Preparing for life after cataract surgery
July 16, 2018 8:20 AM Subscribe
I'm having the first of two cataract surgeries tomorrow and the second in three weeks. Should I be buying reading glasses? Can I get them online? And how do I deal with the intermittent three weeks? Increasingly hysterical questions below the fold.
I'm having cataract surgery tomorrow. I've elected to be far-sighted, and my surgeon says I'll need reading glasses afterwards. She also says that I should be fine driving with my glasses with one eye corrected because the difference in vision between my eyes won't be worse than what I have now. (The eye I'm getting fixed tomorrow is way worse than the other one.)
What should I be doing to prepare? Will I really be able to drive in between surgeries? Should I get reading glasses now? Where do I get them? How do I decide what strength? I have ridiculously great eye insurance that pays for glasses every year - would it be better to get prescription reading glasses? How the heck do people manage needing glasses only sometimes (I've been wearing glasses since I was nine)? Are there any questions I should have asked but haven't thought of yet?
Your thoughts greatly appreciated. (Also, I'm super anxious about surgery, so if you have any warnings, please be gentle. Also, I don't have contact lenses because they freak me out.)
I'm having cataract surgery tomorrow. I've elected to be far-sighted, and my surgeon says I'll need reading glasses afterwards. She also says that I should be fine driving with my glasses with one eye corrected because the difference in vision between my eyes won't be worse than what I have now. (The eye I'm getting fixed tomorrow is way worse than the other one.)
What should I be doing to prepare? Will I really be able to drive in between surgeries? Should I get reading glasses now? Where do I get them? How do I decide what strength? I have ridiculously great eye insurance that pays for glasses every year - would it be better to get prescription reading glasses? How the heck do people manage needing glasses only sometimes (I've been wearing glasses since I was nine)? Are there any questions I should have asked but haven't thought of yet?
Your thoughts greatly appreciated. (Also, I'm super anxious about surgery, so if you have any warnings, please be gentle. Also, I don't have contact lenses because they freak me out.)
Haven't had to deal with cataracts (yet) but am myopic and presbyopic now so I wear progressive lenses if I'm wearing my glasses or contacts + reading glasses as needed.
Should I get reading glasses now?
Nope.
Where do I get them?
Drug stores, grocery stores, walmarts and targetses and so on.
How do I decide what strength?
Grab something with weensy print nearby. Hold it at a comfortable distance. Keep trying different strengths until the weensy print is clear.
I have ridiculously great eye insurance that pays for glasses every year - would it be better to get prescription reading glasses?
I'm in the same boat. Wouldn't bother with that. Certainly not until you know you won't need other more expensive corrections. It would suck to have free reading glasses (which are like $5 from the grocatorium) but need to shell out $500 for some weird correction.
How the heck do people manage needing glasses only sometimes
You put them on when you need them. Really, it's that simple and you get used to it. When I'm doing my contacts + reading glasses thing I usually push them a bit down the ol' schnoz so I can look over them at the world or thru them at my laptop. This also works for getting up and briefly doing something in which case I look like Bernard from Westworld only whiter and less smart.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 8:30 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Should I get reading glasses now?
Nope.
Where do I get them?
Drug stores, grocery stores, walmarts and targetses and so on.
How do I decide what strength?
Grab something with weensy print nearby. Hold it at a comfortable distance. Keep trying different strengths until the weensy print is clear.
I have ridiculously great eye insurance that pays for glasses every year - would it be better to get prescription reading glasses?
I'm in the same boat. Wouldn't bother with that. Certainly not until you know you won't need other more expensive corrections. It would suck to have free reading glasses (which are like $5 from the grocatorium) but need to shell out $500 for some weird correction.
