Cataract question/piggyback lens

In the first sentence of my response, "...except prescription..." should have been "...exact prescription..." .

Also, just to be clear, I was suggesting getting a monofocal lens instead of a Symfony lens for the left eye.

I do not know exact prescription. It may be written somewhere in his notes. I just know I was at 20/40 in the eye that had CS.  I go see him again in a week. 

I have a monofocal lens in the eye that had surgery and I’m pretty sure that is the plan for my left eye as well. 

Thank you for your response. You seem to really know your stuff. 

So spherical and cylindrical numbers play a role in how the eyes work together?

IHi Diane - perhaps you surgeon will give you exact prescription.  Mine just had me read a chart and told me I was 20/20.  However to get my exact prescription I needed to make an appointment with my optometrist.  And yes those other measurements are important as they tell you if you have astigmatism.   

Sorry about my thinking incorrectly that you had a Symfony lens in the right eye. In any case, my suggestions above should still apply.

Yes. The spherical and the cylindrical correction numbers can make a difference in how the 2 eyes work together. Also, the fact that you have a cataract in the left eye can also make a difference.

In any case, my suggestions are:

1. Aim for about -0.25 D in the left eye (as your doctor has suggested)

2. Then, once you know what vision you actually end up with in the left eye and how the two eyes work together at that time, you can tweak the right eye, if required, by LASIK  (that will be my choice instead of the piggy back lens).

Wish you the best.

I am surprised that your surgeon did not just give you the exact prescription when he checked your eyes and that you had to see an optometrist to get that.

At least in my case (and in my wife's case), the surgeons are the ones, who gave us the exact eye prescriptions one month or so after the cataract surgery. (actually I also got a prescription about 10 days after the surgery for temporary glasses).

This may be another difference between the usual practice in Canada and USA.

Yes likely the difference.  I had a 24 hour post op check.  The hospital staff have you read the chart off the wall and surgeon has a quick examination (same people come in for that as say priorvyo surgery.  If I had to guess he does 25 or 30 surgeries all in one day.   All that is done through our hospitals.

I really did want a baseline of where my eye prescription was do made an appointment at optometrist.  Our surgeons aren’t paid same way in USA.  There are pros and cons to that.

I waited in emergency last week 9 hours.  Thought I had broken a bone - slipped on some ice.   Our system is free but you wait.

I am also in Canada (Vancouver).  My eye surgeon wrote me the exact eye prescription one month after my 2nd cataract surgery, after he checked my eye three times in his clinic as my eye healed a bit slow.

Sue, Right after the cataract surgery at the hospital, I went straight to my eye surgeon's clinic where his ophthalmic technologist checked my eye(s). Two days later, I went back to his clinic to see him, and because he was not happy with my eye not healing as well I had to see him two more times in the following weeks.

I think Vancouver May have many more options than where I am in Atlantic Canada.  Due to amount of cataract surgeries in a day (group I was in consisted of 10).  We all had the same appointment time 24 hours at the hospital for checkup.  I did have a 6 week follow up at the opthamologist ‘s office just to see how my eyes settled and healed.  Still had to make separate appointment with optometrist for exact prescription.  Glad to say I am glasses free and had a good result.

Hi Janice, how was the piggyback lens procedure? Can you see better after having it done? I wasn’t t sure if when you said “right eye is not great either “ if you meant to say left eye. 

I do believe it’s a lot harder to predict IOL power in Lasik patients.  

I learned something new here every day. Thanks.

I did not know before that it is a lot harder to predict IOL power in Lasik patients. My eye doctor is also a Lasik surgeon, and in fact I read a good review from his cataract patient who was also his previous Lasik patient.  Could be because his clinic is equipped with latest advanced hi-tech machines for measurement and calculation.

Jantje, how is the vision in the eye with the piggyback lens?

diane, I do not have a piggyback lens implanted in my eye. My left eye is low vision, and the eye surgeon decided on monofocal lenses for both my eyes.  The result is great and I am very happy.