I have been developing cataracts for a couple of years now and finally my vision has gotten pretty bad.Last week my eye doctor proposed the surgery. I am highly myopic so she wants me to wear glasses for 2 weeks before I come back to take measurements. The problem is that my glasses are not up to date and I don't see well with them driving at night or at work. I wear glasses at home and day driving but put my contacts in for 3-4 hours while I am out at night or at work.Does anyone know how much this will affect my measurements? The doctor said wearing contacts sometimes during this period is ok but didn't specify how much is too much.
I was also highly myopic and wore hard and then gas permeable contacts for over 50 years. Only worse glasses at night after I removed my contacts. The first surgeon I consulted told me I needed to be out of contacts for two weeks prior to taking measurements. The second surgeon told me I needed to be without my contacts for as long as it took to get stable measurements. I liked this more conservative approach. He took several measurements over a period if time until they stabilized. I did not wear my contacts for 4 months prior to my surgery. Do you wear sift lenses? I believe the waiting period is much less since they don’t reshape your eye like a hard lens. Fortunately for me, my glasses were fairly current plus I am retired so didn’t have to worry about work. I am not sure what to do in your situation but I wish you the best of luck.
contact lenses change the shape of your eye ball. so they kind induce temporary astigmatism. this astigmatism could throw your measurements off. hence the advice.
Thats what I was told, I do have astigmatism already and one of the contact lenses is suppose to be correcting that.
astigmatism correcting contact lens have specific weight distribution so that they rotate to the correct axis. all the more reason for you to NOT wear them for as much time as possible before measurements. the eyeball will get to its normal shape after a period of time of stopping the use of contact lenses,
I have toric lens for my LE and the soft Acuvue for the RE. What kind of implant lenses did you end up getting with your surgery? Monofocal or bifocal? I am not sure which would work well for someone with such severe myopia like myself.I am also getting consult with the retina specialist this week
I’ve been told my a surgeon that the most important thing a patient can do to insure there is a successful outcome for eye surgery is to carefully follow the pre-op and post-op instructions. I would not wear your contacts even for 3-4 hours (that’s actually a long time). Why not visit a local eyeglass place where they provide 30 day returns? I don’t know where you live, but there are a number of good optical stores that provide reasonably priced glasses with 30 day return guarantee, or exchange. You’re going to need a new pair of glasses anyway, so you could return with a new prescription two weeks after surgery (although I didn’t get a new prescription until six weeks after surgery). Otherwise, give your surgeon’s office a call and ask them the question about how long is too long. Good luck on your surgery, you’re going to be glad you did it! Keep us posted!
I went with a Tecnis toric monofocal lens for both eyes. I did a mini monovision, with my right eye corrected for mid range vision and my left dominate eye corrected for distance. I also had to visit a retinal specialist and he advised me to not go with a multifocal lens.
That’s good to know. How do you like that combination/results of the surgery? What’s the difference between monovision and mini monovision?
Hi rusanna. As other have said to get a curate measurements you would need to remove your contact lenses for several weeks. I know it will be inconvenient and obviously additional expense but really important to get more accurate readings for cataract surgery.
Someone else suggested getting inexpensive glasses for now and I agree. I too am myopic with astigmatism and kept my nearsightedness with toric tecnis lens on my right eye. I am doing my left in December. I was surprised I can still use my same glasses without much difficulty since I use them for distance and I still need distant viewing assistance. I take them off to read. I will most likely have the left eye done with similar vision as the right. This is how I have lived most of my life and am used to it. Not fooling with monovision. I read better with both the same and my intermediate vision is better with the astigmatism gone.
So you will have good near vision in both eyes and will need glasses for distance?