How the heck do people manage needing glasses only sometimes
You put them on when you need them. Really, it's that simple and you get used to it. When I'm doing my contacts + reading glasses thing I usually push them a bit down the ol' schnoz so I can look over them at the world or thru them at my laptop. This also works for getting up and briefly doing something in which case I look like Bernard from Westworld only whiter and less smart.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 8:30 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My guy got cataract surgery last year and he too has worn glasses since he was a kid and it's been a little interesting transitioning for him. He only got it in one eye (and surgery was super smooth and pain free and low hassle!). He found that it took a few weeks for his eyes to really adjust, that he was mostly fine with the one-eye-corrected thing that your doc suggests.
I am a reading glasses wearer who has never otherwise worn glasses and so here is my reading glasses advice: Once your eyes settle and you know your general prescription, you can buy some cheapie readers (literally just try them on and read sample text at the drug store, dollar stores have them even cheaper) and see if they seem like the right strength. You can then get them various places online. MeFi is often a fan of Zenni Optical who does readers as well as regular glasses and has a lot of fun frames. The big deal is get like fifteen pairs and leave them all over the place where you read and carry one pair around with you and leave a pair in your car. It takes a while getting used to having sometimes-glasses but after a while you establish whatever your own patterns are. I leave mine up on my head a lot but I think it's just because that is what my mom used to do.
posted by jessamyn at 8:32 AM on July 16, 2018
I am a reading glasses wearer who has never otherwise worn glasses and so here is my reading glasses advice: Once your eyes settle and you know your general prescription, you can buy some cheapie readers (literally just try them on and read sample text at the drug store, dollar stores have them even cheaper) and see if they seem like the right strength. You can then get them various places online. MeFi is often a fan of Zenni Optical who does readers as well as regular glasses and has a lot of fun frames. The big deal is get like fifteen pairs and leave them all over the place where you read and carry one pair around with you and leave a pair in your car. It takes a while getting used to having sometimes-glasses but after a while you establish whatever your own patterns are. I leave mine up on my head a lot but I think it's just because that is what my mom used to do.
posted by jessamyn at 8:32 AM on July 16, 2018
When I went to the eye doctor, he said that the quality of drugstore reading glasses was fine, and that most people select the correct strength accurately. After the surgery, will they give you the strength you need? Readers some in magnification levels: 100, 125, etc. I'm up to 225. I can't drive with them on, and just push them up on top of my head, shove them down my nose.
I buy them online because there's a particular style I like. I ended up buying 5 pairs because cheap glasses usually get scratched easily, but they've done fine. Pretty sure it was a vendor on amazon.
Good luck with the surgery .
posted by theora55 at 8:32 AM on July 16, 2018
I buy them online because there's a particular style I like. I ended up buying 5 pairs because cheap glasses usually get scratched easily, but they've done fine. Pretty sure it was a vendor on amazon.
Good luck with the surgery .
posted by theora55 at 8:32 AM on July 16, 2018
Mr. BlahLaLa is in the midst of this process right now. The #1 thing you will need is those giant post-cataract sunglasses, which your doc might give you. (His did.) His eye is extremely light-sensitive right now.
Reading glasses: yes, a few days post surgery, hop on down to the drugstore and just try the ones they have. Once the whole process is complete and your eyes settle down, you could splash out for a "nicer" pair, but honestly Mr. BlahLaLa found ones at the drugstore that seem completely nice.
Your regular glasses: just keep using them.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:33 AM on July 16, 2018
Reading glasses: yes, a few days post surgery, hop on down to the drugstore and just try the ones they have. Once the whole process is complete and your eyes settle down, you could splash out for a "nicer" pair, but honestly Mr. BlahLaLa found ones at the drugstore that seem completely nice.
Your regular glasses: just keep using them.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:33 AM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: Mrs. forthright had both her eyes done recently and she had been wearing thick glasses since a small child. Before the first operation she said she didn't understand what it was going to be like after, and I told her she would be like me, storing/misplacing my 200 strength reading glasses all over the place. She now agrees that I was correct.
