Cataract problems after surgery

Sue.An ..you seem to know alot. If a regular lens was set for intermediate vision and the distance vision was 20/25 after surgery is it normal for the distance to change to 20/60 a month later?

During first 6 weeks the IOL can shift back and forth till it settles and adheres.  Your natural lens is 4mm whereas that IOL is only 1mm.  That healing process can leave you slightly off target .25 either way.  Also the lenses come in .50 diopters so hitting a target not an exact science.  So if your distance vision has gotten worse your near vision must be better than the beginning?

Best way is to get an exact prescription- it will tell you much more than I can see 20/25.  It’s possible you have a bit of astigmatism (which cataract surgery can cause).   Also in those early months if you eye is dry you’ll find vision fluctuates.  Also with lighting.  In lower lighting - reading more difficult than bright lighting.

Have you finished the drop regiment?  I was on mine about 5 weeks and those too affect people’s vision - for some causing blurriness.

The drops were finished a long time ago. What I do not understand is that YAG was done because my vision was blurry and I was told that  my vision would be as clear as it was after surgery but it made it worse(20/70) At the follow up after the YAG the Dr. is now saying the lens settled back which is why my vision is not as good. So then why did he do YAG when it did nothing? He is trying to tell me the cloudiness is gone but yet my vision is blurry. I thought the point if the YAG was to clear up your vision. Feeling confused.

Does the blurriness clear with glasses?

Hi Shae280, you mentioned at Dr Hagan's site that your mom was 82yo and "was recovering from a stroke and it was difficult to go from doctor to doctor."  "Both (doctors) insisted that because of her dense cataracts, surgery would not be successful and very risky the traditional way."  This background details would help members here to give you relevant info.

The optometrist can prescribe glasses that will correct your mom's vision.  YAG does not correct astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness.

 

Yes confusing to say the least.   YAG usually performed due to PCO.  Won’t clear your vision if another reason.  Sounds as though doc was quick to do the YAG and missed the reason for your blurriness.  Would make me want another opinion.  Once YAG performed it is much more difficult to exchange the lens but certainly worth seeking out another expert’s opinion.  Could the YAG have shifted the lens?  

YAG was done because was told had PCO and that vision would be clear in a few hours after the prodeure. This was not the case. Vision as blurry as before. He never mentioned that the lens shifted until after the YAG. I tried to research a little online and could not find anywhere where it says YAG can cause the lens to shift. I was not told anything except it was an easy thing to fix and vision would be back to 20/25. Now he wants to fit me for glasses or suggests lasik to fix vision which Is crazy. 

See someone else for your sake and peace of mind.  If no way YAG can shift lens that means he misdiagnosed PCO as your blurry vision was reason he went with YAG.  Something not adding up.   You’ll want to ensure lens has shifted.  Maybe it has and maybe your blurry vision is due to something else.  

Was your vision poor before cataract surgery or could it be corrected with glasses?

Can you tell us your Rx both before and after cataract surgery?  There are some members here who are knowledgeable about stuff like that and can explain it well.

My vision was good, I only had to use reading glasses for fine print.After the surgery it was very difficult to read with my previous glasses.It is a little better with my new prescription glasses.

 

Hi

I don't know of hand,I should have ask for both RX readings when I had gotten my new glasses.Sorry I will try and get them and post the readings before and after here later.

It’s unfortunate a doctor suggested clear lens exchange (same procedure as cataract surgery without cataract impeding vision).  The difference between vision with a natural lens cannot compare to an IOL.  I couldn’t recall what good vision was.  For 18 months my vision couldn’t correct even with glasses.  So nothing to lose.  Really don’t think surgeons should encourage this so that people can read.  Too many variables involved to predict exact outcome.

That was because your pre-cataract RX was mild.  CarZim had RLE by Dr Por and his sister same op at Moorfields in London, both were high myopes. I recently met someone who is -20D, and cannot get an RLE because she is in her late 20s. She needs to go to Europe or Asia to have that procedure.  Now that it is legalized, try telling them weeds are bad. There are as many vendors here as there are Starbucks.

Hang in there. Hope your new Rx glasses help.

I agree it is an individual decision (CLE) however given how pricey this is and the number of dissatisfied patients there are (realize it’s not reversible once done) doctors should be obliged to disclose all the possible downsides to CLE and tell them outcome not guaranteed.  Even in Canada (USA is worse) I see a lot of advertisements for CLE to rid people of glasses.  Many lasik patients are interested (and obviously had money to off their glasses through that procedure) and ate particularly vulnerable to this type of advertisement.  It worked with lasik so now logical choice when faced with presbyopia is CLE.   Have a couple of friends very disappointed on their lasik results (I know most are happy) but due to their experience thought never crossed my mind to off my glasses for distance.  Guess considered mild at -3 and -2.25 (fluctuated over years) although I could not see distance without glasses (worn since 12 years of age).  

For the few where CLE is a viable option due to their prescriptions I concede.  But this is targeted to masses of people.  Me thinks doctors are greedy vs thinking for the patient.  But take my comments with grain of salt.  I am conservative by nature.

The only members on this site having done CLE are CaroZim and Nizza that I know of. Both are eloquent and obviously intelligent to make their own judgement call. I had very bad vision all my adult life and yet I did not go that route, neither Lasik nor CLE. But then variety is the spice of life; if all of us think alike, this place would be very dull. Take Vancouver for example, we have 4 tiny Lasik centres, but at Tokyo's  Shinagawa LASIK Centre they perform 16,000 procedures each month; their entire operation which includes 5 clinics performed close to 640,000 operations annually. As to greedy doctors, I heard of one charging the Queen of Brunei's sister £12million for breast cancer treatment.

Anyway, thanks for a very nice discourse, and have a blessed Thanksgiving.