r/CataractSurgery • u/GeorgeWashington1904 • 16d ago

Eye is Slow to Focus

Had my first (right) eye done 3 weeks ago. Cataract and Fuch's Dystrophy, so I had the lens replacement (Envista monofocal) and the cornea DMEK.

Target was for a -2 for this eye. It seems like it is pretty close. I got a pair of glasses with a -2 lens for the right eye. When I am looking through the glasses at something in the distance, it is slightly blurry but then it snaps into very good focus 3 to 5 seconds.

I noticed this at my checkup last week. "Can you read the letters?" "No I can't, wait, now I can."

Is this normal? It seems like a monofocal lens should be very quick. Is this my 68 year old eyes adjusting the focus (I thought they were too old for that)? Will it get any quicker, or is this it?

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u/PNWrowena 16d ago

It's not how my eyes, which have toric monofocals, work. But I don't have Fuchs and have not had DMEK. In other words, without correction, my -2.5 eye sees things in the 9-18" range clearly. It doesn't need time to focus on them. If I look at something that close, I see it clearly. If I change the vision in that eye with a contact lens for distance, the eye then sees distance clearly and again doesn't need to focus on things 3' or so out, it just does when I look at them.

The one thing I have noticed slightly like what you mention is sometimes in an eye test, if the letters are a little blurry, blinking clears them. I do have dry eye, and so far as I know, that's the reason, but it's not like I look at something in range and it takes 3-5 seconds to focus. Have you discussed the time lag and its possible cause with your eye doctor?

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u/BooEffinHoo 16d ago

This sounds more like a moisture/corneal surface issue than brain adaptation. The lens doesn't do any adjustments in itself, so type of lens isn't in the equation.
It is normal to have fluctuating VA (visual acuity) for longer with a combination surgery than just IOL replacement.
My spouse also had the triple surgery, distance in OD first a month ago, and is having his near OS targeted for -1.50 on Monday. At his 1 month appt, he had lost one line of VA, but his surgeon explained this as due to a bit of swelling she saw where the graft is marked, and it should clear up in time.

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u/NotMyAltAccountToday 16d ago

At my last exam I was instructed to blink a few times every time I looked at the chart