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At what point did your cataracts become intolerable?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Dapperdan7
Dapperdan7

so my best friend got a cataract removed in his fifties when he could no longer see much of anything. he was ecstatic at the results. my folks got theirs done in their seventies. i know people are advised to wait until the situation gets pretty bad and at that point, most folks see a massive improvement.

however, i am only 60 and my only real issue is the glares and starbursts that make driving at night less than enjoyable. of course, i also get glare in the day (and correct me if i am wrong but i think cataracts impede vision even in bright sunlight with no glare since all light is passing thru the lens)., as well as annoying floaters (a different issue), but im curious about what point others were at when they decided to take action. ie: what were the conditions that led to one saying "no more"?

i ask because i know doctors say to wait as long as possible since their are always inherent risks and complications as well as the inevitable compromises.

so good people, tell me a little about your experiences so i can weigh my options for waiting or proceeding and thank you

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31 Replies

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  • Bookwoman
    Bookwoman Dapperdan7

    Posted

    I was 61 when I had to stop driving at night because the glare, starbursts, etc. were too much for me. By the time I was 62 my vision had gotten to the point where, like Ron, I was seeing double for text on TV or my desktop computer. But what really did it for me was going to see a movie with subtitles, and barely being able to read them. As a movie buff, this was my last straw!

    My ophthalmologist of many years (who was also my surgeon) had told me "you'll know", and I did. I went to see him and two weeks later had my first eye done.

  • Lynda111
    Lynda111 Dapperdan7

    Edited

    Just don't wait too long to have surgery. I waited 4 yrs after I was diagnosed with cataracts. The longer you wait the more dense and firm cataracts become

    I had +4 cataracts. It can make surgery more difficult for your surgeon and increases the chances of complications during and after surgery. Do your research and due diligence but then get the surgery done.

    • Dapperdan7
      Dapperdan7 Lynda111

      Posted

      lynda, what does +4 cataracts mean? what were your symptoms when you finally said enough is enough? i just dont want to get them done before i need to.

    • Night-Hawk
      Night-Hawk Dapperdan7

      Edited

      I waited until my right eye due to cataract couldn't correct with eyeglasses to better than 20/40 distance vision. Actually very soon after that the vision degraded fast to about 20/100 best correction by the time I had gotten several eye doctor quotes and finally got an appointment for the cataract surgery. That all took a few months overall from when I decided to get the surgery.

    • Lynda111
      Lynda111 Dapperdan7

      Edited

      Google, "How to diagnose and grade cataracts Eye Guru."

      When you cataract surgeon examined you through a slit-lamp, he/she graded your cataracts. on a scale of 1 through 4. Ask for a copy of your records and see how they were graded. My near vision was ok, but distant vision was awful, even with my thick eyeglasses. After my cataracts were removed, the Operative Note said, "Very dense cataract."

    • Lynda111
      Lynda111

      Posted

      Also Google "Four stages of cataract development Infographic"

  • thomas84367
    thomas84367 Dapperdan7

    Posted

    I had no idea I had cataracts. My boss has one of those risers on her desk, so I had to come around and stand next to her to look at an Excel spreadsheet. I had to crane my neck to see it. That's when I thought "Okay, it's time to get an eye exam and a pair of glasses. I had below average distance vision since I was nineteen, but my intermediate and near vision were still good, so I didn't think anything of it. I scheduled an eye exam for the following week.

    I woke up on Monday morning the week of my appointment, and I immediately knew something was off with my eyes. They just felt heavy and tired. I felt like I had sleep in them, but no matter how much I rubbed them, washed them out, or put drops in them, the sensation wouldn't go away. As ridiculous as this sounds, I almost cancelled my eye appointment that was scheduled for Friday. I thought I might have allergies or something, and that it might not be the best time to get a prescription for glasses. Fortunately, I went anyway.

    When they had me cover my left eye and read the chart with my right, I couldn't read ANYTHING. "Now?" "No." "How about now?" "No." "NOW?!!" "No." Everything was a blur. The left eye was still fully functional, but nothing to write home about. I remember sitting there waiting for the optometrist and thinking I flunked the eye test.

    That's when I was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes. I went to work the next morning covered my left eye, and realized that if I had to rely on my right, I'd be on disability. I had my first surgery eight weeks later and my second two weeks after that. In one day, I went form thinking I was fine overall to hoping my left eye would hold up another eight weeks.

    I'm 56. I have no idea what caused it (no steroids or any other health problems to speak of), but it must have onset pretty quickly,

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