cataract surgery

garance

Cathlete
In June I had cataract surgeries and I am blown away by the results. I had IOL lenses to replace the cloudy ones, and I no longer have to wear glasses! I have been wearing glasses since I was in kindergarten, and hard contact lenses since I was 15, together with reading glasses since age 40. I was about as nearsighted as you can be with astigmatism, with bifocals in my glasses when I took out my contacts. I now wear one contact in my right eye when driving and for movies and stage performances, but otherwise I don't wear glasses at all. I no longer have reading glasses scattered everywhere in the house and in my purses. I also don't have the cloudy impact of cataracts. Anyone else had this surgery??
 
In June I had cataract surgeries and I am blown away by the results. I had IOL lenses to replace the cloudy ones, and I no longer have to wear glasses! I have been wearing glasses since I was in kindergarten, and hard contact lenses since I was 15, together with reading glasses since age 40. I was about as nearsighted as you can be with astigmatism, with bifocals in my glasses when I took out my contacts. I now wear one contact in my right eye when driving and for movies and stage performances, but otherwise I don't wear glasses at all. I no longer have reading glasses scattered everywhere in the house and in my purses. I also don't have the cloudy impact of cataracts. Anyone else had this surgery??
No, but I am happy for you!!
 
I am scheduled to go in a couple of weeks to get evaluated for cataract surgery. Like you, I am nearsighted with astigmatism and have worn glasses sine I was 10 yrs old. I am 55 and had no idea I had cataracts. My vision has deteriorated quickly in the past year and when I went to see about getting new glasses, I was told I needed cataract surgery. I am encouraged by your results.
 
wonderful you got such great results! most people I know still need reading glasses even after the surgery. I don't need the surgery yet, likely will eventually. if I live long enough. it would be lovely not to need contacts or glasses for distance but I dread losing my close vision in a trade off. How did you avoid that?
 
You need to find the right surgeon who knows how to insert IOL lenses and you should inquire if your insurance covers these type of lenses. I know people with Medicare and their insurance does not cover these corrective lenses, so there is no real change in their need for glasses, but the cataract is removed and a lens is replaced, but not an IOL. My supplemental insurance DID cover IOL lenses, and my surgeon is an expert in this type of cataract surgery. He had special training with some kind of laser when these lenses were created. It was really strange when I woke up after the first surgery on my right eye and realized that I could see pretty well without my usual desperate reach for glasses to bring everything into focus. It is rather awkward to wait for two weeks to have the other eye operated on if you have such drastically different eyesight in one eye. They don't do both eyes at the same time. I carry around two little cards indicating the type of lenses in each eye and the degree of correction. You won't lose your close vision. I knit and sew without either glasses or reading glasses. And my husband tells me to stop gloating when we go out to dinner and I'm not scrambling for reading glasses when he is. He always had great vision until he started needing reading glasses. I had to wait for 6 months to have these surgeries done because I had to stop wearing hard contact lenses for everything to stabilize on the cornea. I would go in every couple weeks to see if things had stabilized.
 
I will keep this in mind if I eventually need this, as most of us will. right now I wear soft lenses, a mild correction, but hard to do close work or read with contacts in. it didn't used to be, but it is now. around the house often don't wear them. still, it would be great to see both near and a far without correction. right now when DH and I go out to eat, or shopping, it's a scramble for who gets the readers first. I will look those IOL lenses up so I know what to ask about if (when) the time comes. I am changing Medicare plans for next year so in limbo right now. Thanks for posting. I had not heard of these before.
 

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