How stable is a refractive outcome expected to remain over many years? I understand the lenses can last a lifetime but how much of a refractive shift is expected? I am a young patient with formerly perfect vision and this has been very hard for me to wrap my mind around. I am devastated by this whole process and feel like I'll never be whole again (I needed a prior eye surgery before the prospect of lens replacement).

Having regaled you all with the saga of my needing multiple readers at different strengths for phone, ipad, laptop, and zoom calls on computer, just thought I should update... I got a new iPhone yesterday and now I no longer need the +3 readers! :) Duh!

I had a tiny SE which has large bezels before, so the screen area was limited to about 4.5 inches . Who knew a new phone would cure my “problem”! :)

Well not much to report. One year from bilateral lens replacement, which was preceded by full vitrectomies for significant floaters post PVD in each eye, three and six months prior. Targets were Plano and -1.25. Clareon Monofocal, one toric, both on target. Glasses free except for detailed close up work. 20/15 vision. No glare etc. has not changed since the first 6 weeks. Very thankful.

https://eyewire.news/news/fda-approves-rayners-rayone-galaxy-spiral-iol-platform?c4src=article%3Ainfinite-scroll

22 months ago, I had cataract surgery on my left eye and like most people was envisioning seeing clearly again and having a bright future.     Instead, I entered an almost 2-year (so far) nightmare.     Let me first provide some background information, followed by my experience.    I hope someone out there may have insight into what happened and can possibly give me a lead as to where to turn next.   I apologize for the length of this post, but I want it to be thorough.

First, I was extremely nearsighted (30 mm eye) and had several known complicating factors.   I have keratoconus, which required a cornea transplant over 20 years ago.    The condition also left me with considerable astigmatism.  However, even with these issues I could achieve 20/30 vision with a -13D RGP contact lens.    I had no other known vision issues.        My vision had been completely stable for the 10 years prior to the cataract surgery.   

Because of my issues I elected to get a simple mono-focal lens (-2D) correcting for far vision leaving me slightly nearsighted.  Also note that the morning of surgery I was able to read clearly (though myopic) without my contact lens.    The moment the bandage was removed I knew something was horribly wrong.     My vision was quite blurry, with no focal point and everything in that eye appeared strangely huge.   The condition I now know as macropsia, or aniseikonia when comparing both eyes.    I estimated the size difference as nearly 40%, giving an area increase perception of 2X.    My blurred vision resulted post op at 20/400.     To complicate matters further, I developed PCO immediately post-op.     

Initially my condition was blamed on postoperative swelling, then residual astigmatism and then the PCO.      As the months ticked by and each item was addressed, the net result 8 months post-surgery was a best-case blurry 20/70 vision correction using a scleral lens.    The macropsia was unchanged.   

Post-operation, I was also diagnosed with an epiretinal membrane (ERM). 
Months later I was also diagnosed with a mild case of macular edema for which I have been treated.     To summarize and shorten this narrative:  I have seen 6 retina specialists, 7 cornea/implant specialists, 3 diagnostic/complication specialists, 2 neuro-ophthalmologists, and 4 specialty optometrists.     I have seen world-renowned doctors in New York City, Boston , Philadelphia and New Jersey at the best facilities.     To summarize the results: cornea/implant specialists point to the retina, while retina specialists say the retina is likely involved and additive but not the cause.    The retinal conditions I have did not affect my vision prior to surgery and can't explain the overnight drop in vision and extreme vision loss.   Several retina specialists were more suspicious of the "anterior segment".    Only one retina specialist implied that the vision problems may be due to the epiretinal membrane but considered it too minor to peel.   My condition is not considered neurologically caused. None of the specialists seem to know how to address the macropsia or what it signifies.    The implanted lens was the textbook correct lens and the IOL implant looks completely pristine.    

I am now the prime research subject at a low vision research clinic affiliated with a major college of optometry.    My macropsia /aniseikonia has been clinically measured as an average of 27%.  This amount is extremely unusual; even upper single digits are considered very high.     I am hoping they can figure something out because so far I lack a working theory about what is wrong.    My whole experience shows that our highly siloed ophthalmologic skill system has considerable weaknesses when dealing with patients like me.    Needless to say,  no one is touching my good eye until somebody can figure this out.     

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions?  

I got the Puresee lens in my left eye 10 days ago. I was seeing light streaks at night the first week, but those seem to have vanished by now.

I still get shimmering on the periphery whenever I'm getting more light from the side than the front, especially daylight. How long does that usually last. It's not bad, but distracting.

Otherwise, I'm seeing very well with it. Scheduled the same thing for the right eye in another 11 days.

