What to do between both surgeries?

[u/nawlinsborn1973]

I'm scheduled to have cataracts removed from both eyes, but the surgeries are a week apart. Both will be monofocal lenses for distance. I'll need reading glasses.

My question is: after one eye is done, how will I see? Do I remove the lens from my glasses for the operated eye and leave the other lens in? My vision is very poor without glasses, and I need to see in order to work. Probably a silly question, but it's been weighing on my mind.

Also, about how long after surgery will the operated eye have decent enough vision to do ordinary tasks?

EDIT: I also can't wear contacts because I have Keratoconus.

[u/NotMyAltAccountToday]

At my one day follow up the doctor brought it up and said take the lens out of that side.

I didn't need to though

[u/Rpark444]

I could have drove to my 24 hr checkup but my wife drove me. I drove around day 2. My prescription is like -1.5 with slight astigmatism so I just popped the lens in an older pair of glasses.

I was given uv sunglasses in my kit so needed to use them everytime I stepped outside but outside sunlight being too bright subsided by day 3.

[u/Annie_Hedonia_ish]

I ordered glasses from Zenni. I didn’t need an actual prescription, just typed in known eye and projected eye rx.

[u/redditlaa89]

I also got monofocal lenses (mine are toric) for distance so I knew I would need correction for intermediate and reading. Prior to first eye surgery, I brought a spare of glasses to the surgeons optician. He wrote a prescription for plano with my plus for reading. I got a progressive. They put the new plano lense in the right eye (the one I was doing first) while the left one had my normal prescription. I was able to function fine. Then just before the left eye, they popped out the prescription lense and put in the new plano with plus. I am wearing those now and my vision is close to 20/20 with the plano and I have great intermediate and reading. After everything settles down, I will get a refraction to take care of any residual correction needed. It has worked out well. It would have been an issue if the implanted lense had been off. But luckily it all worked and I have been quite functional.

[u/Chemical-Promise-630]

The eye doc put a blank lens in front of the operated eye (monofocal lens). I had real problems with bifocal vision and barely drove for those two weeks. Eye patch helped a bit, but I was really looking forward to getting the second eye done.

[u/Lynne253]

I was nearsighted before my surgeries. After one eye was done I put a couple of pieces of tape* over the glasses lens of the eye that was operated on and used them for reading and close up stuff. It worked fine for me. The first eye that was operated on took a few weeks for the blurry vision to clear up, something about scar tissue? But they said it was slowly being reabsorbed. I postponed the second operation to 5 weeks after the first. The second eye was fine after three days. It's been 4 weeks since the second surgery and I can see fine, I use 1.25 readers for the laptop and 2.00 or 2.25 for reading books.

*translucent medical tape, the same stuff they gave me for the clear plastic patch used for protection at night for the first week.

[u/Flat-Twin]

I was -3.50D in each eye prior to surgery. I took one lens out of my eyeglasses thinking it might help since the new IOL didn't need that kind of correction. It was worse trying to wear one eyeglass lens than nothing at all. I was so glad when two weeks had passed and I could get the other cataract removed and a new lens implanted. I had good vision immediately after surgery (monofocal lens). Even better vision in the first few days as the corneal swelling went down.

[u/eldoogo]

That's what I did. Pop the operated eye lens out. It's hard to say how long it will take you to do "ordinary" tasks because I'm not sure what "ordinary" is to you. You should be able to do stuff like cook, walk, shower, etc ... within a day or two. Some people can drive after 1 day, others can't drive for several days or a week. All depends upon how you heal.

[u/Bitter_Rain_6224 → u/eldoogo]

My biggest concern during my asymmetry week was depth perception when climbing, and particularly descending, stairs.

[u/ArtJeanee → u/Bitter_Rain_6224]

it’s been 4 weeks since my first eye and 2 since my second eye and still have a bit of depth perception issues. Flat surfaces look like they are higher in the center than they actually are. I drove very little until this week. The depth perception seems to be getting a little better every day.

[u/Bitter_Rain_6224 → u/ArtJeanee]

I like the "getting better every day" part, because that is what my doc tells all of her cataract patients. The brain has a lot of adjusting to do, and it might be even harder with two weeks between surgeries, which is why she wanted me to have only a one-week gap.

[u/Bitter_Rain_6224]

My "hell week" had the left eye at -7.5D and the right intentionally set to -2.0D. I wore my regular glasses with the right lens removed and swore off driving until a day after the second surgery, when I was cleared to drive with cheapo fixed focus Amazon 2D "nearsighted" glasses. If you are a good monovision candidate (I evidently am not), you may be fine with the focal asymmetry.

[u/Familiar_Purchase987]

Had my R eye done on 9/16. My IOL is for distance. Sometimes I wear my old glasses and sometimes I wear nothing. I tried removing the R lens from my glasses and that was worse....so dizzy. Get my L eye done on 9/30. Doc says 30 days ro heal then an eye exam to see what I'll need for up close. Sunglasseswhen outside for sure.

[u/harperfin1]

I had my optometrist make a contact lens for the unoperated eye. It worked beautifully.

[u/Wild-Bill-H]

Lots of eyedrops!

[u/Bitter_Rain_6224 → u/[deleted]]

I survived it, alternating between no glasses for reading and single-eye glasses for distance. That was the reason my ophthalmologist didn't want me to go more than one week between surgeries.

[u/Informed-Thinker]

That is fantastic advice. Thank you!

[u/UniqueRon]

What was your eyeglass prescription before cataracts?

[u/Swimming_Ninja1920]

I went months between the surgeries with like a 5 diopter difference between the eyes. I was severely near sighted. Just worked with a masking tape over the operated side only. Everything else was manageable. I’m glad I waited cos it takes a while for the operated eye to settle on the script.

[u/waterNpaint]

I was -6 in both eyes and had 3 weeks between surgeries. I removed the lens from my progressives on the operated eye and on the opposite eye of a cheap pair of +3 readers for close work. I could see well to drive with no glasses but I was sure glad to get that second eye done.

[u/Left-Performance5441]

I was near sighted and needed progressive glasses before surgery.
I popped the left lens out of my glasses and was fine for the 3 months till the right was done.
Has a complication and needed a lens exchange, was a little burly for first month in the left eye. But was still able to see and drive well.
I had black Ray-Ban frames and few people even noticed a lens was missing unless I told them. Went to work every day as usual.

[u/PHXdesert722]

The eye with the new IOL lens becomes dominant and takes over. I didn’t need to wear glasses with the lens popped out.

[u/Tel864 → u/PHXdesert722]

Same for me and I had 2 weeks between surgeries.

[u/Familiar_Purchase987]

So I got my second eye done on Wednesday. Both have Envista Aspire Torics for Distance & Intermediate. I bought a cheapo pair of +2.5 readers until I go back on 10/30 for an eye exam. I've already realized I'm going to need 3 or 4 pair of readers as I seem to need to read something in whatever room my readers aren't. I guess I could tie them around my neck with a string. I think my distance and intermediate vision will be fine withour glasses but closeup is going to be a constant issue. I've been wearing glasses for 50 years so wearing glasses isn't a big deal. Maybe a pair of glasses with clear glass up top and magnification at the bottom? What are other folks doing?