Had cataract op on right eye .Was told I would see distance and would possibly need reading glasses .I can only see very close up And everything is very blurry even looking acrosss the room .
can any body explain the reason for this happening.
i paid private hoping for good results. I feel really depressed at the outcome
Was lens selection and target discussed prior to your surgery (how long ago was your surgery)?
Depending on how long ago your surgery was your eye could still be healing.
It was discussed and I was told I would see distance .my op was three and half weeks ago .had appointment with surgeon last week and he said correct lense used he is going to check his measurements and I go to see him again end of January. I feel he made a mistake as I can only see clearly at close up .
wondering if I should get second opinion (but will cost a lot of money )
If surgeon confirmed right lens use what was his response to your only seeing near? Are you able to see intermediate (TV / computer and read)? Do glasses provide you distance vision? If so although not what you were expecting a lot of people prefer that set up. When it comes time for cataract surgery in your other eye you could complement it with a lens targeted for distance. You can try that out with a contact lens now in your unoperated eye to see if that works for you. Many enjoy mini monovision so that they see well at all distances.
Surgeon said This can happen and I was one of the 1.1/2 percent of people it happens to.
I cannot see Tv and can read for short while .going to see my optician tomorrow and hope he can fit me up with varifocals .
my worry is my left eye needs cataract op. I am so afraid this will happen again .just wish somebody could explain the reasons and give me back some confidence.
This doesn't sound right at all. If you were told that the lens would be for distance, but you can see only very close, then I can't see how it's the correct lens. Is he saying that there's a small percentage of people for whom an inserted lens simply doesn't work as intended? At the very minimum I'd want a second opinion from another eye doctor. If the lens itself might be defective, I believe it can be removed and exchanged, though someone more knowledgeable will have to confirm that.
Yes I believe he is trying to say I am one of the 1 1/2 percent . We could not get a proper answer as to the reason why it had happened this I found very worrying.
All of my friends have had cataracts and all of them have come away without glasses for distance or close up .
I am doing research ,to try and find another surgeon who will be willing to give me a second opinion.thanks for your reply
The surgeon should have checked your eye prescription and the best corrected vision at your last check-up. That would have been 2-3 weeks after surgery and he should given you a good eye examination and given you that information. You should not have to guess the reason for your poor eye sight. You should have been provided that information. If the doctor did the test and did not provide you the desired information, you should ask his/her office to provide you that.
You are not alone I had laser 20 years ago by the same cataract surgeon and he 4 months ago implanted a toric lens and I have no distant vision in either eye but clear computer reading vision. Trying to watch the tv 10 feet away I need glasses. I still have trouble driving at night because of all the halos are about 8 feet in diameter.
I have always believed he inserted the wrong lens which one Doctor said he did and then a second opinion one said maybe I need to get the surgeon to give me temp lenses to try to get the right prescription. I had my surgery 4 months ago now and still very depressed and the temp lenses don't want to stay in due to dryness.
I wish I had never done this. Still trying to figure if I get these toric out and should try the standard ones. What if they don't work or he damages my eyes. Who do you trust to make a decision. Still trying to make a scary decision.
Hi Carol - so sorry - I feel your frustration and it doesn’t appear from your comments the surgeon can do much. If you are contemplating a lens exchange seek out another specialist. From what I have read this takes someone noted skilled than a cataract surgeon.
You mentioned having had laser for correction 20 years ago. From what I read that makes it harder to calculate the lens power needed.
If you can find postings from Nina on these forums she had had prior lasik surgery and mentioned her surgeon only recommended regular monofocal lenses. She included several links in her posts about that. You might find her posts a good read.
I gather you would prefer to see distance vs near? Everyone’s preference is different. Some prefer to wear glasses for near and others enjoy having near vision and wearing glasses for distance. If you discussed having distance with your surgeon it is hard to understand why you got the opposite. Have you been to an optometrist to get a prescription? You also mentioned having a toric lens inserted was this a toric monofocal or toric Symfony Lens? Is there any possibility that the lens rotated and is causing some of the issues? You should definitely have a discussion on all these with your surgeon to see what he or she says. You may want to get another specialist’s input too if not satisfied.
No my surgeon didn't only recommend monofocals. I'm the one who insisted on it. He would have given me any IOLs I wanted.
I didn't want to do it though since there was no guarantee of having good reading vision or good night vision and they would have cost me $5,400. I got non-toric monofocals set for distance paid for by my insurance company and now hardly ever need to wear glasses except for extended reading or the tiniest of print. My doctor would have been perfectly happy to take my $5,400.
Thanks Nina. Nice to hear you are doing well. Hard to make decisions when doctors have their best interests in mind and not the patients. I am sure there are still good ones out there but maybe hard to find.
Maybe my memory was wrong. Did you post links about prior lasik being harder to calculate lens power? I had thought so but maybe I am wrong.
I think it used to be harder to calculate, but now they have special formulas to calculate the power after lasik and other types of surgery to correct vision. Even people who didn't have lasik or other vision correction surgery can end up with their IOL power being off target after cataract surgery, so maybe the risk of that happening is slightly higher in someone after having vision correction surgery like lasik. I'm not sure.
Did you have lasik or did you have radial keratotomy?
Makes sense. With so many more people having lasik surgery there is I’ll be research and development going into the technology to calculate lens power and also premium lenses. Most people who have lasik are patients who will be more demanding when it comes to cataract surgery and likely more willing to pay for that.
Not sure why anyone would need premium lenses after lasik or even not after it, so I'm not sure what more research on lenses will bring other than money in doctor's pockets (I clearly am not in agreement with everyone else on this forum about that).
I basically never need to wear glasses now after getting non-toric monofocals set for distance. I can see well enough to read labels, etc. and don't need glasses unless doing extended reading or for teeny tiny print. Most people get Lasik to fix distance vision, not reading vision. As a matter of fact, many people end up needing reading glasses after they have lasik when they were nearsighted before the lasik and probably would never need reading glasses in their entire lives, even after they reach the "normal" age for needing reading glasses (this happened to me after lasik and now I need reading glasses after cataract surgery less often than I needed them after having lasik).
I also think the formulas they have now must work fine since my doctor used one of those formulas and my vision turned out fine. Since I found studies showing my outcome isn't unusual (in people who didn't have lasik or other vision correction surgery), I also know for a fact now that it's not unusual. And for anyone reading this who's considering lasik, I suggest not having it done since I believe it caused my cataracts or at least caused them to occur earlier than normal (aside from other terrible things it could possibly cause).
Not basing this on anything scientific. Just observation from conversations I have had with neighbors and work colleagues. Didn’t realize how many people opt for lasik. And are very positive about it. I’ve always been squeamish about eyes so never considered anything but glasses and contacts. And yes they did get lasik for distance I realize - they are too young to need readers. However this generation of people when they hit the age where cataract surgery is necessary (and likely before as doctors seem to be pushing for clear lens exchange) will be more picky than today’s generation of cataract patients and wanting to see well at all distances. Hence I do predict the premium lens market will grow and research dollars will be pouring into making them better. Just my opinion. Having gone through this it’s likely something that will catch my interest.
Today’s options - I am not convinced there is only one solution. There are a few that would bring a satisfactory result.
Everyone I know who had non-toric monofocals set for distance are perfectly happy with them and also rarely need to wear glasses the same as me unless their power turned out off target ("refractive surprise"
. I also know younger people who had Lasik who ended up needing reading glasses way before the normal time to need them.