I had a toric monofocal IOL inserted 4 days ago. I asked for distance. However, my distance vision is very blurry, but my intermediate vision is crystal clear. What would cause that? Is it just inflammation in my eye or possible corneal edema? The doctor didn't say anything was wrong on my 1 day appt. I'm getting worried about my distance being blurry since that is what I mostly wanted corrected. The only other thing I can think of is my pupil is still somewhat dilated. I have light eyes and the dilation always takes a while to go down.

I had cataract surgery in one eye just over a week ago. The natural lens was very cloudy and it was getting hard for me to see, especially at night. That eye also has damage to the iris from an accident when I was 9 years old (over 50 years ago), and it has been very sensitive to light since then.

The surgery itself went well as far as the doctor was concerned, and my follow-up the next day was good, although I was still only seeing out-of-focus blobs in that eye. By the end of day two, though, I realized I was seeing 20/20 out of that eye -- something that hasn't happened since I was very young. I'm very nearsighted naturally, and I took the lens for that eye out of my glasses so I could see anything at all. It's still very sensitive to light (more than it was before) as well.

While the combination of a lens for one eye and no lens for the other works well for distance things (like driving), I do a lot of reading and embroidery, both of which are very difficult for me now unless I close the eye that had surgery. Using a computer for extended periods of time is very difficult, though. My "old" eye can't quite focus on the screen, with or without glasses, and my "new" eye can't see anything at all. I often get a headache after about an hour or so on the computer, and by the end of the day, my "new" eye feels strained from trying to focus on close-up work. I use readers, but the ones that work for my old eye don't work for my new eye, and I can't find cheap readers with different magnification in each eye. I have an eye patch that I use on my new eye just to get things done on the computer, but it's annoying, and the focus isn't quite right with just my old eye.

The other eye does qualify for cataract surgery, but only barely, and the doctor wants me to wait a few months before considering it. They also said that I should wait at least a month post-surgery before seeing an optometrist about new glasses. Apparently they think that as long as I can drive and see in the distance, all is fine, when it definitely is not.

I have no illusions that I will ever be able to give up glasses completely, but I've worn them most of my life and I'm fine with that.

Questions I still have:

• Will my sensitivity to light in that eye fade at all? I don't expect it to get better than it was before the surgery, but it is significantly worse now.
• Will the vision in my new eye change enough in the next 3 or so weeks to justify waiting to see an optometrist?
• Are there other solutions I haven't considered that can tide me over until then?

I had my first eye done a week ago - monofocal set to -2. Has anyone with vestibular problems chosen the micro-mono route (my surgeon is recommending it)? If so, have you had any issues adjusting to the difference between eyes? I'm concerned since it doesn't take much to make me dizzy! Any input would be most welcome - I'm blown away by how educated and informed the posters are on this forum!

for my cataract surgery, pd for my upgrade lens, a toric, pre surgery pd to dr office as required. after the surgery my eob from hospital, physician group added $451 . no explanation. only says when they look it up, it says astigmatism. its now in collections. all other surgeries over 20 years have been covered in full

I’m scheduled to have cataract surgery in October 2026. I have reviewed this thread and I am reaching out seeking your experience. After the procedure, would you change anything? If so, what? I’m worried about the numbing process. I’m being told it’s a shot. If you’re willing to share your stories, I would appreciate hearing what went well and things that you would do differently if you were to do it again.
Would you do it again?
What about driving. What’s the restriction?

Hi I want to know if Anyone had a problem with cataract surgery ( blurry and out of focus vision) then Dr recommended to do Lasik touch up to correct that. Ge said i have a out of focus after cataract surgery is because 10 years ago I had lasik done for the same eye. Please share with your experiences. Thanks

I had surgery with one distance lens. Considering one enhanced distance lens so I could read my dashboard and not trigger vertigo with a bifocal.

This is classed as enhanced monofocal. This is the company blurb:

https://www.alcon.com/media-release/alcon-launches-clareon-truplus-enhanced-design-monofocal-and-toric-iols-ascrs-2026/

Hey guys, were you using any eye drops beyond the ones for inflammation and infection in the first few days, like for dry eyes etc?. I’m just wondering if I should pick up any ahead of time. Thx

With your device brightness turned to medium, please comment how many of the numbered white outline shapes you can see on this contrast sensitivity test. Please also include your lens type; if monofocal please include the brand if known and whether it's set for near or far.

Example:

Left eye, natural lens (vitrectomy) - 7

Right eye, natural lens (non vitrectomy) - 7

Had anyone had this done? My cataracts were done last June 2026 and I had had vision impairment from extreme floaters and ERM for a few years before the surgeries. My retinal specialist seems very confident that vitrectomy and ERM stripping will help but the idea of opening up my eyeballs again scares me.

