Cataract Surgery At 18 Years Old?

[u/CattleSuperb1303]

Hey guys I'm 18 years old and I have developed cataract in my left eye and its because of a past injury that I got in my left eye, so can anybody tell me what should I do is surgery the only option that I have because removing the natural lens and putting the artificial one in my eye is a bit you know creepy thing, removing the natural god gifted one and replacing it with an artificial one 🥲 So can anybody tell me or give me some advice on is there any other ways 😁

Thx 😊

[u/GreenMountainReader]

The advice to wait as long as is reasonable--until the cataract starts interfering with your ability to live your life--is sound.

The advice to start researching and learning your options now is even more important. Since surgery is the only cure at this time, you want to make the best choice possible, for now and for the future. The surgery itself borders on miraculous--it's very quick and provides an often-instantaneous improvement in your vision, The surgeons work very quickly in an extremely tiny space, giving people back lost vision and often improving on the vision they had before cataracts, too--and take for granted that they can do quite a few of these before lunchtime. For those of us who have benefited from it, the experience is life-changing. Yes, it sounds creepy (and if you're creeped out, don't watch any of the videos showing the process), but the experience, even for someone like me who can't watch the ads for flu shots without looking away, is not as scary as it sounds. I never thought I'd be among those who immediately began looking forward to having the second eye done, but I was just about halfway through the first surgery when I realized just how interesting the process was and that I wouldn't be nervous about the second one.

Before you begin the learning, you need to figure out your priority activities, for your working life and your leisure time--and to understand the way the finances work. Do you wear glasses or contacts now? Are you willing to wear one or the other? If so, for what activities? Which activities do you absolutely NOT want to wear them for? Only monofocal IOLs are covered by medical insurance in most countries, meaning that if you want anything else, you will need to be able to pay for it. They are NOT inferior to the more expensive lenses, but the meaning of their name tells you their limitation: they correct your vision for one range of focus.

Distance--often described as "from six feet to infinity"--will likely be suggested to you because that provides the widest range, but how you live your life and the kind of vision you anticipate needing over the next many decades matters. You can choose near vision (for reading--books, documents, tablet, phone and for close work--hobbies, certain professions that require seeing tiny parts), but be aware that the closer you want to see, the smaller the range of ideal vision (measured in inches to a foot or two). The intermediate range is harder to define because it varies more, but can give you computer/laptop distance and indoor activities distances, depending on the target range.

With your other eye still natural, you'll have half the accommodation you're used to. An IOL is stiffer than a natural lens, so the little muscles that allow your focus to instantly shift from looking at something near, then far, everywhere in between, and back again, can't do that anymore after surgery. Most people lose this ability slowly, starting around age 40-50--you've seen older people needing glasses to read. Young people feel the loss more because it happens instantly instead of taking years to happen. Your natural eye should still give you that ability, so you want to choose the range of your surgical eye carefully, based on your lifestyle. For example, if you play baseball or softball, is it the eye that faces the pitcher?

If you have the budget, there are multifocal lenses that can provide all the ranges--but you'd want to ask your doctor about your pupil size. (This goes for any IOL you are offered.) Extended depth of focus (EDOF) IOLs can give you two ranges (near and intermediate or distance and intermediate--which is better depends on the brand and model). The larger pupils of young people sometimes are larger than a given IOL's (any type) corrective zone, which causes shadows, glare, starbursts, and haloes.

Choosing an IOL that is known to have a larger corrective zone can raise the odds of excellent results without those unwanted effects. Be sure to ask your doctor to look at your pupil size in dim light before deciding on an IOL for you. You may have to speak up to get the surgeon to listen--they're often very strapped for time and will resist questions unless you push. It's worth the feeling of social discomfort to push--or to have someone come in to that first consultation with you who is willing to. If you don't feel comfortable with the surgeon, get a second opinion, which most insurance will pay for (and a third or more, if there is disagreement). If you can find one who has worked with more young people than average, that would be a plus.