The thing that surprised her was (and this is my wording) that during the time between the two operations the brain compensates. She found her peripheral vision was more affected than when she looked right at things. I also got the impression that it was an experimental time (wear the old glasses, pop out one lens, wear her old Rx sunglasses, put one hand over an eye to better focus on one thing). She also dragged her work computer monitor closer.
I don't recall her complaining, regretting or making any major changes except for those extra cautions/obstacles near the operations (eye drops, not bending over, more doctor's appointments including health certifications, etc.) I will not go into the details of the operation except to say that she was only uncomfortable once, they noticed, asked her and made adjustments so she was comfortable again.
posted by forthright at 9:37 AM on July 16, 2018
The thing that surprised her was (and this is my wording) that during the time between the two operations the brain compensates. She found her peripheral vision was more affected than when she looked right at things. I also got the impression that it was an experimental time (wear the old glasses, pop out one lens, wear her old Rx sunglasses, put one hand over an eye to better focus on one thing). She also dragged her work computer monitor closer.
I don't recall her complaining, regretting or making any major changes except for those extra cautions/obstacles near the operations (eye drops, not bending over, more doctor's appointments including health certifications, etc.) I will not go into the details of the operation except to say that she was only uncomfortable once, they noticed, asked her and made adjustments so she was comfortable again.
posted by forthright at 9:37 AM on July 16, 2018
I had cataract surgery about nine years ago on both eyes, about two weeks apart. Between the first and second surgery I wore an eye patch over the bad eye. I had a lot of distortion in my vision and it didn't seem to me that my vision adjusted. While my eyes were healing I wore reading glasses down on my nose. I have some astigmatism so I had to get bifocals, but I see great.
And the surgeries were amazing. Some mild discomfort, about 20 minutes each, and better vision almost immediately.
posted by Billiken at 9:53 AM on July 16, 2018
And the surgeries were amazing. Some mild discomfort, about 20 minutes each, and better vision almost immediately.
posted by Billiken at 9:53 AM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: I had this surgery a couple of years ago, and it took time for me to adjust to the new vision I had.
I do use readers, and I eventually went to my regular eye doctor and got new glasses. I can see fairly well long distance now but my glasses make it sharp and I like that. It took several months for me to become accustomed to how I see, and I think it was my brain adjusting. I buy a box of readers on Amazon, they are better quality than the ones from the dollar store--there are six or eight pairs in a box.
posted by chocolatetiara at 10:12 AM on July 16, 2018
I do use readers, and I eventually went to my regular eye doctor and got new glasses. I can see fairly well long distance now but my glasses make it sharp and I like that. It took several months for me to become accustomed to how I see, and I think it was my brain adjusting. I buy a box of readers on Amazon, they are better quality than the ones from the dollar store--there are six or eight pairs in a box.
posted by chocolatetiara at 10:12 AM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: Cataract surgery I put off for a long time; I was worried because of a preexisting problem with one retina. Reading immediately after the surgery was something of an issue, but I had borrowed some large-print books from the library, then improvised a sort of viewer with a magnifying glass. At the followup appointment I asked the ophthalmologist about reading glasses; he suggested the appropriate strength. My optician has a nice selection of twenty-dollar reading glasses and helps me to find lenses that work and frames that fit.
It turned out that, while I can now drive without glasses, I can still use a slight correction for distance vision, so I have continuous progressive lenses that serve me in place of the three pairs of glasses I needed before the surgery -- four counting sunglasses. I use reading glasses for tasks like cabling the computer, where I am looking straight instead of down at something small and close. They come along on hikes, too, if I don't carry my regular glasses.
First post; I signed up because I thought you needed to hear that cataract surgery made my life immeasurably better, and I trust it will yours, as well.
posted by SereneStorm at 10:17 AM on July 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
It turned out that, while I can now drive without glasses, I can still use a slight correction for distance vision, so I have continuous progressive lenses that serve me in place of the three pairs of glasses I needed before the surgery -- four counting sunglasses. I use reading glasses for tasks like cabling the computer, where I am looking straight instead of down at something small and close. They come along on hikes, too, if I don't carry my regular glasses.
