Cataract Surgery

Don Alaska said:
I think it may be the technique and equipment as well as the individual person @Beth Gallagher. I get the same thing when I ask people, I was asking on here to see if there is a consensus.
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I had it in my mind that because I wear progressive trifocal glasses I would be happy with the multi-focal lens. Now I'm not so sure. I'd have no problem with using readers if necessary.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I'm trying to do due diligence, but I swear, people's experiences are all over the place. There is a Reddit group for cataract surgery and opinions/experiences are so varied. It just seems like a big crap shoot! Thanks for adding your experience.
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Most I've heard are very positive about the surgery.
One man came here to read power box and he was so happy , he said h4e could see so clear, it was amazing.
 
Bobby Cole said:
just an addition to your research, how about Yelp ? I’m not talking about finding out how smiley and sweet the staff is but the post surgery results after a doctor has completed his or her work.

Everyone is going to have a different reaction to their surgeries basically due to the fact that no two persons you talk to are going to have the same medical problems and no two people are going to react the same way even if they did have the same problems…and the same doctor.

Having someone mess with your eyes is scary and intimidating at best but do know that hundreds of millions of people have had their cataracts removed which sort of gave me a little more confidence that I was doing the right thing.

So far as the lens choice goes, again, I felt that if it is going to work, put it in. Since the insurance completely covered it, I probably had the cheapest lens known to mankind to replace the growing cataracts.
The result is that I can see colors better, I can read albeit with bifocals but given the alternative choices of never being able to have glasses that worked because of the cataracts, I’m ahead of the game.
At my age, I don’t care that I can’t see a flea on a dog’s butt at 20 paces but merely that I can enjoy sight for the rest of what little time I have left in this world.
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I imagine Yelp is like any other review site... mostly disgruntled people posting their gripes. For some reason people who have a good outcome don't bother posting reviews. I already have a doctor I trust; he just did my eye surgery and has great credentials.

I'm mostly wanting to know which lenses people chose and why... and what their actual results have been. Seems to me that the people who choose the basic lenses are the most satisfied with the outcome.
 
This video is very informative about the 3 most common lenses used in cataract surgery. There are a few more types but these are the ones most people choose; the most common of all is the single-vision lens. I believe that's the one that Medicare pays for. (15 minute video)

 
Hedi Mitchell said:
Mark had his last cataract surgery yesterday. This was on his bad eye since birth.As of this morning he said he can see some better out of that eye. In general the surgery worked and he is very pleased...hard time getting use to no glasses except for close reading.
I am next just soon as I get his paid for.
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I'm glad Mark had a good result, G. So you have cataracts, too?
 
Ed Wilson said:
I'm scheduled for mine next month. Notice I did not call it surgery. I prefer procedure. It sounds less scary. My sister-in-law had hers done without a problem.
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I just posted in my diary thread that now I kind of wish I had gone ahead and scheduled my cataract surgery instead of buying new glasses. Since I just had eye surgery I was wanting to wait but now I feel like I wasted $$ on the glasses that won't work after the "procedure."

Have you decided which type of lens you will have implanted, Ed?
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I just posted in my diary thread that now I kind of wish I had gone ahead and scheduled my cataract surgery instead of buying new glasses. Since I just had eye surgery I was wanting to wait but now I feel like I wasted $$ on the glasses that won't work after the "procedure."

Have you decided which type of lens you will have implanted, Ed?
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Just an ordinary lens. Nothing fancy. They tried to push tinted or progressives on me, but no thanks.
 
Ed Wilson said:
Just an ordinary lens. Nothing fancy. They tried to push tinted or progressives on me, but no thanks.
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I didn't know that tinted was an option; I guess I need to study some more. I've read that some people like the progressive lenses but that they can cause halo effect with lights at night which would be aggravating. Plus the additional cost is pretty significant.
 
My husband is still mulling over his decision on which lens he wants for his cataract surgery coming up. He has been researching what will be best for him. He has worn glasses since he was in 3rd grade. But he has always had the ability to read without glasses and he doesn't want to lose that. He can’t see squat looking in the distance without glasses but he can read small print with his glasses off. He said he is leaning towards just having the cataracts removed with the standard lens replacement.

Our eyes are still aging. The eye doctor can’t guarantee that you won’t still need to wear glasses of some kind down the road, no matter what. Every individual is different.
 
Krystal Shay said:
My husband is still mulling over his decision on which lens he wants for his cataract surgery coming up. He has been researching what will be best for him. He has worn glasses since he was in 3rd grade. But he has always had the ability to read without glasses and he doesn't want to lose that. He can’t see squat looking in the distance without glasses but he can read small print with his glasses off. He said he is leaning towards just having the cataracts removed with the standard lens replacement.

Our eyes are still aging. The eye doctor can’t guarantee that you won’t still need to wear glasses of some kind down the road, no matter what. Every individual is different.
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I'm just the opposite; I can see far away pretty well but up close is where I need help. I don't mind if I still need glasses; I'm used to wearing them. I'll just be glad for the foggy/blurry to be gone. :cool:
 
Jacob Petersheim said:
I hate this topic and still hold out hope for magic eye drops. Yeah, call me chicken.

Guess I need to figure out that "Uber" thing huh? I imagine you can't drive yourself and I don't have anybody close I can rely on. Did I say I hate this? 😜
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Jacob--some areas have senior services that include rides to doctors and stuff. I don't have any experience with that but it might be worth checking into. And of course, there's always Uber.
 
Jacob Petersheim said:
I hate this topic and still hold out hope for magic eye drops. Yeah, call me chicken.

Guess I need to figure out that "Uber" thing huh? I imagine you can't drive yourself and I don't have anybody close I can rely on. Did I say I hate this? 😜
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When Bobby had his cataract surgery, they needed someone to stay there to be sure someone was there as soon as he was finished, but it might be different at different doctors , depending on what their requirements are. It is good to check it out well beforehand so you have time to make necessary arrangements.
Also, look at what your Medicare plan covers. If you have an advantage plan, many of them will cover non-emergency doctor visits, but you have to schedule it ahead.

Here in Huntsville, there is also a special bus for elderly and disabled people, and it is called a Handi-Ride . You can schedule rides and pay for a ticket, and they will drop you off and then pick you back up at a specified time. If your town has something similar, you can look into that also.
I don’t know if you can schedule two rides at a time from Uber, so that they could drop you off and then pick you up again, but that might be another option.
 
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