Cataract Surgery....Yes, or No

Don M.

Don M.

SF VIP
Location
central Missouri
I had my annual eye exam early this morning, and the doctor is recommending Cataract surgery. I've noticed that while driving at night, the "white light" headlights on these newer vehicles are really distracting and cause an overly large "halo" effect, unless I look away as they approach.

I ordered an anti-glare coating on the new glasses, and they should be here in a couple of weeks, so I'll try them out to see if that helps.

Question....has anyone else had this surgery, and if so, did it help, and were there any problems? How long was the recovery time, etc.?

With the holidays coming up, I doubt I will do anything until January/February...when I'd be pretty much staying home, anyway.
 

Have had cataract surgery & the surgery to correct the shape of my eyeballs. No pain with either. One eye corrected for distance one for up close. That combination means excellent vision for reading & driving distance perception. As for driving at night, the "white light" headlights on these newer vehicles not a problem.

It's actually interesting to be able to watch the surgeon remove the cataracts.
 
Don M. said:
I had my annual eye exam early this morning, and the doctor is recommending Cataract surgery. I've noticed that while driving at night, the "white light" headlights on these newer vehicles are really distracting and cause an overly large "halo" effect, unless I look away as they approach.

I ordered an anti-glare coating on the new glasses, and they should be here in a couple of weeks, so I'll try them out to see if that helps.

Question....has anyone else had this surgery, and if so, did it help, and were there any problems? How long was the recovery time, etc.?

With the holidays coming up, I doubt I will do anything until January/February...when I'd be pretty much staying home, anyway.
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I had the same diagnosis but even at 75 am a devout chicken so I found a YouTube video of the entire procedure. I know everyone I have talked to say it is no pain and easy and the actual surgery only takes 10 minutes as shown in the video but I am still hesitant. I chose this video because the doctor is in my area, best of luck on your decision....
 
I've had both eyes done and I consider the surgeries money well spent. I have always been far sighted so I had the doc put in lenses that retained my far sighted bias. I am used to wearing glasses for reading.

A good friend had bifocal lenses put in and he has never been really pleased with the results.
 
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Don M. said:
Question....has anyone else had this surgery, and if so, did it help, and were there any problems? How long was the recovery time, etc.?
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What you might be calling halo is what I call glare and driving at night was a problem. I had cataract surgery and was near instantly impressed, running around picking up things to read by tilting my head to look through that contraption.

I went with the multi-focal lenses which were costly and do have a noticeable halo, but not bothersome for night driving. After 30 years of glasses, no more glasses and near 20-20, although the eye guy said I tested at 20-20. Maybe he needs his eyes fixed... dunno.
 
I've never been to an eye doctor except for my husband when he was alive. I know most everyone here had wonderful results and I don't mean to deter you in any way but I feel I have to tell you what happened to him.
We went to a local eye doctor and they rushed him through and set up cataract surgery right away. They didn't ask him any questions or spend any time with him.
I asked my husband if we could get a second opinion.. I "didn't feel right" about what they said. He said "sure".
We drove to another city in NM and saw another eye doctor/surgeon and told her this was a second opinion before surgery.
She said, "You have a surgery date set up? I can tell you, with 100% accuracy, that had you had this procedure, you would have been completely blind in both eyes! You do not have cataracts!"
I debated telling you this because everyone seems so happy with their procedures, but maybe get a second opinion?
 
I've had both eyes done. The regimen leading up to it is more annoying that than the actual procedure - these drops at this time of day and these drops at another time. Saw better for about 6 months, then my visison clouded up again. Had to have a capsulotomy done. Now it's getting cloudy again.
 
Llynn said:
A good friend had bifocal lenses put in and he has never been really pleased with the results.
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Buy the best quality you can afford. As far as the bifocal, these don’t get great reviews and they can’t be redone.

Once the surgery is done in the first eye compare it to the blurry one. You won’t believe the colours that your ‘new’ eye now sees.
 
I can only tell you of my experience. Cataract surgery is one of the safest surgeries done today. It takes only 20 or 30 minutes for the entire operation. You can go home a few hours after the surgery, with a shield on your eye and return the next day for that to be removed and the eye to be examined by the surgeon.

After surgery, there are a few safety things your doctor will tell you not to do and there is also a regime of three medications you have to take during the day for a few weeks to heal.

I have spent a lifetime in the water and two years ago was told I needed this type of surgery. I lost no time in having it and am so happy now. No problems!! Cataracts can make one go blind. I do not give advice but, would suggest you have no fear but go ahead.
 
I had cataract surgery done in July. Since they were not replacing the eyeball itself, they asked where (at what distance) I wanted my focus to be. I chose about 4 feet because (don't laugh) that's how far away I sit from my computer monitor.

