Blurred vision after cataracts surgery

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My husband had laser treatment in 2003 in both eyes because he hates wearing glasses. Last year he had to have cataracts removed from both eyes  and this has left him with blurred vision and the need to wear glasses all the time. He feels it has been a total failure and is very depressed about it. He is 75 years young and very active. He has been to the opticians and they said this was normal! Is this right? Any ideas? Many thanks

Diane

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  • Posted

    I get the "dry eye" junk every time I get into a discussion with the tech in my doctor's office who considers herself equal to a retinal specialist. I could get that information from any drug store or on the Internet. Most of what I know is from the Internet. Going to see my retinal specialist today to ask questions I should have asked when I was in his office, but I was shocked at his change of protocol. Was not prepared to suddenly be told that he was not going to give me a shot of Avastin every month. I had had one. Instead he is going to wait and see. ? In the meantime, my vision is getting worse.

    Cataract surgery did me no good at all. I still cannot read street signs until I'm right on top of them.

    • Posted

      Yes, I do. There is no telling how long I've had this. Unfortunately I have a doctor who thinks explaining macular degeneration is helpful. The first time I saw him, a young lady handed me a copy of the Amsler Grid. I saw a huge blank round space in the center, but one asked me what I saw or didn't see. Instead, the doctor rattled on about Drusen, etc. I'd heard about Drusen before. What I was interested in was why was have that grid missing? When I left, I told me daughter, "I think he said I have macular degeneration." She replied, "NO HE DID NOT!" I will see him this afternoon and ask him the questions I was too stunned to ask when he completely changed what the first doctor said about treatment. He decided not to give me a shot every month. He would "wait and see what happens." Not looking forward to hearing a speech on what "this" is. Trying to figure out questions to ask that only demand a yes or no answer.
    • Posted

      Good luck with that.

      A friend in America has macular degeneration and has done well with Avastin.

      One neighbour here gets it as well privately at great cost.

    • Posted

      Thanks for that information. I pray I don't have any of the many side effects. They are very scary. I know--all medications have side effects, but I'm that one in a thousand who gets one. I'm not convinced this maculara degeneration isn't a side effect of the tamoxifen I took for five years. I was diagnosed with mac during the third year, but nothing was said to me about the fact it could be a side effect of tamoxifen and as far as I know, nothing was said to my oncologist.

      Avastin was approved for metastatic breast cancer, then approval was withdrawn because it was too risky and wasn't working. It shocked me to learn that study was for metastatic cancer patients. I was asked to be part of that study, but declined.

      That is strange--at great cost. It's much cheaper here in America than Lucentis. In fact, my doctors are writing off the cost. Lucentis, I hear, costs $2,000/shot.

    • Posted

      This is all I remember reading about a connection between Tamoxifen and Age-related macular degeneration. I printed out an article that states breast cancer patients should have a base-line eye exam within the first year of treatment including an examination of the macula and testing of central and color vision.....most bc patients on tamoxifen should be followed every four to six months....any sign of symptomatic ocular conditions should prompt a discussion with the patient as well as her oncologist. I never got that. My retinal doc said my Age-related macular degeneration was NOT caused by tamoxifen. Really? How does he know this? I no longer see my oncologist. I "graduated" this past December after 7 years.

       

    • Posted

      I use a scleral lens to keep dry eye pain after surgery under control

      and the scar on my eye where the  Incession was made breaks up the tear surface on my eye. So I tried different things and drops and it made my eye worse. 

    • Posted

      Hi baglady,

       The Drusen he speaks of in your eye is actually waster matter left in the eye. Everyday the cones that are in the eye that make your eye actually see, they die everyday then tip over and are washed out of the eye. When they don't get washed out of the eye they just stay there and build up and they are called Drusen. When the Drusen gets thick enough then the doctors call it Macular Degeneration. It has been awhile since I studied this so please bear with me.  The macular has blood vessels that feed the retina, this is important because without food from the blood vessels the retina would die. The problem is the Drusen gets in between the retina and the macular. Your body must feed the retina so it makes those blood vessels start growing through the Drusen to go feed the retina. The problem is the vessels then don't want to stop growing and they want to grow through the retina thereby destroying your vision(this is called Wet Macular Degeneration). Dry MD is if things haven't gotten this far. My mother did an eye scan and she has Macular Degeneration, she did this about 1 1/2 yrs ago. We put her on the Eye Health & Brain & Nerve tinctures from Hearken Herbs website. It has cleared her condition and her last scan the doctor said she has so little MD now that she has nothing to worry about. But we have still kept her on these herbs just to make sure it doesn't come back.

      P.S. The laser surgery they do burns off the end of the blood vessels thereby stopping them from continually growing. The problem is it creates a black spot on your frontal vision and eventually there are so many of these black spots that you lose all your frontal vision. The vessels never grow to the sides of the eye so your side vision is never affected. My dad also had Wet Macular Degeneration and he was doing the laser surgery. He lost his frontal vision. It was after that I decided to do my own research because losing his vision was so hard for him because he loved to read. Reading with side vision became such a pain he just didn't do it at all.

    • Posted

      sounds like the same thing that's happened to me. I'm going to try to find the website and if I can order the same thing and see if it can help me. Thanks

       

  • Posted

    I had cataract surgery on right eye 8 weeks ago. No problem and can thread a needle again! Left eye done 7 days ago and still blurred. Cannot see distance clearly and unable to read titles on TV. I have never required glasses but do now! I hope this will improve but i am very disappointed and upset.

