I am scheduled at the beginning of October to have cataract surgery on my left eye.

My left eye sees distance well.

My right eye needs reading glasses.

I have some questions about the procedure and my hopeful results.

Will a mono focal lens be installed on my left eye?

If so, will that mono focal lens be a corrective lens?

I ask because, if the mono focal lens that will be inserted in my left eye is a corrective lens then post-cataract surgery, will I be able to see long distance without glasses?

Will my vision in my left eye be 20/20?

Lastly, and for future reference, when I need cataract surgery on my right eye, would the installed mono focal lens in my right eye correct for reading and thus, after two cataract surgeries I won’t need any glasses? (The left eye seeing long distance. And the right eye seeing closeup without glasses?)

I'm just trying to wrap my head around what will be installed on my eye.

Thanks in advance for any clarification.

Thumbs up.

Rob

Also interested in responses…

I had cataract surgery for my left eye in 2020 as a result of age and a macular hole repair in 2019. If I remember correctly, the ophthalmologist measured my eye to come up with the prescription for the new lens. I feel my eyesight is a little better than before the surgery, I was 20/40 prior and I think I am about 20/30 now. I would address the question about the expected vision afterwards to the doctor. I'm 69 and find reading glasses useful, especially in dim light, but I believe that you will probably get a single vision lens, prescribed for distant vision. That's what I received.

One thing to note, I'm going in for a procedure (YAG) for the left eye in October to remove a "coating" that built on the back of the new lens. It's causing cloudiness and light halos similar to a cataract. The doctor said this was common after cataract surgery.

I hope this helps.
Mike

Quote
flareslow
I had cataract surgery for my left eye in 2020 as a result of age and a macular hole repair in 2019. If I remember correctly, the ophthalmologist measured my eye to come up with the prescription for the new lens. I feel my eyesight is a little better than before the surgery, I was 20/40 prior and I think I am about 20/30 now. I would address the question about the expected vision afterwards to the doctor. I'm 69 and find reading glasses useful, especially in dim light, but I believe that you will probably get a single vision lens, prescribed for distant vision. That's what I received.

One thing to note, I'm going in for a procedure (YAG) for the left eye in October to remove a "coating" that built on the back of the new lens. It's causing cloudiness and light halos similar to a cataract. The doctor said this was common after cataract surgery.

I hope this helps.
Mike

mike-

helpful.

thanks.

rob

You are probably aware that the artificial lens that is going in will likely be a fixed-focus lens (i.e. like a brownie camera rather than an SLR) so you will lose the ability to focus in that eye. However, there are lenses available now (for extra cost) that have variable focus that operate by changing shape in response to your eye muscles, similar to your now clouded natural lens. There are also other types of lenses that are intermediate between these two end members. You should consult your eye surgeon regarding what setup you want and the pros and cons of each. I'm surprised that he/she hasn't already discussed and asked your preferences already. Typically, for a fixed focus lens you'll be asked whether you want mono vision (i.e. one eye equipped with a lens for distance and one eye equipped with a lens for close-up) which will decrease your depth perception since you will only be using one eye at a time, or binocular vision (in which both lenses are typically set for distance). I have only had a cataract in one eye and that was back when these fancy focusing lenses weren't yet available so I elected for distance focus.

Regarding correction, your old lens will be completely destroyed during surgery so the surgeon will install a lens that is estimated to give you the best possible vision. Whether you will have 20/20 post-surgery is up to the skill of the surgeon in selecting and installing the correct lens and whether you have any other eye problems contributing to your current poor vision. I lucked out and my vision in my former cataract eye is now 20/15 (i.e. better than normal).

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I have had this surgery in both eyes. I chose to have distance vision in both eyes. Before surgery my vision was 20/200+ in both eyes, so it felt like a miracle to see without glasses or contacts. My vision after surgery was 20/15 in the left eye and 20/25 in the right. That was about ten years ago. I now need reading glasses with small print in dim light, but am fine with normal print. And my distance vision is great and I am able to drive comfortably, even at night.
another interesting thing is that there was no pain whatsoever, during or after the surgery.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2022 05:32PM by Phy.

This is really something you need to talk to your doctor about, as the type of lens you get should meet your particular needs and preferences.

I have had a preliminary meeting with the cataract specialist in the eye practice I use, and we discussed the options, and the types of lenses that would be suitable for my particular eyes.

