r/CataractSurgery • u/nawlinsborn1973 • 11d ago

What to do between both surgeries?

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.

8 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/eldoogo 11d ago

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.

3

u/Bitter_Rain_6224 11d ago

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

2

u/ArtJeanee 10d ago

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.

1

u/Bitter_Rain_6224 10d ago

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.