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My mother had cataracts. When she had them removed, she saved them in a jar with formaldehyde. She kept it on the mantle. When people came over, she would hand them the jar and say, "Guess what this is." After so long, they started to disintegrate.
My mother had cataracts. When she had them removed, she saved them in a jar with formaldehyde. She kept it on the mantle. When people came over, she would hand them the jar and say, "Guess what this is." After so long, they started to disintegrate.
With me, they did the better eye first. The one that wasn't quite ready to do and it wasn't the dominant eye. It didn't come out very well though. Both eyes are okay, I guess, but the right eye came out a whole lot better. If the other eye had come out as well as the second one, I wouldn't need glasses except to correct for astigmatism so I wouldn't see rays of light and starbursts coming from lamps and street lights.
As for the toric lenses, I still have no idea why the surgeon didn't offer them to me. They would have been more expensive but it would have avoided having to buy glasses with astigmatism correction and variable lenses for the rest of my life. With Medicare, the regular lenses were only $300 for each eye.
For anyone who is scared--the surgery was NOTHING. The worrying and pre-op where they sit you in a room forever are the scariest part. Finally I was wheeled in, the put something over me and I think they put something over my face (?) and I heard the dr come in. Some sound and flashing lights inside my eye and it was over. The dr said it was like a light show.
The post op was worse, I think. I had to keep a clear plastic cup taped over my eye at night and there were three kinds of drops to keep track of for weeks to come. They give you a chart that shows when to take each drop and I taped that to the wall of my bedroom. Went in and lay on the bed to take the drops, three little bottles, four times a day, at first.
Oh, women, don't worry about not being able to see to put on your mascara. I was worried about that too. Yes, the surgery did take my close up vision away but I can see well enough to put on mascara. What I cannot see without glasses is tiny print.
Mascara worries, yes I have that, even though I wear mascara no more than once a month. I do extremely close up examining of my eyes, etc. that I have been concerned about that.
You mentioned your right eye. Do you mean it is the dominant eye?
My dominant eye is my "worse" eye in that the cataract is more pronounced, making the page backgrounds duller, less white. But the dominant eye does not need a toric lens (unless maybe if I wait to see if the astigmatism increases, as it is just below the cutoff for a toric lens). My non-dominant eye does require toric.
Has anyone here had the surgery redone for any purpose?
Who here has a multifocal lens, and what is the opinion? Happy with multifocal lens or not?
Mascara worries, yes I have that, even though I wear mascara no more than once a month. I do extremely close up examining of my eyes, etc. that I have been concerned about that.
You mentioned your right eye. Do you mean it is the dominant eye?
My dominant eye is my "worse" eye in that the cataract is more pronounced, making the page backgrounds duller, less white. But the dominant eye does not need a toric lens (unless maybe if I wait to see if the astigmatism increases, as it is just below the cutoff for a toric lens). My non-dominant eye does require toric.
Has anyone here had the surgery redone for any purpose?
Who here has a multifocal lens, and what is the opinion? Happy with multifocal lens or not?
Yes, my right eye is my dominant eye. Multifocals--I've done some reading and the general consensus is that they have not been perfected yet. Or maybe they have but people aren't quite convinced.
Could have been worse. What if it was a jar of eyeballs? Now THAT's creepy.
So sorry you had such a rotten experience with your surgery. I cannot blame you for being hesitant about having the other eye done. I'd be scare too.
I've been following the thread because I'm also facing that surgery after the first of the year. After reading your post and a couple other ones, I'm trying to calculate how much time I'd need between going completely blind and death. I'm kidding. I'm just kidding. Please don't take that last comment seriously. I'm learning to laugh at my body breaking down at this age because if I don't try and find some humor in it, I'd just cry. Old(er) age sucks ... big time.
I was told about three years ago that I had the beginnings of the beginnings of cataracts. This year they told me that I actually did have cataracts.
I had one eye done in March and the results were not that great. But I had been extremely near sighted with astigmatism. I came out better than I was before but still with astigmatism. Before I had the surgery I asked the surgeon if I could get the toric lenses that would correct for astigmatism but he said no--my astigmatism wasn't bad enough. ???????
I had the second eye done in mid July. He obtained much better results with that eye. All I needed were cheap drug store glasses for close up. But in a room with the lights on or outside with streetlights, I saw starbursts and rays of light--from the astigmatism.
Today I picked up my new glasses with astigmatism correction and progressive lenses.
This was at age 71. I don't think you can have cataract surgery until you need it. My symptoms were blurry vision that glasses wouldn't have corrected and (although I didn't know it) things that were white looked beige. WOW. The world is very bright now.
It most definitely is. The dirty windows have been replaced. I have had glasses since the 4th grade. In the morning when I can't find my glasses panic would set in. My vision was 3 inches to read.
I didn't notice. I saw searchlights going straight up from cars headlights. What made me notice was turning into a particular parking lot with oncoming traffic. It was like a transparent wall. The doctor said it was time for surgery.
Surgery...nervous....
I have an astigmatism. I had to have double lenses, progressive.
Now I am sitting at the keyboard typing with out glasses
AND..... it is way COOL to wake up without having to look for glasses. I find now that I don't like seeing my house thru a glass.
The glasses make it a bit sharper, which I wear in the store and driving. I can drive without them, but license says glasses and they do help at night.
A weird thing, I still saw the searchlights once in a while and that was odd. Then I had to buy a new car... did not plan on that..... but the new car stopped the searchlights. Verrry Weird.
Glad to have it done. The second one was moved up because I healed very fast with the first.
Could have been worse. What if it was a jar of eyeballs? Now THAT's creepy.
So sorry you had such a rotten experience with your surgery. I cannot blame you for being hesitant about having the other eye done. I'd be scare too.
I've been following the thread because I'm also facing that surgery after the first of the year. After reading your post and a couple other ones, I'm trying to calculate how much time I'd need between going completely blind and death. I'm kidding. I'm just kidding. Please don't take that last comment seriously. I'm learning to laugh at my body breaking down at this age because if I don't try and find some humor in it, I'd just cry. Old(er) age sucks ... big time.
As a friend said.... at least your here to complain.
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Now THAT's creepy. 
I'm kidding. I'm just kidding. Please don't take that last comment seriously. I'm learning to laugh at my body breaking down at this age because if I don't try and find some humor in it, I'd just cry. Old(er) age sucks ... big time.
