I have macular scarring in one eye (blind) and cataracts, what would you do? (surgery, doctor)
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Over 35 years ago I found out I couldn't see out of my left eye due to macular scarring in the center of my eye. Now I'm 64 and I have cataracts. The surgeon I saw said there are risks to having the cataract surgery in my good eye. He said we'll talk again in a year from now.
If you were in my shoes what would you do? I know the cataracts will keep on growing and I don't want to lose my vision in my right (good) eye.
I would get other opinions but I can't travel far since I'm a live-in caregiver for my 95 year old Mom plus I live in rural Vermont.
The important thing you left out of your post is whether or not the cataract is affecting your vision. If it is, I would talk to a more confident surgeon. If it isn't, maybe waiting is a better idea because new IOLs are coming out all the time. Many people have cataracts the eye doctor can see long before they start actually affecting vision. Sometimes they take decades to be a problem.
Thanks for replying. Yes, the cataracts are affecting my vision so I need to find more surgeon(s) that could give me their opinions about having surgery. The cataracts started around 3 years ago and now they have grown to the point where my vision is very cloudy, blurry, etc.
I'm not close to any cities so I would have to travel far to see other doctors and find someone to take care of my Mom.
There are IOLs that can give you better vision than you had in your eye before you got the cataract. It's even possible to get 20/20 near and distance vision restored. Not all surgeons can perform these types of surgery. Considering that you are blind in one eye it makes sense you get the ABSOLUTE best outcome you can.
I understand about being rural. I live on a rural island 3,000 miles away from the mainland. I was just lucky that when I needed my cataract surgery the surgeon I went to was one of the best, and now I don't need glasses or contacts anymore. It sounds like you have some research ahead of you and you'll need to solicit some help not only to care for your mother but to get you back and forth from appointments during the surgery.
Best of luck, and I hope you will come back and post a happy ending.
There are IOLs that can give you better vision than you had in your eye before you got the cataract. It's even possible to get 20/20 near and distance vision restored. Not all surgeons can perform these types of surgery. Considering that you are blind in one eye it makes sense you get the ABSOLUTE best outcome you can.
I understand about being rural. I live on a rural island 3,000 miles away from the mainland. I was just lucky that when I needed my cataract surgery the surgeon I went to was one of the best, and now I don't need glasses or contacts anymore. It sounds like you have some research ahead of you and you'll need to solicit some help not only to care for your mother but to get you back and forth from appointments during the surgery.
Best of luck, and I hope you will come back and post a happy ending.
Thanks again for your reply. I know of an excellent doctor who I met when I first became blind in my left eye (I was living in a different state at that time) and he could recommend the best surgeons for me. Thus I have lots of calls to make as well as research.
This is not an emergency but something that needs to be taken care of within a year so I'm not rushed.
Thanks again for the information, it is very much appreciated!
Yes I plan on doing that but it has to be the right surgeon who is knowledgeable. There are doctors who could do possible damage and I don't want to lose the vision in my good eye or have complications from the surgery.
I’m kind of in a similar situation. I’ve been functionally blind in one eye since a very young age and both eyes have cataracts. My doctor says to wait until it’s really hampering my vision in the good eye since there is a small risk of complications from surgery. It’s going to be hard to decide when the right time will be.
Good luck.
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