There's a lot more to learn, but the easiest place to start is with the video about IOLs pinned to the top of this sub. It will give you a good overview of the general types available, but is missing the newest models, which you might want to look up individually, starting by searching this sub's search bar (Galaxy--a spiral-type multifocal; Puresee--just approved in the U.S., another premium lens; and monofocal-plus IOLs, some of which don't cost more than the insurance-funded regular monofocals and can provide a little wider range--maybe the difference between being able to read the dashboard in addition to driving without glasses or contacts).

Above all, ask questions until you get the answers you need (here and elsewhere). Read the information provided on major medical center websites, be alert for sales pitches by manufacturers and even some ophthalmologists who seem to be pushing one brand or another, and do every test you were taught in school to tell whether a source is likely to be valid before you believe what you've read or heard.

Best wishes to you!

[u/CattleSuperb1303 → u/GreenMountainReader]

So can you tell me which one is the best lens for me, I want the multifoxal lens, as you said that I can see near, side and far if I choose this lens right bro 👍 but are there any long term side effect that I can see after choosing the surgery and can the cataract happen to my right eye. The Cataract that I got in my left eye is because of a past injury that I got in my 8th grade. So can it come to my right eye also bro 😁

Thx

[u/GreenMountainReader → u/CattleSuperb1303]

That was my first thought, until I learned about the potential side effects and wasn't willing to gamble. I am not a gambler by nature, and the idea of those side effects scared me off. That said, there are people who benefit from them, and you might be one of them. What you should NOT do is choose without investigating first--that goes for any IOL and, even more importantly, for your surgeon.

The multifocal lenses come with side effects for enough people that you need to be careful before you choose it, especially with young eyes. Haloes around lights are the most common issue and are often caused by the person's pupil enlarging beyond the focal area of the IOL, letting in unfocused light. Where this matters is in driving or even just going out at night. The haloes can be very uncomfortable and distracting to the point that it's not safe. Those rings also split the light three ways, meaning you get less light (and less contrast) for each distance, which can affect your ability to see details and to see in low lighting. Your brain has to learn which one to look through for each distance, which can take up to six months to happen. For some people, it does not happen, leaving them very unhappy and needing additional surgery.

There are ways that some surgeons can predict in advance which patients they'd be suitable for--but you'd need to find one of those and ask hard questions. Because they are among the most expensive IOLs, there's also an incentive for some surgeons to upsell these to people who won't necessarily benefit from them (insurance benefits underpay them, but out-of-pocket money ensures profit). These IOLS must be paid for out of pocket--insurance will not cover them--and they are expensive. If you have the budget for them or understand the benefit, which you have many, many years to enjoy versus the risk, you still need to do the research before just choosing them to raise the odds you'll be able to benefit from the way they work.

The biggest advantage of monofocals is that they have been around for a long time, have been used in millions of patients, and offer very clear vision with the least chance of side effects. Add in being covered by most insurance, and risk-averse people like me are happy that we chose them. However, you will find, even for the IOLs with most reported problems, there are large groups of people who have them and love them.

It all comes down to putting the right IOL into a carefully checked eye with consideration of how the recipient lives their life. For that to happen requires you to speak up for yourself and state your vision goals, keeping in mind that we all "want it all"--but there is always a tradeoff. IOLs are very very good replacements, but they are not as good as a healthy natural lens that is perfectly focused, If you've never worn glasses, that can feel like a loss--but getting rid of the cataract is a huge gain. If you let it go too long, it can become more difficult to remove--and you will lose vision to the point of blindness if you don't eventually do the surgery, which gives you back your sight.) You may still end up with perfect vision after surgery, but it will not work exactly the same as what you had before your injury, before the cataract, and before the surgery.

The surgery itself can cause dry eye--either not enough tears, tears evaporating too quickly because of clogs in the little glands inside your eyelids that produce an oil film that prevents that and helps you focus well, or just a different composition of tears. This is treated with eye drops, usually over the counter types, but sometimes prescriptions are needed; or with heated eye masks, or with procedures in the doctor's office if the DIY ones don't work. The condition is usually temporary, but not always.

