Cataract Surgery

Scoop47501

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Just finished cataract surgery a few days ago. I had the Panoptics IOL lens implanted and wondered if anyone else has had a trifocal lens implanted and your thoughts on them.
I had my left eye done nearly four weeks ago and can see very well out to about 100 feet then things are slightly out of focus. I realize both eyes need to work together and my right eye is only a few days in but it's the same with both eyes open.
Any thoughts from you guys that have had a Panoptic or Symphony IOL lens implanted ?
Thanks
 

Mak10

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Really interested in this thread. I’ve been dealing with a retinal detachment this fall. Just got back from a second emergency vitrectomy surgery on Tuesday. I’m pretty much guaranteed a cataract.
 

Scoop47501

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I have 30 days with the left eye now and 7 days with the right.
The left eye was completely pain free with zero discomfort.
The right eye I had some scratchy feeling after surgery like something was in my eye but was told to expect that. It was gone in one day.
I can see well out to about 100' clearly but beyond that is somewhat blurred.
I am still on a eye drop regiment and maybe that could be having an effect.
I go in for a check up on both eyes today and will report back.
Again my implants are the Alcon Panoptic lens and others may well have completely different outcomes.
 

Scoop47501

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Scoop, I'm curious why you chose the trifocal lens over the more common monofocal.
Actually I didn't even know I had cataracts when I went to the clinic.
I simply wanted to be free of having to wear glasses.
When they started doing the tests they told me I had mild cataracts. I went with the try focals because they have the best chance of me never needing glasses for all distances
 

Squibb

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Could be the start of Posterior Capsule Opacification OP, a common side effect.

An old friend of mine had mono lens implants a while back & displayed similar issues to you, which 'matured' after a few weeks into PCO; it was almost as if the cataracts were returning. YAG lazer treatment quickly dealt with the PCO, which went smoothly in her case, but I gather it can give rise to increased pressure within the eye, which needs careful monitoring.
 

dannyv

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I don't know what they stuck in my eyeballs, but it sure helped getting them cleared up. I went for 'no correction', I figured I need to be wearing glasses anyway, didn't want to have to walk into the shop, or jump on the bike and dig around for safety glasses every time.

Only advice I can share- don't wait too long between the time you do one eye, then the other. That time between operations is no fun. I ended up pulling one lens out of my (soon to be useless) glasses.
 

rfulcher

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I had Lasix done on my right eye about 15 years ago for distance and did not touch my left eye so I could still read. Mono vision was easy for me but I chose to wear blended bifocals, so I had reading and distance vision with both eyes. As I aged the left eye reading vision went south and I had to wear glasses to read. Cataracts stated about 2 years ago. I decided to go with mono vision for my cataract replacement. Right eye, my dominate eye, for distance and left eye for closeup. My right eye was done on December 5th and the left eye will be on December 18th. The eye drops are a PIA but I have not had any side effects. My distance vision is 20/25 and night vision is much inproved. Next week the left eye will be done. The ophthalmologist says I won't need glasses. I will probably wear glasses for optimal vision but won't have to.

It has been all good so far:D
 

Madhatter

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interesting subject that I have been considering for myself as I also have cataracts . what I have read is almost everyone gets them at some point in their older life, usually by 75. I was told at 59 I had cataracts but would not need correction till 75 or so. but why wait . I try to stay active and glasses are a real pain in this area . and for what I have read once you do this you will not have to do this again..... to be rid of glasses ,too have great vision , is cool stuff. I'm going to see the eye doc in January to see what will work for me . as much as I like riding I also enjoy water sports ,and water spray on my glasses are a pain. mak10 I have a brother being treated for a macular issue , not fun. hope things are improving for you.
 

fredz43

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About 3 years ago I developed a condition in my right eye that made straight lines appear crooked and curvy. It was diagnosed as an epiretinal membrane, which is a wrinkle at the back of the eye on the retina. Two specialists advised that I should live with it for as long as tolerable, as their opinion was that it was risky, with a chance of losing sight in that eye, I would have to lay face down for 2 weeks for the sulfur hexafloride (SF6) gas that they they use to fill the eye after the surgery to settle and my local eye doctor said that insurance wouldn't pay for it.

It got to be rather bothersome, even to the extent that it was difficult for me to do dual sporting off road at my normal pace, as I couldn't see the ruts, etc very clearly. Trying to read the newspaper or even read labels on the shelves when shopping became frustrating.

