity.

John
 
actually i like cats..they make nice moving targets....

mike in co
 
My wife had cataract surgery a few yrs ago. The new lens fixed her near-sightedness and astigmatism so that now she only needs glasses for reading. She doesn't need them for driving, watching TV, etc. The surgery was one eye at a time, outpatient, go in the morning, out that afternoon. A month later they did the other eye.

There's no need to fear this surgery at all. Just pick a Dr that specializes in this & does a lot of them.
Regards, Ron
 
Ron,

My concern is only about how well the new lens can accommodate to my requirements. Right now, since my presbyopia started rolling my myopia, I've been able to read without glasses; I just need one set for long vision & another set for handyman arms length distances (my wife told me to stop calling them toenail cutting glasses). My left eye is fine, apart from a touch of astigmatism to go with the aforementioned - no cataract.

I'm comfortable with the operation itself. My mother got both hers done 6 weeks apart at age 88 & it worked fine. My issue is only that I get an optimum lens for scope use shooting 300 to 1200 yards & some way of managing close up stuff while I still have a natural lens with its faults in the off eye. I'm not able to get my brain around how those corrections will be managed, optical adjustment wise.

John
 
John, I have just had my last eye done recently, my left eye was done 2 years ago. What I chose is the distant lens for both eyes. I have been in tri-focals for 25 years and really don't mind the glasses. I figured it was easier to get new lens as opposed to getting another operation. What I was told about my cataracts is the Dr. is waiting for the cataract to get hard,firm, etc so when they make a 2mm incision they are able to brake up the cataract and remove it easily. If the cataract is taken out earlier the incision is larger, ie more healing time.
1. Tell your doctor the med's you are on TWICE, give him a piece of paper.
2. I quit driving at night because it is hard to decern how fast the car is stopping in front of you.
3. This is a wonderful surgery but there can be problems.
4. Get a good opthamologist that does this daily.
Best wishes. Just My 2 cents worth.
Centerfire
 
john
with my left eye far and my right eye near...i shoot rifles left....and wear reading glasses for up close. if you shoot right, do the opposite....
i still use my lathe..
mike in co
 
The eye surgeon tells me that on my next visit they're going to take ultrasound "pictures" of the retina in my right eye to see what's going on since I've had macular edema in that eye since '09 and getting Avastin shots in it every month or so for awhile (lots of fun guys!). I guess if the retina looks good enough she'll get on with the cataract surgery. Maybe then she'll go back to work on the left eye.

I'm hoping that cataract surgery turns out as well as the surgery last January to remove a membrane that was across the retina of the right eye. Since I've had to wear glasses for the last 60 years having to wear them to correct whatever is correctable isn't going to be a problem.
 
Medical science has now proved that cataract is not through the recuperation rehabilitation, it will be more and more serious. Only after we have to insist for a long time to do a bladeless cataract surgery. You can treat your eyes after the surgery. See moving objects, making them a workout. So they get sufficient rest, pay attention to maintain their health. We can do nothing more.
 
I be confused.

48 hours after surgery, when the dilation of the iris receded, my eyes were fine.

What the heck does that ad say other than you slice with a laser rather than ultrasound?
 
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