The surgery itself was no sweat. They gave me Versed to put me mostly "out"; as I always say, "Versed is your friend" — it's quite wonderful. I made the nurses laugh because I was saying "I'm high! I'm high!" ... as I hadn't been on any kind of drug for decades.

Results: perfect vision in one eye and near-perfect in the other. Everything that I had been seeing with a greenish tinge (because the cataracts were yellow) turned out to be a beautiful blue, etc.

I went through the eye drops, counting down the days until I was done.

I do not wear glasses anymore except for up close (as in 6 inches in front of my face), for which I wear some cheap reading glasses we happened to have. I also got a new "distance" prescription for my sunglasses, which I only wear in the car.

Anyway, I'm incredibly pleased with the surgery.
 
Pete said:
I had the same diagnosis but even at 75 am a devout chicken so I found a YouTube video of the entire procedure. I know everyone I have talked to say it is no pain and easy and the actual surgery only takes 10 minutes as shown in the video but I am still hesitant. I chose this video because the doctor is in my area, best of luck on your decision....
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I watched the video on Full Screen, thank you for posting it Pete. I'm a chicken too, and kind of got the heebie jeebies, probably had my hand over my mouth for most of the video. Very informative, and I would have that doctor if he was in my area and available. I have Kaiser Permanente, so I would likely get whatever doctor they gave me.

I have an eye exam on Monday, not happy at all with my current glasses, I think my sight has worsened in the last two years that I wore them. I've been told that there may be beginnings of macular degeneration and cataracts, but as of my last exams, nothing to warrant surgery. Don't know know if my prescription will be stronger or if they tell me I need a procedure. Hoping new glasses is all I'll need, plan to get one for general, one for reading and one for computer. Progressives and bifocals did not make me happy, neither did the plastic lenses, plan to get glass next time.

Thanks again for the video, that doctor was very calm and seemed to know exactly what he was doing. He was very comforting, although I think that woman is a lot braver than I am. :)
 
Llynn said:
I've had both eyes done and I consider the surgeries money well spent. I have always been far sighted so I had the doc put in lenses that retained my far sighted bias. I am used to wearing glasses for reading.

A good friend had bifocal lenses put in and he has never been really pleased with the results.
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I've had both eyes done. I also elected long distance vision and am now allowed to drive without wearing glasses. I tried using just reading glasses but found them a pain because I was always putting them on and taking them off. I also tried a chain around my neck but the glasses kept slipping out of the chain.

In the end I returned to the multifocals because they can stay on my face all day and only come off when I choose, such as when I want to wear non prescription sunnies outdoors.

I did have one complication in one eye. Some film (scar tissue) formed over one lens but it was quickly and painlessly removed using a laser.

I look at it this way. If you do nothing about the cataracts you will slowly lose your sight. I choose not to go blind if there is a way to avoid it.
 
I have had cataract surgery done on both of my eyes and my eye sight is very good. The recovery time was three days to one week of being very careful. Three types of eye drops for three weeks then one type of eye drops for four more weeks. I had my left eye done eight years ago because it was so bad I could not stand it anymore and I figured if something went wrong I would still have my right eye. The left eye surgery went very good and I am pleased with it. Then just four weeks ago I had cataract surgery on my right eye because the cataract got so bad I could not stand it any more and I have a good left eye if something went bad. But my right eye surgery had been verry good. I was given a perscription for new eye glasses buy my vision is good enough that I dont wear them unless I am driving a car or reading, they are bifocals. When I drive at night and a vehicle is coming at me with bright lights I close one eye and leave one eye open to see the road then when the vehicle passes I open the other eye and have good night vision again.
 
In my case, no choice and made the mistake of viewing a video, took 3 times to get it done. They stopped my procedure because my heart rate went up.

I was pretty much blind, not put under for it, I remember it was like looking through a bad kaleidoscope.

The result was instant. Went for basic lenses and a arm's length, I only need reads for my phone, not a computer.

This was done in 2015, mention to my doctor that did not want to die blind, they laugh... can still drive
 
Thanks for all the responses...I much prefer to hear the opinions of those who have gone through such a procedure, than just relying on what the doctor says. It sounds like this surgery is working well for most people, and the results are well worth it. My eyes aren't too bad yet, but I will be giving this procedure some serious consideration in coming weeks.

Thanks again.
 
Go for it. I never knew how the colors had faded as my cataracts came on slowly. After both eyes were done 2 weeks apart man the colors sure poped out. Everything was so clear. That was 20 years ago.

The surgery I had only took about 5 minutes in the room where they used the no-stitch method. They did about 25 people that day in a huge room, we all laid in a hospital bed while they kept coming around every 5 minutes putting in numbing drops & others. Right before they wheeled me into the procedure room they put something in our IVs to make us sleepy. So I slept through the whole thing. Woke up in the recovery room.

The reason I remember the time was when they started the sleepy IV I hit my stopwatch. When I woke up in recovery it was 14 minutes later.
 
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