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Thank you all for your information, it's much appreciated.
I am terrified as well. My doctor didn't offer much information either except one single brochure. Being hearing-impaired and the doctor's face is covered with (no lip-reading) mask, it's difficult to feel any satisfaction or agreement to eye surgery.
The hospital where I had the Day Surgery, did not have a femtosecond laser machine. The surgeon had to dig around inside the eye and lost his temper because the left cataract had hardened and caused blindness. Also if you are on Medicare, there is no discussion of what standard lens you get. Just hope that it won't be one that eventually appeared in the Accessdata-FDA.
Even though my surgeon has the laser machine I understand that people on medicare don't get to use it. I would think that since it saves the surgeon time they would want to use it as much as possible but for some reason that isn't the case. Other than being more time consuming and slower healing the old school type of surgery requires the patient to come in the day after surgery for a checkup. I think my first appointment post-op was a month after.
I'm nervous too because I'm already blind in one eye (mascular scarring). Logically I know the risks are very low so I have been collecting a list of surgeons that I plan on meeting with and then I will make my decision.
Cataract surgery has become so cut and dried that many ophthalmologists don't spend a lot of time detailing what goes on and what different choices are overall, some only do basic surgery and others offer many choices involving more expense.
When I needed this 5 years ago I went to the nice, new eye group that opened up and OMG what a money-centered experience that was, not at all patient-centered. I too do not hear well, this was pre-covid and maskless, brought spouse so between us I would not miss anything important. In the end I did not have it done through them. Found another highly rated eye MD that I trusted more, not less expensive. I chose implants that corrected my distance vision and paid I think $3k per eye. Very happy with results.
My spouse is getting cataract op in 2 weeks, now living in different state, new doctor he likes and is well rated. With Medicare he'll pay almost nothing, not getting implants due to eye structure.
If you haven't found an eye doc you feel good about keep looking. Trust is so important.
For instance:
Was your experience inpatient or outpatient? Outpatient.
Office or hospital? Dr's clinic.
Anesthetic? Yes.
Pain? None whatsoever.
Someone told me that there options, getting to choose what kind of vision you want? Yes I had Toric lenses implanted., best decision made.
Can they fix floaters at the same time? No.
How long was your recovery period? 24 hours.
Did your recovery involve special medication or limits on your movement or sleeping position? They have special meds you use for several days afterwards for the healing process.
Did you have any complications? None.
Were you happy with the results? Extremely.
Is there anything you would have done differently? Yes, I wish I had it done several years earlier.
Any information would be appreciated. It's a simple painless procedure and nothing to be afraid of and the results will amaze you..
Great. Thank you so much. May I just ask what the Toric is? Is it a brand name? Is it some special variation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by terracore
I had both my eyes done late last year, one day apart.
For instance:
Was your experience inpatient or outpatient? Outpatient. I believe that is the only way the surgery is done.
Office or hospital? My eye surgeon has his own surgery clinic.
Anesthetic? Numbing eye drops and a Xanax pill.
Pain? Discomfort is more accurate.
Someone told me that there options, getting to choose what kind of vision you want? Yes, I paid $7,000 for both eyes for premium IOLs to fix my vision problems not related to the cataracts. Not covered by insurance: https://panoptix.myalcon.com/catarac...-panoptix-iol/
Can they fix floaters at the same time? I have no idea. The surgery temporarily caused floaters.
How long was your recovery period? I drove without glasses for the first time in my life 2 days after my surgeries. But I would have to say 30-60 days is the answer to your question depending on how specific you want to get.
Did your recovery involve special medication or limits on your movement or sleeping position? Yes.
Did you have any complications? No.
Were you happy with the results? Yes.
Is there anything you would have done differently? I wouldn't have waited so long.
Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks. It amazes me that you did them only a day apart.
May I just ask what IOLs are?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayarea4
Please don't be scared. Cataract surgery is not a big deal.
The lens of your eye doesn't have many nerve endings, so you don't need a general anesthetic. You will be given a light sedative before the procedure to relax you and a local anesthetic.
Someone told me that there options, getting to choose what kind of vision you want? Yes, that's true. There are five different types of lenses. You can choose to have one lens for close up and the other for distance, or two lenses that correct for both, but most people choose monofocal (both eyes are the same, usually for distance, so you would need glasses for reading). Your doctor will probably suggest the option that will work best for your particular situation.