First post; I signed up because I thought you needed to hear that cataract surgery made my life immeasurably better, and I trust it will yours, as well.
posted by SereneStorm at 10:17 AM on July 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best answer: I had been wearing heavy duty eyeglasses for 58 years, extremely near sighted with severe astigmatism in one eye. I had cataract surgery 3 years ago in both eyes apx 2 weeks apart (my surgeon was leaving the country for a couple months so we had to do it quickly.) I had also been concerned about a surgery as I never do well with messing around with my eyes. Turns out there wasn't anything to be concerned about with the surgery, no pain, only drops to put in as directed.
My "good" eye (myopic but not astigmatic) was done first, I used my prescription glasses for the time frame that a patch was on my eye. After the patch was removed I didn't use my glasses, but did get a good set of reading glasses from the drug store, testing them out until I found that a strength of 2.0 let me read a page of small printing. I was able to drive without glasses for the first time in my life, what a feeling of freedom! And another first, I bought a cut pair of regular sunglasses!
Because of my extreme astigmatism which makes my left eye sight just fuzzy even with correction, I took off work until I was able to see well with the good eye (about a week) as I am at a computer all day.
The second eye surgery went well, the same reader glasses were still useful. It took quite some time to switch from being near sighted to being far sighted. I can no longer see to tweeze eyebrow (and other hairs, so I bought a 12x magnified stick on round mirror to add to the bathroom mirror.
After the novelty wore off I did find continually switching from none to glasses at work a pain so eventually I got a prescription pair that I could wear all day, the top is clear, the bottom has the near sighted prescription. And I did find some "reader" sunglasses on Amazon that I use in the car to see the low placed navigation display and to use when sunning and reading.
I also found some magnetic eyeglass holders on Amazon, there's a nice one that's like an upside down chevron and I just hang the readers on that when I'm out and about, works better for me than digging in my purse for glasses. I place it up by my shoulder to keep the glasses from dangling in the way)
I still do have an occasional dry eye issue and OTC eye drops take care of that.
posted by IpsoFacto at 10:29 AM on July 16, 2018
My "good" eye (myopic but not astigmatic) was done first, I used my prescription glasses for the time frame that a patch was on my eye. After the patch was removed I didn't use my glasses, but did get a good set of reading glasses from the drug store, testing them out until I found that a strength of 2.0 let me read a page of small printing. I was able to drive without glasses for the first time in my life, what a feeling of freedom! And another first, I bought a cut pair of regular sunglasses!
Because of my extreme astigmatism which makes my left eye sight just fuzzy even with correction, I took off work until I was able to see well with the good eye (about a week) as I am at a computer all day.
The second eye surgery went well, the same reader glasses were still useful. It took quite some time to switch from being near sighted to being far sighted. I can no longer see to tweeze eyebrow (and other hairs
After the novelty wore off I did find continually switching from none to glasses at work a pain so eventually I got a prescription pair that I could wear all day, the top is clear, the bottom has the near sighted prescription. And I did find some "reader" sunglasses on Amazon that I use in the car to see the low placed navigation display and to use when sunning and reading.
I also found some magnetic eyeglass holders on Amazon, there's a nice one that's like an upside down chevron and I just hang the readers on that when I'm out and about, works better for me than digging in my purse for glasses. I place it up by my shoulder to keep the glasses from dangling in the way)
I still do have an occasional dry eye issue and OTC eye drops take care of that.
posted by IpsoFacto at 10:29 AM on July 16, 2018
One more word -- you asked about driving, but I couldn't remember how that went, but I checked my diary for that year and found that I was driving (with the old glasses) three days after the surgery. It did take a bit of time to adapt.
posted by SereneStorm at 10:40 AM on July 16, 2018
posted by SereneStorm at 10:40 AM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: I've been dealing with this all my adult life, since my freaky lemon of a body developed cataract at age 20. All the above advice is great. I actually needed reading glasses at first but don't really need them anymore. I use them for intricate sewing jobs and things like that.
