Cataracts

[BrackaFish]

Well I have finally gotten old enough to need cataract surgery, so any hints or tips on how to deal with the postop phase would be great. My wife suggested banishing me to the Brac but is afraid that I will stumble off the bluff after forgetting to pay my life insurance policy. Thanks in advance and be safe

 

[Waterwulf]

It's no big deal really. I had both eyes done a few years back and after a few days, all was fine except much brighter and clearer. I was sun sensitive for about a week. Have fun.

 

[brsnow]

Had early on set and had it done at 50. I have 20/20 and no longer need any glasses at all. Truly life changing.

 

[missionmtb]

You should ask your surgeon specifically how long you should wait until you can go swimming (or diving if they know the difference) as they would know best based on typical outcomes for the surgical technique they use. Also make sure you tell your surgeon that you need to read gauges (and how far away) as well as see things in the distance, preferably unassisted. This will help them guide you to the right IOL for your lifestyle. You may have some sticker shock in their recommendation based on this information, but...

In addition, be aware you may have to have follow up laser treatment called a YAG posterior capsulotomy (no big deal) before you're completely done with eye surgery.

Good luck and congrats on your soon to be awesome new vision!

 

[Adrian Smith]

Well I have finally gotten old enough to need cataract surgery, so any hints or tips on how to deal with the postop phase would be great. My wife suggested banishing me to the Brac but is afraid that I will stumble off the bluff after forgetting to pay my life insurance policy. Thanks in advance and be safe

I had both eyes done in February and it was easy! The main thing as a diver is that I could not dive for 4 weeks so I just planned it when I wasn’t going to be diving for a bit.

 

[CaptainChris]

I had it done last year and have had no issues. I just got eye specialist clearance before resuming diving 3 weeks after the second eye was done ( they will only do one at a time). Fortunately the timing was perfect as it was off season for diving so I was in no rush anyway. It's really nothing to worry about going diving again afterwards providing the doc says all is well.

 

[BrackaFish]

I had both eyes done in February and it was easy! The main thing as a diver is that I could not dive for 4 weeks so I just planned it when I wasn’t going to be diving for a bit.

I had it done last year and have had no issues. I just got eye specialist clearance before resuming diving 3 weeks after the second eye was done ( they will only do one at a time). Fortunately the timing was perfect as it was off season for diving so I was in no rush anyway. It's really nothing to worry about going diving again afterwards providing the doc says all is well.

TY for the responses. Did you have any issues with new masks postop with reading gauges etc? Currently I wear a prescription mask

 

[CaptainChris]

I dont have a problem at the moment and don't use prescription yet!!

 

[uncfnp]

I had mine done this past April, one week apart. I didn’t find it as simple as most others. I was very nearsighted and going that one week between surgeries was challenging since I could no longer wear my glasses. And I had a lot of eye discomfort and vision issues that when I called the office they thought dry eye and recommended artificial tears. Turned out at a followup appointment my eye pressure was very high, sent me straight to the eye surgeon, started on 3 glaucoma drops and stopped the steroid drops. He would not let me leave the office until the pressure had dropped into the 20’s. After a month they stopped the glaucoma drops and fortunately the pressure has remained good. Apparently I am a “steroid responded.”

Yes, expect to have a large out of pocket expense. Seems there is a fair amount insurance/ Medicare will not cover and my surgeon wanted it all paid before the surgery. The nice lenses that you will want are extra. Mine are the Extended Depth of Focus that are intended to give good mid and long range vision while preserving adequate near vision. One was toric to correct for astigmatism. They cost me a thousand each. Plus the surgeon intentionally lessened the focal correction in the nondominant eye to also aid with near vision. I also had to pay for a sophisticated laser measurement that they did before they wheeled me in to the surgical room. Another 3 grand out of pocket. The required eye drops are not cheap either but hopefully your surgeon will work with you to find your best options.

My vision is now about 20/40, good enough to get by without glasses and I do not need reading glasses unless the print is small or I am doing fine work. I can see my Shearwater dive computer fine. I still have a touch of shadow or double vision and headlights at night are very dramatic. I am already developing the posterior capsular ossification that was mentioned and will need laser treatment for that in the future as well as treatment for several floaters that were present before surgery.

I will say that the clarity of colors after surgery was remarkable. I had noticed that I didn’t like to wear sunglasses and would ofter have to take them off to see something more clearly. After the first eye correction the difference between my two eyes was dramatic. It was like I was wearing brown sunglasses compared to the corrected eye.

For me it was no heavy lifting or physical activity beyond the basics for three days and taking care not to splash water into eyes in the shower. Swimming ok after 2 weeks and resuming all activities including diving after 4 weeks.