Fortunately, my best buddy and riding partner knew an eye surgeon who had done some minor vision correction for him several years ago. My friend asked this surgeon for his advice as to who he would go to if he had the same condition as I did. He quickly recommended a retina specialist at St Louis University hospital, who he said was one of the best in the US. He even texted this specialist and asked him to take care of me.

I saw this specialist on a Wednesday, he said that he could correct that condition, and he doesn't use SF6, so I wouldn't have to lay face down after the surgery. The following Monday he did the retina repair and also did cataract surgery in that eye. I returned the next day to remove the eye patch and all has been well with that eye since then.

Now it it time to address the cataract in the other eye. I will have my testing done next week and have the surgery shortly after that. I still have to wear glasses, as I have astigmatism. My glasses have progressive correction, so I can see both close and far, plus Transition for self darkening in sunlight, so I don't mind wearing them.

Two notes, with Medicare plus my supplemental insurance, the $32,000 procedure didn't cost me anything. On the down side, I thought we had twisty roads here in IL, but it turns out that was just my view with my wrinkled retina. Turns out they are all straight! :)
 

WJBertrand

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When my ophthalmologist first told me I was getting cataracts, I told him I was disappointed because I always preferred "rincolns". ;) On a serious note, he told me it was only slight and it'd be years before I'd need anything done. About the only thing I've noticed is some blurriness in really bright light in spite of corrective lenses. Seems to be due to a little bit of light scatter from the nascent cataracts. :(
 

Scoop47501

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Update
After 3 weeks on eye number 2 things are the same. Vision is good out to about 100 feet. I can get by with out glasses but would like things a little better. My local eye doctor says I'm real close to 20/20. He also told me that these new lenses can have lasic but I'm not going there. He also told me to be patient and wait until May as some people have improvement after months post surgery.
All in all I'm mostly satisfied and do not wear glasses at all but would like to get sharp vision at long distance.
 

Checkswrecks

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Really interested in this thread. I’ve been dealing with a retinal detachment this fall. Just got back from a second emergency vitrectomy surgery on Tuesday. I’m pretty much guaranteed a cataract.
I did the retinal detachment emergency surgery 3 years ago yesterday. I noticed for a day or two it was hard to focus on things in the middle of the view from one eye and was occasionally seeing flashes of light and lots of "floaters." I have Kaiser so just stopped in and less than 2 hours later a surgeon was using a laser to tack the retina. Turns out that it's not uncommon for folks in the late 50s / early 60s to have the eyeball start to dry and then the layer of retina can tear and detach from the back wall of the ball. No pain - you just suddenly can't see! The procedure used to involve surgery and all the nastiness that Fredz43 described but now you lay in a chair as they flash a green laser in that eye.

For the most part my vision was back after the first week of the brain figuring out how to re-connect the pieces of image, but not totally. Every now and then there's a grey line or left vs right focus oddities. I'll take those over losing vision any day.

Bottom line is to go the a doc fast if you start to see lots of floaters or flashes because the floaters are loose drops of blood in the ball and the flashes can be nerves being damaged in there.
 

Mak10

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I had emergency surgery (vitrectomy) Nov 8th. Dr lasered my retina back in place, put a gas bubble in my eye and I had to lay face down for a week. Vision was getting better, and one day I started getting a curtain in my upper vision of that eye. I pushed it too hard, shoveling snow and going back to work.

Back to Dr and emergency surgery Dec 2nd. I think they lasered quite a bit more, and put a silicone/oil bubble in my eye. This will have to be surgically removed as it doesn’t dissolve. I have pretty good field of vision in that eye however it will be blurry until oil is removed. Even blurry it is nice to have peripheral vision, which helps with driving and depth perception.

Dr told me 7 years ago I would be blind in that eye. I guess they have advanced in lasers lately.
 

Checkswrecks

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Ouch.

My doc also said to take it easy for a month, asked what I did for a living, and liked to do. As a former USAF and then NASA optometrist, he said no strenuous gym exercises, no rocks ropes other other potential falls at work, stay off the bikes, and no shooting large caliber for at least a couple months.

Spoil sport but I did listen.
 

Mak10

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Update:
Went in for the third surgery Tuesday the 4th. They removed the silicone oil from my eye.
My vision has greatly improved without the oil in there. Dr said that the retina is attached good and I can resume normal activity. :)

The anesthesia kicks my trash. Three times under that in 4 months.
 
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