     

    • Posted

      I am wondering if your left eye has gotten better.  My mother had cataract surgery done 2 weeks ago and everything is still really blurry.  I hope you have gotten better.
    • Posted

      Did you vision clear any?  I had surgery about a month ago.  My vision was 20/30 in that eye before surgery.  Now it's 20/50.  I only wore readers occasionally before surgery, now I'm told that I need to wear glasses.  They say my eye looks great.  I still can't understand why my vision is worse after surgery.  Has your surgeon given you any insight?   I'm going for a second opinion in a couple of weeks.  I'm devastated and seriously anxious about the thought of having another surgery. Hopefully you are healing and all clear now.

       

    • Posted

      Hi Kim,

      Unfortunately my sight did not improve and i had surgery today to rectify the problem.It appears that the lens was too far forward which caused short sightedness in my long-sighted eye. Will not know until tomorrow if it has worked. If not, consultant says he will do a" piggy-back" or i will have laser. I do hope your eye improves. Will let you know if i can see again.

    • Posted

      Theresa,

      I'm so sorry to hear that it didn't get any better.  I sure hope the new surgery helps.  It sounds like we have had a very similiar experience.  I only wore readers occassionally before surgery, now distance is very blurry.  My surgeon insists that everything looks great, but something is wrong.  How was it determined that your lens was too far foward?  I'm so frustrated and just wished that I had not had the surgery.  I was only having issues with my night driving before, now its all the time!  I wish you a very speedy recovery and truly hope the new surgery restores your vision.

    • Posted

      Kim

       I had never worn distance glasses in fact ididnt need reading glasses before the cataracts.The first op. was great i had a near-sighted lens put in my left eye. Works perfectly and i can now thread a needle again! 

      Right eye which was perfect in sight- just the cataract -was left blurred and short-sighted after the op. I complained at the post-op appointment and was given another appointment to see the consultant who thought the problem was the lens being too far forward.I do not know why and have had no answer yet.He said he would not know till he operated so he was ready to either fix it or put in another lens. Yesterday he operated and secured it in the correct positionand although painful today, i think i can see better. Difficult to tell yet as my eye is bruised and sensitive to light .

      .Sounds to me as though your lens have not been aligned to work together.

      Perhaps you also have a lens in the wrong position or the incorrect lens. The hospital used a new machine which worked out the correct lens- it worked only my lens was too far forward.

      I would suggest not accepting the Doctors assurances as it is you who cannot see and, like you, it was very depressingand permeated all parts of my life. See if he thinks the lens is incorrect or incorrectly placed.

      Good luck!

      Let me know how you get on. 

    • Posted

      I started looking at the link to see if I could get satisfaction with my frustration over one eye although only one day since I had it operated on. 

      Few months ago had left eye done being told hope to restore normal sight for distance not reading and was absolutely thrilled with result. Colours much brighter and outlines so sharp on everything and both distance and reading better. Difference noticed immediately the following day. This was operated not by consultant that I am regularly seeing.

      Due to accident had to wait for right eye to be dealt with. This was operated on yesterday by my regular consultant who is treating me for my eye problems and although only one day I am feeling so disappointed as the colours aren't as bright and vivid and vision is blurred and double imaging with that eye which I was suffering before the op. Before op my right eye had best sight.

      im perhaps worrying far too early but I really do that think the right eye will attain the bright sharpe images as I had this immediately with the left eye and the blurred vision seems same as was before the op. I'm starting to wonder if I've had a different lense inserted in right eye and wished I could have seen the consultant that did my first eye.

      i do sympathise with everyone's problems having had my experience and wish everyone good luck with theirs, it is so frustrating and am already feels I won't get any joy from this.

      i just hope I get some improvement as time goes on and I'm complaining unnecessarily.

      g

      Good luck to all.

       

    • Posted

      I have never noticed any difference in colours nor brightness.

      I hope you get satisfaction.

      Making a big fuss, like i did, seems to be the only way of being taken seriously. I can now see ,thank goodness, and my sight is no longer blurred. I would have hoped that my distance sight would have been improved but in effect it is the same as before i had a cataract in the eye so i cannot really complain.

      My problem now is with light both natural and artificial but i know that will wear off within a month.

      I hope all of you who have had similar problems let the medics know and ask for a second opinion

      I hope your eye Len improves- if not MAKE A FUSS!

    • Posted

      Theresa,

      Thanks again for your reply.  I'm glad to hear that you aren't having blurred vision anymore.  Hofpefully the issue with light will get better soon.  I'm still having extreme light sensitivity as well as the blurred vision.  I'll let you know what I find out once I visit the new surgeon at the end of the month.  I'm really thinking that the lense is either the wrong size or was placed incorrectly.  Thanks!

    • Posted

      Hi again Kim

      Hope your sight has improved. Unfortunately my sight has deteriorated. Having had what i thought was a very successful op 12 days ago, today my vision is blurred and i cannot see clearly. Going to eye clinic tomorrow- but will it help- who knows

    • Posted

      I'm so sorry to hear that.  Let me know how your appointment goes.  I hope that you can get some answers.  I also have an appointment tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted as well.  

       

    • Posted

      Hi again

      Went to Emergency eye clinic this morning. It now appears i have both Macula oedema AND Posterior capsule opacification. When does it all end? They both cause lack of vision and blurring. The posterior opacification can be sorted with Laser treatment but not until 6 months after the op. The retina swelling -have been given drops the same as i am using already so dont know how effective they will be. I hope you are not undergoing a similar nightmare and your sight gets better soon. The irony of all of this is that i went in for the 1st op on my right eye with excellent sight and no problems except a cataract [which was not even bad] and now i cannot see clearly with the eye and require further treatment.

    • Posted

      hi can you tell me if your vision has improved? I’m 4 days post op and distance vision is very blurry. 

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