Cataract Surgery

CPP

CPP

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
5,205
Location
Ormond Beach, Plantation Bay CC
Anyone on here have Cataract Surgery. I'm scheduled for my right eye Dec 6th and left eye Dec 20th. I'm going to have the laser process done and its a bummer insurance doesn't cover the total laser procedure. Insurance will cover for some surgeon to cut your eye and remove and insert the new lens, but Medicare nor regular insurance will not cover for a computer to do the same thing which is more accurate and better results. Cost, anywhere from $1495 to 2995 per eye and depending on your eye and its current vision requirements you still might need reading glasses. . Insurance , gee.
 
I had my Mom’s eyes done going on 2 years ago. We did laser too, on both. Extra $1500 per eye. First was absolutely necessary because the lens hardened and was a bear to break up. He was happy we went that way. After all said and done it was worth it. Her vision was 20/20 for distance but now needs reading glasses.
 
Last edited:
The reason you still need reading glasses after cataract surgery is because age-related near vision problems (presbyopia) has nothing to do with clouding of the lens, which is what cataract is. With age - usually sometime after 40 --the lens loses some of its ability to change shape enough to accommodate for seeing close up.

There's no good treatment for age related near vision loss--dammit! I hate having to stash reading glasses all over the house.
 
I do the same with reading glasses. What a pain.

Mom’s lenses were definitely cloudy and getting worse.
 
By accident I found a good book on the subject at the public library. (it was one section before the NEC code book.

Title Cataract surgery : a guide to treatment Author Garland, Paul E. (Ophthalmologist) Publisher:Addicus Books, Inc.,Pub date:[2015]Pages:120 pages :ISBN:9781943886043
 
rrwmd said:
The reason you still need reading glasses after cataract surgery is because age-related near vision problems (presbyopia) has nothing to do with clouding of the lens, which is what cataract is. With age - usually sometime after 40 --the lens loses some of its ability to change shape enough to accommodate for seeing close up.

There's no good treatment for age related near vision loss--dammit! I hate having to stash reading glasses all over the house.
Click to expand...

Yep age related for sure, I'm 66 or will be in 8 days so all I'm looking for is a major improvement from my finger tips with my arms stretched out to infinity which the surgeon said it should be NO problem if my eye cooperates. I go for my eye measurements the 21 of this month. That measurement data provided by laser technology measures the length and other particulars of the eye. Measuring the eye accurately allows the eye surgeon to advise based on the measurement provided by the computer which lens to implant
 
Yeah Chris, it’s pretty cool how all the measurements give them the exact lens power, etc. to usually result in 20/20ish vision and no need for distance glasses.

Hope everything goes well.

(My wife’s a cataract surgeon and I’m amazed at the results she can achieve. Her patients give her the biggest hugs!)
 
I had my first eye done when I was around 37 and the second eye done when I was 41. So I would have to say it's really not age related. I asked my eye surgeon if I was a little young for the procedure and he said no. Older folks have more of a problem but he said he has done cataract surgery on infants.

He said the reason I need readers is the lens can't change shape to focus like a natural lens. I went from 20/250 to 20/10 with the first eye and 20/200 for the second eye to to 20/25. Colors seem more vibrant but I honestly can't remember how colors looked when I had 20/20 before the cataracts. I would say if the surgery is needed it's a no brainer. Recovery time is supposed to a lot less than went i had it done. Back then it was 8 to 12 weeks. I hear now days it's just a few days.
 
octadyndude said:
I had my first eye done when I was around 37 and the second eye done when I was 41. So I would have to say it's really not age related. I asked my eye surgeon if I was a little young for the procedure and he said no. Older folks have more of a problem but he said he has done cataract surgery on infants.

He said the reason I need readers is the lens can't change shape to focus like a natural lens. I went from 20/250 to 20/10 with the first eye and 20/200 for the second eye to to 20/25. Colors seem more vibrant but I honestly can't remember how colors looked when I had 20/20 before the cataracts. I would say if the surgery is needed it's a no brainer. Recovery time is supposed to a lot less than went i had it done. Back then it was 8 to 12 weeks. I hear now days it's just a few days.
Click to expand...

Thanks George , now if they can just correct color blindness LOL
 
I have incredibly bad eyes and that the only way I can fix mine. I’ve heard the new lenses on last 20 years or so. I’m too young for that, so I had to pass


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Well the first eye is done had my post op appt yesterday, with some swelling still there which it should, my right eye now is 20/25 and it will only get better. The blues, reds, golds whites ,oranges and yellows are so vivid. The surgery with laser only took 14 min. Once the other eye is done on the 20th it should be a whole new world of color and clarity .
 
CPP said:
Well the first eye is done had my post op appt yesterday, with some swelling still there which it should, my right eye now is 20/25 and it will only get better. The blues, reds, golds whites ,oranges and yellows are so vivid. The surgery with laser only took 14 min. Once the other eye is done on the 20th it should be a whole new world of color and clarity .
Click to expand...

I'm glad it's working out for you Chris!
 
CPP said:
Well the first eye is done had my post op appt yesterday, with some swelling still there which it should, my right eye now is 20/25 and it will only get better. The blues, reds, golds whites ,oranges and yellows are so vivid. The surgery with laser only took 14 min. Once the other eye is done on the 20th it should be a whole new world of color and clarity .
Click to expand...
Congrats Chris. Did they say what the recovery time should normally be? Was forever when I had mine done. Did the remove the cataract with a laser or lens replacement? Mine was a lens replacement. Never felt the stitches with my first eye but they drove me bonkers with the second eye.
 
CPP said:
Well the first eye is done had my post op appt yesterday, with some swelling still there which it should, my right eye now is 20/25 and it will only get better. The blues, reds, golds whites ,oranges and yellows are so vivid. The surgery with laser only took 14 min. Once the other eye is done on the 20th it should be a whole new world of color and clarity .
Click to expand...

Fantastic man! Good luck with #2.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Did you say you were color bind and can now see color?
Glad it went well. My mom and father in law have them. lots of people I know have them. They work great. So its sounds like you opted to get the vision corrected as well as clear out the cataract.
 
octadyndude said:
Congrats Chris. Did they say what the recovery time should normally be? Was forever when I had mine done. Did the remove the cataract with a laser or lens replacement? Mine was a lens replacement. Never felt the stitches with my first eye but they drove me bonkers with the second eye.
Click to expand...

recovery time depends on the age, your eye condition before surgery. I was told for one eye it could take weeks for recovery as long as you follow the recovery guidelines and are maintaining the drops until they run out for the operative eye. . My intraocular lens was flexible and required NO stiches.
 
Kingrex said:
Did you say you were color bind and can now see color?
Glad it went well. My mom and father in law have them. lots of people I know have them. They work great. So its sounds like you opted to get the vision corrected as well as clear out the cataract.
Click to expand...

Rex, I could always see, blue, yellow oranges, my color blindness is a very light red and light brown/green when they are close together. Nothing will fix that but I have a better chance of seeing those color by themselves now as they now are more vivid. .That cataract is basically a yellowish, brownish creamy color that impacts the colors and detail you see. The doc told me its like looking through a par of brownish tinted sunglasses. Even during the surgery after the laser did its work and since you are awake and told to stare at the center of this laser, I could tell when the cataract was broken up things got clear. OF course your eye is held wide open with some medieval contraption, but after the doc using some little sucker removed the pieces of the old cataract and install and did a unfold of the new lens, I could see the clock in the room and white is really white..


A little video kinda shows the procedure, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Txm5Bf89E
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top