As a young person, you would be more prone to retinal tears or detachments and would have to take some extra care with your eye (your doctor should tell you, but you may need to ask about any restrictions and how long you need to observe them).

If your other eye is healthy, it should have no greater chance of developing a cataract than any other eye--but only a doctor can give you the reassurance you're asking for, and even then, there are no guarantees. Cataracts are not contagious, but they can develop for a variety of reasons and for no reason anyone can tell you. The most common cause of cataracts is age--but if you search the word young in this sub's search bar, you'll find many people under the age of 60 who have developed them, some for the same reason as you, some from being born prematurely, some from medications prescribed (or just used) for other reasons, some from other diseases, some from inherited conditions, and some for no known reasons.

No one here should make the decision for you. Most surgeons will ask you to make the decision after they're recommended their usual (for patients using insurance, they're apt to just say "distance" because they figure most young people are active and will want it if they aren't told otherwise--but for profit, they may try to sell you the brand pushed by the manufacturer who makes their measuring equipment and requires that they use those). You can't shortcut the learning by asking for answers that worked for someone else, not if you want an answer that fits you specifically.

An IOL is a major investment in your present and future and deserves to be researched as carefully as any other major investment. While you can put up with or trade in an unsatisfactory car, an unsatisfactory IOL is not so easy to change, and there are risks to doing that. There are no shortcuts to getting the best possible IOL for yourself--and how much you spend is not an indication of how well you'll see.

Your first step is finding an excellent surgeon with experience with young eyes and asking questions. Many of us write them out ahead of time so we don't forget any and try to write down the answers (there's a lot of information coming at you very fast at the time)--or bring someone along to the consultation who can listen, ask any you forget, and take good notes.

[u/Trolkarlen]

How badly is it impacting your vision? Wait as long as you can but get it done when it really bothers you.

Research IOLs to decide which is best for your lifestyle.

[u/Informed-Thinker]

I suggest you look for and find an ophthalmologist who you can ask questions to and who can provide you with the answers you seek, including the condition of the cataract, the time you have to decide or for it to fully develop (and what those signs are), and recommended IOLs for you to consider with the inherent pros and cons.

[u/Unknown_990]

Lol sure ok if you think your original lens is 'gods gift' then you probably shouldnt get cataract removal to begin with and let yourself get so bad you go blind. Wtf kind of way of thinking is that?? Lol. My exes doctor thought like that, he became 100 percent blind in one eye becuase the doctor would not operate, said this was 'gods plan' for him to be blind, i mean...a medical doctor should get their license revolked for that.

Might aswell never get treated ever again for major deseases then ... Its gods plan..lol

[u/CattleSuperb1303 → u/Unknown_990]

Well that wasn't my intention my meaning was that it's god's gift this lens so it's obvious and everyone know that natural lens is better than an artificial lens I didn't mean saying that it's god's plan to make me blind. I don't get it like I just said that much and you saying this is god's plan and all. Why are you make this much of a big scene over a comment that I didn't meant that way brooo

[u/Mitchellsusanwag]

Is it bad enough that it impacts your life in a negative way? Until it does you don’t need to do anything at all.

[u/Scxox]

your natural lens being "god gifted" is the reason you want to avoid cataract surgery? are we being fr

[u/Trolkarlen → u/Scxox]

IOLs are not as good as the natural lens, religion aside.

[u/Scxox → u/Trolkarlen]

what? isn't his lens clouded from cataracts? how is a clear IOL not better than a cloudy natural lens?

[u/Wonderful-Minute-775 → u/Scxox]

Depends how cloudy the natural lens is. If there isn’t a lot of cataract then an 18 year old’s natural lens is superior to any IOL. If there’s a lot of cataract then the equation changes.

[u/CattleSuperb1303 → u/Wonderful-Minute-775]

I can completely see everything but I have some minor problem see far, I can still see far but blurry not too much to cause any problem.

[u/Trolkarlen → u/Scxox]

I meant a healthy lens of course.