Cataract surgery options and confusion, not to mention price😫

Sorry you ate having to go through this but very wise of you to look into this prior to surgery. Surgery is same for everyone these days but what adds expense is type of lens you choose. Just because they cost more premium lenses (IOLs) aren't necessarily better than a good monofocal (single focus lens). Premium lenses will give you more range of focus and you would be less reliant on glasses or contact lenses following surgery. Often times you would not need glasses at all. IOLs do come in a toric version to correct astigmatism and these are considered premium lenses. Toric versions are available in monofocal standard lenses and premium. In my opinion if you have astigmatism I would opt for toric lenses no matter which lens you chose or you would need glasses for all 3 zones (near = reading / i intermediate = computer distance and Distance is anything further TV driving etc).

Good thing is this isn't life threatening so take your time in reading up on the lens options, and get a few consults from surgeons who have a good reputations in your area.

Something I did in figuring out which distance I would like to see best at and possibly wear glasses for rest was do a spreadsheet of where I spent most time. In the end i decided on premium lenses. But there is a trade-off to these. There is a bit more glare and halos at night. Some find those intolerable and too disturbing. If you drive at night for s living or are a pilot these premium lenses likely not for you. Some of the glare settles with time. I found night driving hard at first but now I have very little difficulty seeing well at night.

The other approach you will hear and learn about is micro or mini monovision. In this strategy a surgeon targets your eyes anywhere from .50 to 1.50 diopters apart so one eye sees further than the other with a good overlap zone and the other eye sees closer.

I am sure you will have many questions and there are plenty of people here that will reply. We are all patients like you who are at various stages of this journey (not doctors or professionals) so don't substitute our opinions for your own research and counsel of a surgeon.

I had my surgeries 2 years ago.

Best of luck to you for a good outcome.

I can begin to share information since i just returned home from cataract surgery i have astigmatism and was advised to get the toric lens. It added $2000 to my procedure for basic monofocal lens. I plan to use glasses for distance as ive done most of my life

Right now the operated eye is useless and blurry so im using my naked left eye for reading and writing this My near vision is excellent despite astigmatism . This makes me wonder if getting toric lenses simply will make the cost of my glasses cheaper. I plan to ask if its necessary for my next eye

To sum up

you can go with conventional lens thst isnt adjusted for astigmatism. This will clear your cataract and your eyeglasses can fix your astigmatism. The lens is adjusted for either near vision or distant. Your choice. You may still experience blurriness from astigmatism but that can be corrected with glasses

You can pay extra to remove the astigmatism from your eyes and use the toric lens set either to near or distance vision.

If you have presbyopia and use only reading glasses there is a toric lens that works with that at no extra cost called crystalens. You will still need reading glasses. Most of the expensive lens other than toric are to help you see without glasses.

That is your decision: how important is it to you to no longer need glasses?

i had my second eye done almost 4 weeks , the first 2 months. Take your time , research. i choose monovision. Distance is great, close is ok. i have to use readers. Had the standard iol placed. i knew i could not have it all. I never been glasses free in my life, so wearing readers is no problem.

Research, understand yourself, lifestyle, age, and activities you enjoy! Then make a chose. But after you have your cataract evaluation, you will have a better picture of the condition of your eyes.

It is a difficult choice, we all know the feeling.

Astigmatism can vary, if your surgeon say that your astigmatism can be corrected with the toric lens, I would highly recommend it, it will make you free of glasses, at least at some distances, for the first time in your life as I understand it.

I had 3.0 astigmatism both eyes, now with toric lenses I have 0.25, pretty amazing.

Personally I went for the premium lenses, there is a trade off with these, you need to get used to halos and concentric rings around some light sources in the dark.

For me it is well worth the side effects, I am free of glasses, and I love it!

Monofocals will always be the safest choice when it comes to side effects, if you don´t mind reading glasses and you feel unsafe about the thought of side effects, monofocals can be the best option for you.

Here in Denmark, the monofocals that are offered by insurance will not give you the best vision quality, but it can restore a fair vision.

In my personal opinion you should at least go for a quality aspherical lens, and why not go for the toric one to get rid of your astigmatism.

I am a big fan of the trifocals, but I know they are not for everyone, some would prefer monofocals with no visual side effects in the dark.

And just to clear one thing up, whether you have presbyopia or to which degree does not matter at all, when you choose lens.

The cataract surgery gives you 100% presbyopia at the second your natural lens is removed.

This is why monofocals will not give you full vision at all distances, and the premium lenses are made to compensate and restore usable vision at all distances.