All you guys are lucky. I made the mistake of having my eyes lasered (PRK) when I was in my 60s which is not recommended at that age because of cataracts, but I didn’t know and the surgeon never told me. Apparently, because of the PRK, they can’t get exact measurements. Luckily, my RE was done with no complications and good intermediary vision on Oct 16. I can now read with that eye at 2.50 power whereas before I needed 3.25. I was also severe myopic and wore contact lenses, but I kept getting calcium deposits on my lenses. Now I’m waiting to get my LE done on Nov 13 and she mentioned mini-mono and asked me if I wanted far or close vision. I crochet and have a shop online but I also need far vision to take the bus. Such a hard decision. Couldn’t make up my mind, so she chose far for me. So maybe with just a slight correction for far, I’ll be ok. So I would like to know also Cazms53 or anyone else how it went with this same combination?
Thank you.
yes.
I know most of this group has a goal of no glasses ever after this surgery but some seem to think reading glasses count as “not glasses”, as in just readers. For those of us near sighted most of our lives, its a different story. I didnt want to flip my vision world. I see people rooting around in their purses and pockets and everywhere for glasses when they have to read something. All I do is either look over or under my glasses or take them off. I dont need to search for glasses upon awakening or struggle to see clock or computer. When I leave my house I put my light weight barely visible glasses on and the same when I drive. Minimal to no halos.
At the moment I am reading well with my operated eye and also using the eye with the cataract for help. Hopefully it will only be better when both eyes work together and see close up . I have toric lens too so that helps intermediate. This is first time I can see the scale when I stand on it, without glasses (not always a good thing).
It was quite scary waiting for the eye to adjust to the implant; that time helped me realize staying near sighted was right for me. Everyone is different. I still had to pay extra for toric.
" This is first time I can see the scale when I stand on it, without glasses (not always a good thing)." – ha ha ha
For the most part, I like it and think I made the best choice for me. I love having both distance and intermediate vision without the need for correction for most of my daily activities. The exception is any close work which requires me to use an over-the-counter 2.0 reader. I know many myopic people do not want to give up their close vision but, without contacts or glasses, my pre-surgery close range of clear vision was really only 6 inches or closer from my face. It wasn’t a very useful range.
I’m sure someone here can explain it better than I can, but with a mini-monovision there is a smaller diopter difference between the eyes which makes it easier for most people to adapt. You can choose to have good distance/intermediate vision or good intermediate/close vision. With a full monovision, there is a larger diopter difference between the eyes, which gives you better near vision and distance vision. I don’t know how this impacts the intermediate range. Not everyone is able to adapt to a full monovision. I hope someone will chime in here and give you a better explanation as I am very limited in my knowledge! What is your vision currently? I was a -10 prior to surgery.
I love to read, quilt, and do close handwork and I knew beforehand that choosing to go with distance/intermediate vision would most likely require me to use readers for near vision. I was okay with that but I was afraid that the readers would not give me crisp vision. I am happy to say, that is not the case! I see very well with my dollar store 2.0 readers. Yes, putting on and taking off readers throughout the day can be a pain but, as long as I can continue to do the activities I enjoy, it’s a small inconvenience. When I am home, I typically wear a pair of readers like a headband so they are readily available. 
Thats kind of the way I feel ,I don’t want reading glasses for everything ,I want to be able to see up close like I was my whole life. I wouldn’t mind correction for distance like glasses
Hi,
Thank you so much for your post. I am very encouraged now with getting the mini-monovision intermediate and far. For years now, I’ve had to struggle between glasses for intermediate 2.50 for pc, preparing meals, etc., and the 3.25 glasses for close, so for me, needing glasses only for close would be sheer heaven. I didn’t need any glasses to watch t.v. at about 7 feet. It was a real pain to pick up the wrong glasses all the time. I just hope that I can get good enough vision at close even if I have to go back to the 3.25 glasses. I don’t know what happens if I’ll need even stronger ones than that. I haven’t seen any glasses at the drugstore stronger than 3.25, so I don’t know if they make them. Then, I’d be in trouble. Right now, with this RE done, I can use 2.50 glasses for close. If the doctor gives me more distance in my LE, that means I may have to go back to the 3.25 well, I hope. It’s a question mark at this point. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens when the LE gets done tomorrow.
Good luck with your surgery tomorrow! I hope all goes well and you are pleased with the outcome. I hope you will post an update and let us know how you are doing.