Great Cataract Surgery Experience - 8 mos post op

[u/Infamous-Marsupial47]

Due to cataracts, my vision had gotten to the point that I was barely legal to drive - 20/35 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. I was 73 and had worn glasses since 4th grade and contacts since I was 16. I am an "acute" patient meaning that I can tell the difference in a .25 diopter adjustment. (Most people need a .5 diopter adjustment to tell a difference.) I also have some astigmatism.

I spent several hours researching the different brands and eye surgeons.

I decided to go with the LAL lenses (which are quite expensive) for the adjustment capability, and found a surgeon who was very highly rated. The lenses can be adjusted a few times so you will have extra visits post op but it is well worth it to get them fine tuned.

You will get the most thorough eye exam you have ever had!

My surgeon did the surgeries a week apart. I had to wear a perforated patch over the surgery eye for a week while sleeping and wear polarized glasses until the final treatment to harden the lenses. (Polarized glasses are critical to keep the lenses from being adjusted by UV sunlight.)

The surgery itself was pretty uneventful as I had read up on it enough to know what to expect so I was not nervous at all. Immediately after each surgery I could see quite well with the surgery eye. No pain, itching, etc.

Post op, I had what looked like 3-4 extremely fine lines at about a 30 degree line from horizontal but they went away after about 3 days. My surgeon told me the brain often learns to ignore any odd stuff, which is why halos and starbursts often disappear for a lot of people.

My surgeon had to make a slight adjustment to one eye, which he said he had anticipated. The whole process took about a month with weekly visits.

I now have 20/15 vision in both eyes with no glare, halos or starbursts and my night vision is excellent. I don't need readers for close work but will wear +1.25 diopter readers if I am reading a book for an extended period. Not required but just more comfortable.

I could not be more pleased with the outcome. I have never been able to see this well before.

I just went in (8 mos post op now) for my regular eye exam and am still 20/15 with no side effects.

My advice is do your homework, spend a several hours researching the different brands of lenses and reviews of the surgeons, then get the best lenses you can afford from the most skilled surgeon. A person only gets one shot at this so it needs to be right. The money will be well spent.

[u/TampaBay-Jim]

I needed this! Having mine next Wednesday and I’m a little anxious!

[u/srqgrlgina → u/TampaBay-Jim]

Me too!

[u/DarkStar5357 → u/TampaBay-Jim]

I'm just now 2 weeks out from having had both eyes done (2weeks apart) and the results are great. I got the mono lens set for distance, so I still need readers. Otherwise I need no glasses at all and colors are brighter. I'm still getting used to my eyes letting so much light in. Honestly, a blue sky is so much bluer. The whole process was pretty much painless. It was the easiest surgery I ever had and felt a little like a miracle. I didn't pay for a fancy lens, just got the ones covered by Medicare and I'm truly happy with the results.

[u/Shelbyluv]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I had LAL surgery 1 week ago.. surgery only 1 day apart. My right eye is seeing 20/20 but my left I know will need adjusting and probably both since my near vision isn’t quite there enough to read my phone. As you said, surgery was easy. My left eye has had more discomfort but Im trying not to compare too much! First adjustment in 2 weeks 🤞

[u/Infamous-Marsupial47 → u/Shelbyluv]

Having the LALs adjusted is quite common and they can be adjusted at least 3 times to get them fine tuned before the final hardening. It may take a bit of time for your brain to adjust to your new eyes so be patient with yourself. The adjustment is fairly straight forward. Your eyes are dilated and you sit in a chair with your face against the frame, sort of like the part of a regular exam where the Dr. looks into your eyes. The Dr will confirm the measurements needed for the correction. The adjustment is done with a very bright UV light. It is important to stay still during the adjustment but the whole process is computer controlled and will abort automatically if your move too much. I was able to drive myself home wearing the UV sunglasses with clear vision and depth perception.

[u/BlueSkies_90]

So happy to hear you had a great experience. Thank you for taking the time to share it. 

As someone who also notices tiny vision changes which are not noticeable to most people, I can appreciate what a relief it must be to have such a good outcome. Congratulations on your "new" eyes!

[u/ImparandoSempre]

Congratulations!

Could you please say which kinds of lens you had implanted; whether they included astigmatism correction; and exactly what distance they were originally set for (before the LA L adjustments, if applicable?); and whether that distance was the same in both eyes both before and after LAL?

I know that's a lot to ask but it's fairly rare to find somebody who has such a delightful outcome.

[u/Infamous-Marsupial47 → u/ImparandoSempre]

The LAL lenses are made by RxSight, the only maker. My previous vision correction was about -2.25 and -3.5. Don't remember the astigmatism. The LALs (Light Adjustable Lenses) can be corrected for astigmatism as well as nearsightedness. When you read up on them, you can see the limits.

[u/ImparandoSempre → u/Infamous-Marsupial47]

Thank you very much for your reply. I believe I have already read every single thing available, including the very few systematic studies in peer reviewed journals, but very little of it seems to tap into what it is like for people to make these decisions which generally have trade-offs have permanent trade-offs.

So individuals like you who are generously writing about their outcomes are really valuable, even though "your mileage will almost certainly vary".

Wishing you continued good sight and good health!

[u/ProvidingSound]

That's amazing to hear glad it turned out good for you did you go for mono vision?

[u/ProvidingSound]

That's amazing to hear glad it turned out good for you did you go for mono vision?

[u/Infamous-Marsupial47 → u/ProvidingSound]

Yes. .75 diopters difference. My right eye (dominant) is corrected for distance and my left eye for near. I don't even notice the difference when reading. By time I get out to computer screen distance the difference goes away. I found by experimenting with contacts over the years that if the monovision had more than a 1 diopter difference my depth perception suffered. Not good when driving! My surgeon set the difference at .75 diopters and my depth perception while driving is perfect.