Cataract surgery OMG! What a success!

C

CarolfromTX

Senior Member
Location
Central Texas
I have been severely myopic for years. I have worn contact lenses since I was a teenager (so about a hundred years LOL!). My glasses have always been very thick, even with the newest plastic material. For years I'd been told my cataracts just weren't quite bad enough to require surgery. I went to the eye doctor again last fall. My vision had gotten so bad, I'd almost given up driving, which I hated. Doing the "is this better or worse?' thing became so frustrating for me I was nearly in tears. They did more tests with more gizmos. Made me come back again. More gizmos and drops and a repeat of previous tests. Again, I was close to tears.

Finally, it was agreed that I needed cataract surgery. Was I nervous? Scared, even? You bet! After all, they were going to essentially be poking me in the eye with a sharp stick! The doctor said that because of the elongated shape of my eyes, there was more risk of … well, bad stuff happening. And that I would have a general anesthesia because surgery would take a while longer than normal. Well, fair enough.

So on December 17, I had my right eye done. I went home with a gauze patch (under a clear plastic shield) over one eye, with instructions to keep it in place 'til the next morning. Ok, I admit it, I peeked, and was amazed at what little I saw. Before the surgery the doc kept saying he couldn't promise 20/20 vision, so I wasn't expecting much. Less fuzziness, maybe, and brighter colors.

When I took the patch off the next morning, I was gob smacked. I could see, and see clearly, without glasses! Once again I was nearly in tears, not out of frustration, but out of wonderment. I went into the living room and saw the Christmas tree. It was so beautiful and clear! I went into the kitchen and immediately noticed how badly the floor needed to be mopped! LOL! There's a downside to everything, I guess.

I had my left eye done last week, with equally impressive results. I told my husband it's like going from a room with a 40 watt bulb into a room with a 250 watt bulb. I do not understand why I had to wait so long for this. It's only now that I realize how bad my eyesight had become. I used to see trees; now I see branches and leaves. The second day after my initial surgery, I went on my usual walk through the neighborhood, And I saw a bird on top of a tree. I could tell it was a woodpecker! Before surgery, I'd have been lucky to see it at all, even with glasses on.

Just wanted to share my delight. Yay for modern medicine!
 

Glad to hear it went so well! :)

I have an eye disease called keratoconus. Very frustrating. Had to give up driving. Had a corneal transplant in one eye ... eased the pain but my vision is still awful. Had cataract surgery in that same eye but no big vision improvement. Glasses do not improve my vision. I wear contacts but I still have bad vision. I also have a retinal hole which surgery did NOT correct. :(

Anyway, nice to hear your success story. :(
 

Great news, Carol especially for me who is a big chicken with any surgery.

Im going to need it done down the line...not yet but sooner than I’d like.

Glad you posted this because the last eye surgery I read about was a meteorologist on TV who just had lasik to correct her vision and that didn’t go so well and she committed suicide.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...arr-death-suicide-lasik-questions/2346863002/
 
As folks know on this forum, I think, I had laser assisted cataract surgery to both eyes last Oct. 2018. Left eye done first and three weeks later, right eye done. Left eye was definitely the worst with a cataract and now that eye is 20/20 vision. Right eye had a less cataract, but it is now 20/20 as well.

However, I now have Negative Dysphotopsia in each eye, which means, in some light, I have a black vertical bar on the temporal side of each eye, that shows up. It remains a mystery to OD's and surgeons how to cure this, but I'm told it will go away with six months. I've also seen, and will see again, a Retina Specialist that determined that I have a little retina fluid in the eye.

No longer have to wear prescription glasses to drive, watch tv or use the computer, but need Reading Glasses to look at iPhone or other fine print.

My surgery cost us $1,900 per eye, due to laser and specialized lens being put in to each eye. Each eye was actually measured for these new lenses. My Medicare and supplement took care of all other costs.
 
ClassicRockr said:
As folks know on this forum, I think, I had laser assisted cataract surgery to both eyes last Oct. 2018. Left eye done first and three weeks later, right eye done. Left eye was definitely the worst with a cataract and now that eye is 20/20 vision. Right eye had a less cataract, but it is now 20/20 as well.

However, I now have Negative Dysphotopsia in each eye, which means, in some light, I have a black vertical bar on the temporal side of each eye, that shows up. It remains a mystery to OD's and surgeons how to cure this, but I'm told it will go away with six months. I've also seen, and will see again, a Retina Specialist that determined that I have a little retina fluid in the eye.

No longer have to wear prescription glasses to drive, watch tv or use the computer, but need Reading Glasses to look at iPhone or other fine print.

My surgery cost us $1,900 per eye, due to laser and specialized lens being put in to each eye. Each eye was actually measured for these new lenses. My Medicare and supplement took care of all other costs.
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You also mentioned that one eyelid drooped after the surgery....is that better?
 
Excellent news Carol...it must be getting all your Christmases at once. I'm so pleased for you, but what a horrible shame you had to suffer for so long before you could get to see again!!
 
I went to youtube on this subject and granted the posts were about the early days of cataract surgery but they scared me away from doing it. Very scary stories of things gone horribly wrong.
 
That's wonderful, Carol! Did you have the lens implant things, too? My eye doctor also tells me that my cataracts "aren't bad enough yet" for surgery. I can't tell you how much I despise that "which is better" eye exam... I get so frustrated by it. Anyway, I'm happy that you had a good result! YAY.
 
I had cataracts on both of my eyes and had them done about 10 years ago and no problems before or after. I am so happy for you Carol. I can't imagine what a joy that must be. It's just too bad they couldn't have done it sooner.
 
fmdog44 said:
I went to youtube on this subject and granted the posts were about the early days of cataract surgery but they scared me away from doing it. Very scary stories of things gone horribly wrong.
Click to expand...

I am a big worrier, and it was hard not to let all the negative scenarios play out in my head. But I trusted my doctor -- he was old enough to be experienced and young enough to have steady hands. Surgery was at Baylor Scott and White, which has a very good reputation. Of all those horror stories, you have to wonder why. Was the doctor competent, or was he (she) a cut-rate kind of guy? Was he(she) hung over or otherwise impaired? Did the patient follow through with all the appropriate post-operative care? My doctor told me my risk for certain bad results was doubled because of my "long eyes." That sounds bad except that it means the odds went from 2% to 4% of cases going awry. That's a 96% chance of a win. I'll take those odds. And again, there's no telling why, exactly, things did not work out.

My end result was sooooo worth it for me. Still hard to get my head around not having to wear glasses except readers.
 
Glad you had a successful time of it.

I swear by my eye supports and keep plugging at 80 with good eyesight and no issues. I believe I've posted them. I do all possible to prevent any surgery.
 

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