Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Cataract replacement
  • epicsteve
    Free Member

    Anyone here had a cataract replaced?

    I’ve got a cataract in one eye and am trying to decide what to do with getting it fixed. I’m going private so have the option of “premium” lens replacements although at the moment I’m not sure if that’s the route I’ll go down.

    The background is that I’m currently short-sited (prescription of about 4 in both eyes) so wear glasses for distance but not for reading. I’ve talked to a consultant about multi-focal lens replacement but he’s not keen as there can be problems with halo’s around bright lights – a problem for night driving (which I do a fair bit of).

    I’m thinking the best option is probably to get a monofocal lens replacement, corrected for distance, then get my other eye lasered to match. That’d mean using reading glasses but that doesn’t seem a big deal.

    Anyone been through anything similar and could give some advice?

    colonelwax
    Free Member

    I’m short sited, and had a cataract operation on one eye.

    I had a lens fitted with a bit of distance correction, and it actually meant I could wander round without my glasses on. Most annoying part was having to pop the lens out of the RHS of my glasses for a few weeks until it had settled down and could get new glasses.

    Then had to have glasses with a short-sighted prescription in the left, and a varifocal right. Eyesight was fine for running without glasses.

    Since then my eyesight has been buggered (undiagnosed diabetes, despite getting a cataract) so cant help much more, but up until that point it was fine.

    pennine
    Free Member

    Short-sighted here too: I’ve had both eyes done about 3 years ago. Originally had the left done with full distance but this skewed my vision regarding glasses. Had the right eye done about 3 months later with middle distance. This allowed me to read text reasonably well without glasses. However, to avoid the ‘glasses on, glasses off’ scenario for small print I do use varifocals setup for work.

    After all those years of wearing glasses it’s a relevation walking & cycling in the rain without 😀

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    r6ymy
    Free Member

    I had a catarcat operation in my right eye about 10 years ago, but went for a monofocal lens exactly because of the reported problems with halos when night driving.
    It’s set for distance, and results are excellent -20/20.
    However, it does mean that you need glasses for reading.
    Now need to have my left eye done, and initially the consultant recommended a multifocal (essentially bifocal)lens, but although there have been improvements in designs, the research I’ve done suggest halos are still a problem, plus you lose definition in lower light conditions -around 18% transmission loss.
    Is the cataract in your dominant eye?
    If so I’d suggest looking atone of the new trifocal lenses, which have distance, mid, and near focus points, far reduced risk of halos, and lower transmission losses – about 14%.
    After a lot of consideration that’s what I’m going for in my left eye.

    Google Zeiss TRifocal IOL, of FineVision IOL.

    However, for just one eye then a monofoacl set for distance plus laser correction of the other eye should work well, as you’d still have some accomodation for mid range with your adjusted natural lens.

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    Thanks folks – that’s useful.

    I asked my consultant about an accomodating lens (Crystalens) but he hasn’t done one before so is checking with his colleagues to see any of them have used one of those. That doesn’t have the halo problems either supposedly.

    paulwatts
    Free Member

    Have had both eyes done on the NHS in Southampton
    No probs at all (luckily)
    Never had any halo effects.
    Have later had lazer on one eye to clear the lens capsule

    Hope it goes well

    T666DOM
    Full Member

    If you’re not bothered about wearing spex post op, I’d advise keeping a little myopia so you can read unaided, maybe about -1.50 to -2.00. As a myope you’ll be used to being able to read without spex, myopic patients of mine occasionally find it a nuisance needing reading spex post op.

    Obviously if you’d rather have better distance vision than you have previously had and are sick of needing spex to drive/ ride then you have a prime opportunity to ditch the distance spex for good.

    Monovision can give you a bit of both, with the loss of some depth perception, you may adapt well or poorly to this, which may impact on driving / riding / judging distances.

    Multifocal implants can give you better depth perception but you may get glare problems and reduction in contrast sensitivity.

    Decisions decisions!!!!

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    Well I’ve been to see another consultant now (the first one referred me to this one) and he’s recommending that I go down the multi-focal route using a Restor toric lens (to correct some astigmastism that I also have). He’s also recommending that, rather than get the other eye lasered, I’d be better off getting the lens in my good eye replaced as well – with the same type of replacement lens.

    While I can’t say I’m all that keen on getting surgery on an eye that isn’t showing any signs of the cataract I can see that having a big mis-match between the eyes would be a problem.

    So that’s what I’m going to do. He offered to do both eyes at the same time but that was a definite no as I want my bad eye done and working before I consider anything getting done to the other one!

    DrP
    Full Member

    If you pay a bit extra, you can pop your eyes into a jiffy bag and post them off.
    They come back a few days later good as new, and you never even need to leave your front room….

    DrP

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    Update: Had the eye with the cataract done with a multi-focal fitted in mid March. The results are pretty decent for distance (prescription is something like +0.25 – +0.50 in that eye) but any impact from the multi-focal bit hasn’t kicked in yet so it’s not great for reading or even for computer screen distances. Decided to park getting my other eye done as, given I’ve still some accomodation in it, with a contact lens in it’s noticeably better at distance and much better for close up and intermediate distance.

    No issue with halo’s around lights and while I’ve noticed that the fixed eye has a bit less detail in low-light conditions it’s not too bad.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

The topic ‘Cataract replacement’ is closed to new replies.