PAMAR

I have astigmatisms and dry eyes. I had special lenses (at a cost of $3,000) to correct the astigmatisms and one lens for distance and one for close up.

What I didn't know when I chose the long and short lenses, is that the distance lens has to be pretty much perfect as it is doing all the heavy work for the other eye. Well, unfortunately, mine wasn't perfect. They did PRK surgery (where they scrape the surface of the eye). This was 100xs worse than the cataract surgery. I had to have all the blinds and drapes in my home closed for 3 days. The doctor told me I would hate him for 3 days after the surgery, and he wasn't lying.

My surgery was 3 years ago, and I still can't see 20/20 in my distance eye. We tried a contact lens to bring my distance vision to 20/20. However, because of the uneven surface of my eye, the lens would stay on my eye. I had previously worn contacts for more than 40 years with no problem. Go figure.

If I had it to do over, I would put distance lenses in both eyes and just wear reading glasses to sew and read. So, if you are thinking about the long and short options, I would recommend you discuss the downsides thoroughly with your doctor.

Good luck.

vschieve

mjkgquilt,

No problem with the spelling, for I know what you are trying to say.

I think when you mentioned the "flexible" lenses my guess is you are referring to what was commonly called "soft" lenses as opposed to the "hard" or gas permeable lenses. I have astigmatism to the extreme in both eyes, left eye more so than right and had to wear a Toric contact lens in that eye. I could not wear the soft lenses at all, and did try them at one time, when the astigmatism was borderline and before it became so bad, but they did indeed make me nauseous. Nausea is not something I could tend with and was so glad to get back into the gas permeable. Now that I am WAY past 40 I have gone to glasses and will be a long time yet before needing cataract surgery.

Iceblossom

I can't help you directly, but what I know is all of my friends/family who have had cataract surgery have been extremely nervous before hand and then wondered why they didn't do it sooner! Follow the before/after care instructions faithfully.

I have a bad case of keratoconus, which means my eyes are super pointy. My astigmatism correction starts about where the standard eye doctor equipment ends, so I've been seeing a specialist for a number of years now. My vision hasn't been correctable by glasses or soft contacts for maybe 15 years now and I wear specialty "scleral" hard lenses the size of soup bowls . They are called scleral because they sit on the white part of your eyes.

For some people with keratoconus the end result is a cornea transplant, and often the non-corrected vision is about 20/40 -- or about what I had in 7th grade (umm... 45+ years ago?). I finally grew to accept the idea but because my case is so progressive I am not considered a candidate and so I had to accept the disappointment in that. My specialist and I hope that technology will continue and that all is not lost for me, there is a new treatment that did not exist at the time of my diagnosis. Again, with my progressive issues it is not a viable treatment for me.

In terms of the best possible bad news, I will always have light/dark, I will always have color, I will always have large shapes (a brown door in a white wall is a large shape). But I'm losing my ability to focus. Each eye separately has double vision issues. I wake up each day completely and totally legally blind. Forget seeing the E on the eye chart, I can't even see the chart. My contacts are set for a 3-foot distance, that allows me to sew, play on the computer, cook, etc. I have glasses for distance that take over around 6 feet, so that 3-6 distance is hard on me. Today, this year, and maybe for another 3-5 years I can still drive but that won't last.

Get the surgery! You have the options. There are really rare cases where things go wrong, but mostly your life will be vastly improved.

crafty pat

I had both eyes done and got perfect vision in both eyes. I walked out the door and felt like I could see forever. I can thread needles and see so well in everything I do. I just wish I could have had it done sooner.

crafty pat

Mine did cloud up after a month but my Dr. fixed them up and they don't cloud up again. It takes about two minutes an eye he zaps a light in them and it clears them right up. Good as new.

suern3

Thanks for all of your input! Now I just need to quit procrastinating and get my appointment made. My DH had his done several years ago, before the multifocal lens were common. He was thrilled with his results even though he still needs readers. He just buys at the drugstore and has them all over the place.

Jingle

I had my right cataract removed end of February 2017. Left one isn't ready yet. Doctor made it a little far sighted to work with the left one. I don't mind wearing glasses, have worn them about twenty years. He had to weaken the left one as it was over powering the right eye. Glasses are now perfect and I can see much better at night. I drive a pick up and that helps too. My Husband had his removed 20 some odd years ago. He has dry eye real bad in one eye and uses Theratears drops, best ones he has found. He needs glasses more now that he is getting older. Doctor doesn't think so. We have different doctors.

lindaschipper

I have cataracts and macular degeneration in the right eye...small cataracts in the left eye. On top of all this extreme dry eyes that I have to use prescription And over the counter eye drops 7 times a day for 3 months to help clear this up before I can have the surgery done. My macular degeneration is changing from dry to wet which means there is a pocket of blood in the macular under my lens. If the blood leaks out there will be scaring of the lens....hoping they will be able to drain the blood when they do the surgery. I've never had a surgery that wasn't complicated somehow!!

LavenderBlue

My husband had the post-surgery cloudiness in one eye. It was painlessly "zapped" away via laser. His doctor explained that it was mucous formed by the body as a protection in trying to heal.

Stitchnripper

I am three months out from my cataract surgery and very pleased. The procedures were really nothing. Just took time to dilate my eyes. Felt nothing. I had the lens in my eyes removed with the laser, no big deal, just had to pay for it. My son in law just went to my doctor and had his done. Same thing, procedures nothing, no pain, etc. He is very pleased. I had the toric lenses because of my astigmatism and my corneas are very oddly shaped. He showed us on one of the scans - and said he couldn't get me "glasses free", but I I told him that was never a concern because I've worn glasses since I was 7 and was used to them. After my surgeries I got glasses with readers in the bottom, progressive, and no correction on top. I got my first pair through the eye doctor, very spendy, then went on line and got another pair, for fun, same prescription, 1/6 the price. I can drive without glasses and things are crystal clear.