It's not so much that I"m scared of any pain. What scares me is the idea of someone being inside my eye and tinkering with it.
Thanks so much for mentioning different lenses. I was just going to ask about that. having mismatched eyes seems weird, but in actuality my eyes are mismatched now, and I use one to read.
The following info should help explain this marvel of technology. Sight improvement for me was 1000%.
Toric lens implants are one of the most popular technologies for cataract patients with astigmatism who do not intend to wear eyeglasses at all times. They are designed to improve how well you see without eyeglasses in the distance, as compared to if you had a standard lens implant.
First, thank you to all of you, especially for so kindly writing at such length, in such detail.
In the meantime, I ended up with two more questions.
1. I'd remembered what someone once told me about choosing mis-matched vision, near and far. (What a bizarre futuristic idea, choosing your eyesight!) She'd also told me there's a "standard" cataract surgery, and there can be expensive extras, but I don't know what counts as standard or extra. Does the type of vision you get depend on what you're willing to pay? Did any of you choose to have mis-matched eyes? It occurred to me that I have mis-matched eyes now. Glasses evened them out someone, but when I read, I usually have taken off the glasses and mostly use one eye. I assume that one eye will dominate in any situation, and wouldn't cause your brain any confusion?
2. Did any (or most) of you wear glasses before the surgery and then discard them? I'm very near-sighted and have worn glasses for so long that I'm wondering what life my be like without them. And wondering whether it would make more sense to choose to be near-sighted, since that's what I'm used to.
My uncle who is a retired doctor he got the cataract surgery the guy messed it up bad. He said it does make a difference who is doing the surgery. He was able to get some things fixed by someone who is a leading researcher in the cataract surgery. He told me what you want is the orbital calculation where the cut is made so the lens is placed to optically correct stigmatisms. I found a local guy my wife needs this he uses Lensar which does this calculation uses a laser to break up the old lens. I might be off on the terms but insurance doesn't cover it 4k per eye but it's worth it only have one set of eyes.
Take a look at the website for Lensar they have list of doctors who use their technology. https://www.lensar.com/
I would advise read as many reviews online my uncle uses a method to find how many procedures Medicare has paid for a doctor to find out how experienced the doctor is.
First, thank you to all of you, especially for so kindly writing at such length, in such detail.
In the meantime, I ended up with two more questions.
1. I'd remembered what someone once told me about choosing mis-matched vision, near and far. (What a bizarre futuristic idea, choosing your eyesight!) She'd also told me there's a "standard" cataract surgery, and there can be expensive extras, but I don't know what counts as standard or extra. Does the type of vision you get depend on what you're willing to pay? Did any of you choose to have mis-matched eyes? It occurred to me that I have mis-matched eyes now. Glasses evened them out someone, but when I read, I usually have taken off the glasses and mostly use one eye. I assume that one eye will dominate in any situation, and wouldn't cause your brain any confusion?
2. Did any (or most) of you wear glasses before the surgery and then discard them? I'm very near-sighted and have worn glasses for so long that I'm wondering what life my be like without them. And wondering whether it would make more sense to choose to be near-sighted, since that's what I'm used to.
Hm?
I paid $11,000 out of pocket, but I only have one pair of eyes and I wanted the best for them, so between my very high deductible and the part that insurance didn't even cover, the total out of pocket was very high.
"Standard" treatment typically doesn't do anything to correct any vision problems and doesn't cover high end lenses from what I understand. It's perfectly adequate though if you're not wanting vision issues fixed.
I was given three choices and chose the most expensive. I believe I also have Toric lenses.
They didn't mean to give me mismatched vision, but right before the second surgery, we all realized that I had 20/10 vision in my "done" eye, meaning that I could see very, very well up close - something that I'd never experienced before - but I couldn't see so great in the distance. I mean, I COULD see better than before, but not perfect. So the doctor recommended that he "fix" the other eye to compensate, so I don't see as well up close (I think it's 20/40?) with that eye but I see very well in the distance. Combined, I see great. I don't even realize that my brain is using my left eye for up close things and my right eye for further distances. I have never noticed it. It took like no time at all for my brain to figure it out.
I have been wearing glasses for decades, and it had gotten to where I couldn't wear the contacts at all, no sort of contacts. This was because of the cataracts, come to find out.
I absolutely LOVE not wearing glasses by the way! LOVE it. And according to the doctor, the fix is permanent.
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