How are your (previously cataracted) lens replacements?

October 23, 2012 2:47 PM

How are your (previously cataracted) lens replacements? What kind did you get?

Yes, somebody asked this exact question in 2009 , but I was wondering if there's new people here on the green with opinions. Seems like I can't get a bead on how bad the nighttime haloing effects from the multifocal IOL's are from just reading stuff online. I understand some of it you get 'used to', but I'm still wondering if I'd be better off with a monofocal lens. I'm in my late 30's, which is younger than usual for cataract surgery, but I've got 'em in both eyes as confirmed by 3 different opthamologists. My plan is to only do the really crappy eye (since my good eye still doesn't notice it has one). Also wondering if anyone's had total laser surgery for their cataracts? as somebody here in town does that now as well. Thx mefiters.

posted by bitterkitten to health & fitness (5 answers total)

My mother underwent cataract surgery a few years ago, and from what I understand experienced minimal haloing effect, which went away a within a few weeks. However, before the surgery, she would refuse to drive at night because of the glare from headlights - so I'm not sure whether her claim that she doesn't experience halos is objectively true or just relative to before surgery.
posted by ersatzhuman at 3:27 PM on October 23, 2012

I had a unilateral (left) cataract when I was 39. I got the Crystalens IOL. I chose it because it seemed best for "middle distance" (computer) vision out of the accommodating IOLs.

I have good computer-distance vision and pretty good distance vision. My close-distance reading vision is blurry, but I expected that.

I wonder if the accommodation might be even better if I had had both eyes done. Maybe the crystalens requires slightly different ciliary muscle contractions than a natural lens, and maybe the eyes can't control the ciliary muscles of each eye independently? I have a cataract in my right eye, but it isn't that bad yet, so I'm trying to wait.

Night vision: The crystalens has a slightly smaller lens than a fixed IOL because of its ability to accommodate, which presumably causes slightly worse vision at night when the pupil is open wide. I do agree my night vision is not particularly good. I don't get halos as much as just blurriness - presumably as light enters around the edge of the lens when the pupil is dilated at night.

A friend had a left eye cataract and had a fixed IOL. She also says her night vision is not great, so not sure if a fixed IOL is that much better.

Of course, YMMV.
posted by sarah_pdx at 3:51 PM on October 23, 2012

My mother's vision is bad enough that even with the replacement lenses that have internal correction, she still needs extra correction. (If yours isn't, this won't matter to you). She had spent her whole life wearing hard contact lenses, which change the shape of your eyeball and thus correct astigmatism.

Unfortunately her eye doc put in replacement lenses to correct astigmatism; she can't wear the hard contacts any more since they would double correct (by reshaping the eye), so she had to learn to wear soft ones. (And she was Not Happy, although it did eventually work out).

She hasn't mentioned any other effects (halos or etc), and didn't have any good answers when I quizzed her on her new UV-sensing capabilities.
posted by nat at 3:57 PM on October 23, 2012

I had cataract surgery on both eyes a month ago, and had single vision toric lense implants to correct astigmatism. Multi focal lenses weren't an option for me because of the astigmatism.

So far I'm pretty happy with my new vision. My distance vision rocks, no more glare issues. If I have a complaint, it's that my reading vision is bad without specs. That said, I can read fine (computer and books) using drug store cheaters, and the biggest issue there is keeping track of where I've left them.
posted by Sir Cholmondeley at 6:25 AM on October 24, 2012

Sir - so, you can't read the computer without glasses, I presume. Also, no halos at night?

Hm, my doc says I can in fact get a multifocal lens with my astigmatism, and then fix whatever needs fixing in a few months with a laser procedure.
posted by bitterkitten at 8:43 AM on October 24, 2012