I mostly just wanted to share my inspiration. The artist Mary Blair was known not just for her sense of color and Modernist aesthetic; but she also hold a purse full of glasses of different strengths around with her everywhere she went. I assume that, like me, she was unable to adjust to bifocals. I figure if she could come with it and create masterpieces, I could struggle along in my little humdrum existence.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:11 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
I mostly just wanted to share my inspiration. The artist Mary Blair was known not just for her sense of color and Modernist aesthetic; but she also hold a purse full of glasses of different strengths around with her everywhere she went. I assume that, like me, she was unable to adjust to bifocals. I figure if she could come with it and create masterpieces, I could struggle along in my little humdrum existence.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:11 AM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I had surgery on both eyes last year. Between operations, I was able to drive with one working eye. It's a good idea to not plan on trying until three or so days until after surgery, though: For the first day you'll be wearing an eye shield and on subsequent days you just plain have to re-adapt to how your new vision works. You will not be able to read anything closer than arm's length without reading glasses, so get some immediately.
Order the cheapest reading glasses you can from any vendors who will provide one or two day fulfillment from Amazon. They will cost you $5-7 apiece and they're the same glasses that will cost $15-30 at Target or Walmart. Take advantage of the cheap price to get several kinds in several strengths to have a variety of options at hand. 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 is a good complement; I also got 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 to effectively use as magnifying glasses for close-up work, but 2.0 was my go-to lens for reading and computer use.
Your vision will improve but not necessarily be perfect after healing from surgery. It's entirely possible you'll have to wear general-purpose prescription eyeglasses again. After surgery you should have multiple visits with your ophthalmologist to monitor your healing progress. I had been using progressive lenses before surgery, so I was familiar with how to adapt to progressives again after surgery. My eyes are much more sensitive to sunlight than they used to be, and it's pretty nearly mandatory for me to have to wear sunglasses when I go out, in almost any kind of weather.
I ended up having a five month wait between surgery and getting a prescription, due to some post-surgical issues that needed time to treat and heal (I developed multiple vision and persistent floaters, which the ophthalmologist treats literally by using a joystick console to shoot laser beams at the floaters like a video game). This is another reason to get rock-bottom-priced readers, incidentally; you might only need them for a couple months, up until you've received your general-use and reading glasses.
The worst part of the surgical procedure was self-inflicted. My nervousness led to a reaction during surgical prep, which the hospital staff dealt with professionally; after that everything went off without a hitch. You're unlikely to be knocked out for the operation because they need you to be able to respond while they operate. However you will be anesthetized to the gills, which puts you in a very accommodating frame of mind, and it will feel a bit like everything is happening to somebody else. Afterwards you'll find it difficult to recall what had happened. So there won't be anything nightmarish going on and you'll be in the good hands of people who've had more practice at this than you can imagine.
posted by Subaru drwxrwxrwx at 12:31 PM on July 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Order the cheapest reading glasses you can from any vendors who will provide one or two day fulfillment from Amazon. They will cost you $5-7 apiece and they're the same glasses that will cost $15-30 at Target or Walmart. Take advantage of the cheap price to get several kinds in several strengths to have a variety of options at hand. 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 is a good complement; I also got 2.5, 3.0 and 4.0 to effectively use as magnifying glasses for close-up work, but 2.0 was my go-to lens for reading and computer use.
Your vision will improve but not necessarily be perfect after healing from surgery. It's entirely possible you'll have to wear general-purpose prescription eyeglasses again. After surgery you should have multiple visits with your ophthalmologist to monitor your healing progress. I had been using progressive lenses before surgery, so I was familiar with how to adapt to progressives again after surgery. My eyes are much more sensitive to sunlight than they used to be, and it's pretty nearly mandatory for me to have to wear sunglasses when I go out, in almost any kind of weather.
