Eye Exam with Cateracts Question
Posted , 2 users are following.
If you can not read chart with a cloudy/blurry cateract how does Dr know what your current perscription is?
0 likes, 3 replies
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Notes on Eye Exam with Cateracts Question
softwaredev dennis39810
Posted
Even with a cataract it should be possible for the doctor to use lenses to allow you to read at least some of the lines on the chart. Cataracts do reduce your best corrected vision, they prevent you from seeing the smallest lines on the chart even with glasses, but there should be some lines you can see. If you are talking about yourself, anyone able to see enough to use a computer to post here will be able to see some lines on the chart using lenses.
For instance someone with their best lens correction might find the lowest line they can read is the 20/60 line. Most insurance or governemnt healthcare programs cover cataract surgery when the best corrected vision drops below 20/40 or so, and surgeons prefer to treat cataracts before the vision gets worse than 20/100 (since they like to be able to see well enough through the lens before surgery to check on the health of the eye behind it, and because the cataract gets harder as it gets worse and that makes the surgery more complicated, even if its still very safe). The big E on the standard eye chart is usually 20/200 so almost everyone in a developed country will hav had surgery before their vision gets worse than that. Its rare in developed countries for anyone to have vision worse than that from a cataract since they usually will have already had surgery. If it is that bad, then a prescription for correction won't do very much to help anyway, though there are likely larger charts they could use if needed.
dennis39810 softwaredev
Posted
softwaredev dennis39810
Posted
They might use a past prescription as a starting point, to then see if they improve on it, but it doesn't matter since the end result should be the same. Cataracts can alter your prescription, in most cases only slightly if at all, though uncommonly as in my case it can be by several diopters.