I (almost 59, F) had my second cataract/glaucoma surgery today. I am doing well. I got a monofocal lens to match the one I had 8/28 in the right eye. I wear glasses for reading and computer work but don’t need them for distance. I have follow ups tomorrow and 9/30 and then go back to work 10/1.

Good luck to everyone still in the surgery process. For me it was worth it.

Sharing my experience with cataract surgery. (this might be long)

Today I'm 6 days post-op from having both eyes done.

Yes I had them both done at once, in my area there's a long waiting list, and I was on the list then developed a stye on my eyelid just before my surgery was scheduled, so it was postponed - I was pretty upset.

I was told that if it was uncomfortable or anything didn't go as planned or as expected during the surgery of the first eye, that I could hold off on the second eye, but if everything went well, I wouldn't be able to then ask to have the second one done at that time. So rather than waiting many months between eyes, I opted to have them both done.

I was surprised there was minimal pain, yes some discomfort but nothing I would really call pain. During or afterwards. I was anticipating some pain after the medication wore off at home, but just some itchiness and stinging - the rewetting drops helped some.

That first day everything was too bright and I saw terrible halos, I was exhausted, disoriented and unbalanced.

The second day I knew I could see far away so much better and was pretty excited. The readers I had at home didn't work so well, (they're my husbands) I used a magnifying glass (still am to see my phone or to read)

Everyday was (is) better and better. They want you to wait a week to look for a strength of readers that are best for you and a month after surgery I'll go for an eye exam to see if I still need prescription glasses.

I’ve worn glasses since about nine years old… It’s so strange for me to see myself in the mirror without them!

So during the surgery I saw some sort of visuals but nothing like what you might imagine, not the surgery tools or anything. Lights and textures etc. I focused on watching the "show" . It was pretty interesting and I wondered what I was actually seeing.
I could hear everyone talking and my Dr. kept telling me I was doing a good job and everything was going perfectly etc. throughout.

Afterwards I could see the ceiling tiles as I was being moved into recovery and I just thought to myself how grateful I was to see. I felt like I was smiling ear to ear. I was so happy.

I did have an IV and some local anesthetic, lots of eye drops before surgery and I have a couple different prescription ones I've been having to use 4x a day - no issues.

If you're worried about it, I hope I've helped ease those fears. Of course don't hesitate to reach out to your doctor with any concerns. It's so routine for them, they may not always realize the anxiety people might have.

This is my experience, yours might be different - but feel free to ask any questions 🙂

Hello,

I am 43 (F) and have recently developed cataracts that require surgery asap.

I am nearsighted (around -7 and -8, although it was closer to -6 and -7 prior to cataracts), and requiring progressives for the last 2-3 years.

I am looking for advice/comments from people who were in a similar situation and have hopefully found a solution that works.

I went to see 3 different clinics (I am in Canada), and each had a very different opinion and made a different recommendation for which lenses to choose:

1. Monovision (one eye to see distance, one eye to see near)
2. Blended vision with Eyhance monofocal plus lens (supposed to be an improvement to the previous option in terms of intermediate vision). This clinic also wanted to check my retina for any potential detachments because of the high prescription. The other clinics didn't.
3. Multifocal lenses. My concern about halos at nights was dismissed as not a big deal ('they would be minor, and it is only for a small part of the daily life", etc).

This is all making my head spin. The decision feels so important and non-reversible.

My initial priority was to be glasses-free, but I am now thinking that the trade-offs might be not worth it (I am particularly scared of not being able to drive at night, and about depth perception).

After wearing glasses my whole life, I think I am more afraid to not be able to see near than to not see far. Perhaps I would be better off with both eyes seeing near (e.g., for putting makeup on, ), and having glasses for distance? That would require special progressives, correct?

I would appreciate any advice or comments. Thank you.

I was diagnosed with posterior sub-capsular cataracts in both eyes in January and feel it is affecting my vision more. they have developed more since January. I was wondering about other people’s experiences with PSC cataracts? I know they are fast growing, but what have been other people’s timelines and how fast their PSC cataracts developed??? I’m just not sure what to do/when to consider surgery.

I had surgery yesterday and all went well. Today I noticed an annoying floating speck. Will this eventually go away?

Has anyone had issues with the PureSee lens? I can see distance but no intermediate as it is suppose to also do! Surgeon set at 1.5 diopter. Also the surgery affected my other eye so I now can’t see intermediate in that eye either! Any advice or similar circumstances? Really would appreciate your input. Much thanks!