I ended up having a five month wait between surgery and getting a prescription, due to some post-surgical issues that needed time to treat and heal (I developed multiple vision and persistent floaters, which the ophthalmologist treats literally by using a joystick console to shoot laser beams at the floaters like a video game). This is another reason to get rock-bottom-priced readers, incidentally; you might only need them for a couple months, up until you've received your general-use and reading glasses.
The worst part of the surgical procedure was self-inflicted. My nervousness led to a reaction during surgical prep, which the hospital staff dealt with professionally; after that everything went off without a hitch. You're unlikely to be knocked out for the operation because they need you to be able to respond while they operate. However you will be anesthetized to the gills, which puts you in a very accommodating frame of mind, and it will feel a bit like everything is happening to somebody else. Afterwards you'll find it difficult to recall what had happened. So there won't be anything nightmarish going on and you'll be in the good hands of people who've had more practice at this than you can imagine.
posted by Subaru drwxrwxrwx at 12:31 PM on July 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yeah, the worst discomfort I had during the procedures was the damn automatic blood pressure cuff doing it's boa constrictor imitation what seemed like every few minutes.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:54 PM on July 16, 2018
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:54 PM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: It's apparently normal to have small blue 'electric' flashes in your peripheral vision for a few days after surgery. I'd been told to expect them, so they weren't a surprise and weren't too alarming.
As for reading glasses, it's useful to check the various strengths at the drug store to get an idea of what range they correct for without eye strain, but if you can't get to, say, laptop or monitor distance, don't despair. Drugstores seldom have anything weaker than +1.25, but Amazon does, and for reasonable prices. I carry a pair of +1.25 with me for daily use, keep a +1.00 in my laptop bag, and a +0.75 pair sits near my monitor.
posted by dws at 3:43 PM on July 16, 2018
As for reading glasses, it's useful to check the various strengths at the drug store to get an idea of what range they correct for without eye strain, but if you can't get to, say, laptop or monitor distance, don't despair. Drugstores seldom have anything weaker than +1.25, but Amazon does, and for reasonable prices. I carry a pair of +1.25 with me for daily use, keep a +1.00 in my laptop bag, and a +0.75 pair sits near my monitor.
posted by dws at 3:43 PM on July 16, 2018
I'm 3 weeks on the good side of my surgeries. I was completely farsighted (meaning nothing on this side of the horizon was in focus). I chose to become slightly nearsighted (for glasses-freedom indoors), and chose accommodating lens implants that give me a pretty broad range of focus, jsut not extreme distance or tiny print -- yet, anyway: I have some months of reading exercises, including reading my 4" phone, that should improve the near end my range over time.
During my in-between period (that, for various reasons, stretched to 3 months) I was surprised and delighted with the how bright the world appeared (indoor lighting, especially) to that eye by comparison, and how brilliant colors became. The first morning, I read the travel alarm on the night table, the window thermometer 8 feet away, and Mrs. TT's face right next to me. 😃 !
Peripheral vision was challenging (but probably more new & different than limited). But also, I didn't trust my depth-perception, especially at foot level, and at about that distance all the way around. It was fine at driving distances.
I wore one-lensed eyeglasses for that time but I was primarily one-eyed, unconsciously using whichever one could best focus the particular task. It was interesting to notice my brain sorting that out for itself. I drove comfortably during that time but chose to drive less at night than I had been, and even then only locally.
With the second eye done, and despite that I think we'll probably still tweak it a bit to make it more like the first, I am pleased as <favorite EXPLETIVE!! here>! My surgeon has just about erased 30 years of visual aging in a matter of minutes with each eye!