I will probably aim for well-balanced binocular vision that is sufficient to walk around the house and the neighborhood without glasses, supplemented with progressive glasses for distance/reading/computer work.

I am severely myopic and have worn glasses since age 8, so I am looking forward to wearing glasses that will be much lighter and technically easier to fabricate.

1. Your insurance will pay for a single-focus lens. That lens can be reading distance, mid-distance, or distance. It won't be able to focus on the other distances with any clarity.
2. There are more expensive lenses which can focus across a wider range of distances. They are slightly more likely to cause halos, but it may well be worth it. There are different kinds. Your eye doc can advise on this.
3. I always had one closeup eye and one distance eye naturally, so I aimed to copy this with my new replacement lenses. Due to some genetic difficulties with my eyes, we're still waiting for the close-vision eye to settle in. But it's still fine.
4 IMPORTANT TIP-They need to remove the old lens to be able to put in the new one. For my first lens, we used ultrasound, which was ok. For the second lens, we used a laser, which causes less trauma, and IMPORTANTLY was also able to correct the astigmatism in that eye. ASTONISHING difference-huge improvement in the version just with that. So I highly recommend going with the laser option, if you have astigmatism. At least talk with your doc about it.

Most people seem to opt for fixed-focus lens replacements, mainly because of cost and from what I've been told, the success rate.

As has been said, these are questions best answered by your surgeon of choice.

You current seem to have monovision, though occluded somewhat, you might consider doing the same as anon 1, where you left eye is corrected for distance, similar to Lasik surgery.

Not everybody can adapt to that but if one can, it can be a great compromise, and it seems that other than the cataract, it's been working for you.

And glasses can be used to correct distance and presbyopia in each eye so both eyes se 20/20 and have reading vision, yet without any glasses, one can see pretty well.

If one develops occlusion after cataract surgery, the YAG procedure is a special laser (YAG) that burns of the film.

This is probably the same laser used in anon 1's Tip #4.

Don't hesitate to ask your surgeon any question that occurs to you.

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Been on the "putting it off a year at a time" plan the last few years, next cataract check is May 2023......, but the Optical Deities at Jules Stein Eye Institute have already divined that the old geezer prognosis is best served by getting single vision lenses in both eyes, tuned for distance, and stick w/ reading glasses/progressives. Sometime in 2024 at the longest is all the (5X surgeried) OEM eyeballs have left in 'em.

They (docs @ Jules Stein) say your eyes really have to be just about perfect candidates in order to really benefit from the adjustable lenses, but that the adjustable lenses are currently a big money maker for providers. If you're not a perfect candidate, you're gonna need glasses (again) anyway, so why spend the extra money? I've been on the progressives bandwagon for ~30 years, so after cataract surgery, benefit is way weaker Rx lenses; big decision is gonna be whether or not to keep paying premium for uber hi-index (thinnest possible) lenses, or save that money for a new iPhone case.

It sure sounds like you oughta do what the Jules Stein peeps have said; go for distance lenses in both eyes, and wear minimal glasses as needed for the rest of your everyday life. Yes, the lenses they put in will be tuned for your eyeballs, so that will minimize the total add'l Rx needed for other stuff. When done properly, your new lenses will be able to get rid of all/most astigmatism, so most peeps see much better than pre op. Enjoy!
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I had early onset cataracts (my eye doctor looked at my eyes, sat back, looked again, and asked, "Has anybody in your family had cataracts relatively young?" Me: "Well, just my mom, my dad, my grandad, my sister--" Her: "Okay, okay...") and got the surgery a couple of years ago.

I'd been very nearsighted since mid-college and opted to pony up for the multifocal lens based on how well those had worked out for my dad, who's 83, still practices dentistry full time, and barely needs readers. Worked out fine for me, although not quite as well as in Dad's case (the lenses he has are now off the market). I'm 20/20 from about three feet to the horizon, but now need readers for close work. After 30 years of sticking fingers in my eyes for contacts at least twice a day, it's a fair trade-off. They also corrected some astigmatism (which I'll always associate with Granny from Looney Tunes) during the laser surgery.

The biggest eye-opener (oh yes I went there) was in the two weeks between getting the first and second eye done. Through the new lens, the world looked like it had just gotten washed and a new coat of paint. Through the old one, it looked like Thor had peed on everything...