I wish you an equally happy and successful outcome!
posted by TruncatedTiller at 4:51 PM on July 16, 2018
During my in-between period (that, for various reasons, stretched to 3 months) I was surprised and delighted with the how bright the world appeared (indoor lighting, especially) to that eye by comparison, and how brilliant colors became. The first morning, I read the travel alarm on the night table, the window thermometer 8 feet away, and Mrs. TT's face right next to me. 😃 !
Peripheral vision was challenging (but probably more new & different than limited). But also, I didn't trust my depth-perception, especially at foot level, and at about that distance all the way around. It was fine at driving distances.
I wore one-lensed eyeglasses for that time but I was primarily one-eyed, unconsciously using whichever one could best focus the particular task. It was interesting to notice my brain sorting that out for itself. I drove comfortably during that time but chose to drive less at night than I had been, and even then only locally.
With the second eye done, and despite that I think we'll probably still tweak it a bit to make it more like the first, I am pleased as <favorite EXPLETIVE!! here>! My surgeon has just about erased 30 years of visual aging in a matter of minutes with each eye!
I wish you an equally happy and successful outcome!
posted by TruncatedTiller at 4:51 PM on July 16, 2018
Best answer: I had cataract surgery on both eyes and have been very happy being able to see again :).
I use readers (cheap ones that I buy from Amazon at 6 for $20) for everything including eating. Up close, things were just too fuzzy :). There are also sunglasses on Amazon that are bifocal -- no correction on top, reader in the bifocal section.
One thing I would mention to people who have cataract surgery -- you may experience a complication called posterior capsule opacity -- about 20% of people get it and I was in that 20%. I was really distressed about it but it is something that is correctable with laser surgery. Now, the website that came up when I googled this said the procedure is painless. I sure as heck didn't think so. In fact, I was white knuckling the grips through the whole procedure and flashing on heavy deadlifts -- eventually it is over. I would still recommend getting the procedure -- it was done in a matter of minutes and it did fix the problem.
posted by elmay at 6:46 PM on July 16, 2018
I use readers (cheap ones that I buy from Amazon at 6 for $20) for everything including eating. Up close, things were just too fuzzy :). There are also sunglasses on Amazon that are bifocal -- no correction on top, reader in the bifocal section.
One thing I would mention to people who have cataract surgery -- you may experience a complication called posterior capsule opacity -- about 20% of people get it and I was in that 20%. I was really distressed about it but it is something that is correctable with laser surgery. Now, the website that came up when I googled this said the procedure is painless. I sure as heck didn't think so. In fact, I was white knuckling the grips through the whole procedure and flashing on heavy deadlifts -- eventually it is over. I would still recommend getting the procedure -- it was done in a matter of minutes and it did fix the problem.
posted by elmay at 6:46 PM on July 16, 2018
Yeah, I ended up needing capsulotomies in both eyes, but they were NBD.
The only downside was hearing my new ophthalmologist say that the old ophthalmologist had used completely different inplants than he would have for a patient my age, but there was no changing them now.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:32 PM on July 16, 2018
The only downside was hearing my new ophthalmologist say that the old ophthalmologist had used completely different inplants than he would have for a patient my age, but there was no changing them now.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:32 PM on July 16, 2018
Response by poster: I'm a few days out from surgery, and I thought I'd say a few things for future readers of this question. I'm very grateful for all answers, even though I now disagree with some of them. But this was overall extremely helpful, and I'm glad I asked.
I really wish I had bought a variety of reading glasses in advance. I found it impossible to figure out which ones to get standing in the store after surgery. Kudos to those who can accurately assess reading glasses under those circumstances, but I need to be sitting in my chair at home trying and retrying them. I have also discovered that 1.75 is the best strength for reading a book, but 2.5 is much better for looking at my phone, so it's way more complicated than just looking at one thing in the store and choosing a pair. The ones in the store are also ridiculously more expensive than the ones you can find online, as was said here. I couldn't find a variety pack on Amazon, but I did find one on ebay, and I've ordered it. The variety pack was twelve for $20, which is the cost of one pair at my local drugstore. It would have been much better to have this ready to go before surgery. Once I figure out what I really need, I will save the others to pass on to the next person I know to get cataract surgery.
Immediately after surgery, my doctor told me to get some tinted bifocals with readers on Amazon. I really wish she had told me that a month ago because I couldn't find any with prime shipping and I'm still waiting (and she told me that I probably wouldn't be able to find them in a store). One reason to get them is that once the eye shield came off, she wanted me to be wearing glasses of some kind to protect that eye for all of my waking hours for the first week and to wear the eye shield at night. And my old glasses are completely useless for that with my corrected vision. I ended up buying a pair of sunglasses at a drugstore just to have eye protection. I would have liked to have done that earlier too. I bought the lightest ones I could find since I have to wear them indoors, but I would have had a much greater choice if I'd bought them online.
I still haven't figured out a strength that works well for sitting at the computer. Once I'm some time out from both surgeries, I plan to get prescription computer glasses. This is partly because I have excellent insurance that covers a new pair of glasses annually at a relatively low cost.
The surgery is indeed easy, and the results are amazing. I was so moved at being able to see without glasses for the first time in my memory that I have resolved to make a donation to the Himalayan Cataract Project to enable someone else to have this surgery. A donation of only $25 will pay for surgery for someone in a third world country. What an incredible bargain.
posted by FencingGal at 11:35 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I really wish I had bought a variety of reading glasses in advance. I found it impossible to figure out which ones to get standing in the store after surgery. Kudos to those who can accurately assess reading glasses under those circumstances, but I need to be sitting in my chair at home trying and retrying them. I have also discovered that 1.75 is the best strength for reading a book, but 2.5 is much better for looking at my phone, so it's way more complicated than just looking at one thing in the store and choosing a pair. The ones in the store are also ridiculously more expensive than the ones you can find online, as was said here. I couldn't find a variety pack on Amazon, but I did find one on ebay, and I've ordered it. The variety pack was twelve for $20, which is the cost of one pair at my local drugstore. It would have been much better to have this ready to go before surgery. Once I figure out what I really need, I will save the others to pass on to the next person I know to get cataract surgery.
Immediately after surgery, my doctor told me to get some tinted bifocals with readers on Amazon. I really wish she had told me that a month ago because I couldn't find any with prime shipping and I'm still waiting (and she told me that I probably wouldn't be able to find them in a store). One reason to get them is that once the eye shield came off, she wanted me to be wearing glasses of some kind to protect that eye for all of my waking hours for the first week and to wear the eye shield at night. And my old glasses are completely useless for that with my corrected vision. I ended up buying a pair of sunglasses at a drugstore just to have eye protection. I would have liked to have done that earlier too. I bought the lightest ones I could find since I have to wear them indoors, but I would have had a much greater choice if I'd bought them online.
I still haven't figured out a strength that works well for sitting at the computer. Once I'm some time out from both surgeries, I plan to get prescription computer glasses. This is partly because I have excellent insurance that covers a new pair of glasses annually at a relatively low cost.
The surgery is indeed easy, and the results are amazing. I was so moved at being able to see without glasses for the first time in my memory that I have resolved to make a donation to the Himalayan Cataract Project to enable someone else to have this surgery. A donation of only $25 will pay for surgery for someone in a third world country. What an incredible bargain.
posted by FencingGal at 11:35 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: One more thing. At my follow-up appointment the next day, my surgeon checked my sight and told me I can legally drive without glasses. What a feeling of freedom indeed!
posted by FencingGal at 11:39 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by FencingGal at 11:39 AM on July 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
The surgery is indeed easy, and the results are amazing.
I called it The St. Paul Effect.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:27 PM on July 20, 2018
I called it The St. Paul Effect.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:27 PM on July 20, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by FencingGal at 8:24 AM on July 16, 2018