Diary Post Surgery Mono-focal lens
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hi All,
As a few of you know I had started a diary with a title indicating it was being kept for the days "prior to surgery". But now that I'm post surgery, and thinking the other title might be misleading at this point, I'm creating a new one for anyone interested. To recap, my procedure involved only my left cataract affected eye with my unaffected right eye being still good for near reading (about 10-18 inches distance). The surgeon recommended the left eye be set for distance with the strategy in mind of a mono-vision result. So here it is T+1. I've been taking my drops as instructed. After surgery yesterday, my surgeon told me all went well. I did notice for several hours after the procedure the vision in my operated eye remained a bit blurred. I chalk that up to it still being dilated. This morning I awoke to more clarity in my operated eye and it seems to have continued to improve throughout the day so far. I have to say it's a strange experience to see out of my left eye now. I do notice the colours are more vivid, the whites whiter, the blues not as purplish, than in my right un-operated eye. Distance vision seems quite good. Intermediate not as good, and of course reading not good (as expected). Honestly, I was hoping for better intermediate vision. I don't know if my intermediate vision will improve in the operated eye over the next few days (can it? I don't know) , or if some mono-vision magic will happen as it works along with my right eye... but my expectations aren't too high right now. I was a bit nervous from the beginning that there might be a range in the intermediate where both eyes wouldn't cover. It seems this may have been realized.
With all that said, I can probably go most of my day without needing glasses under today's conditions. I think for computer work or long reading sessions I'd need some correction of some sort. So depending on whether things settle in differently in the next couple of days or weeks and how motivated I am to want to change things up from here, I may explore what can be done with my right eye to get better intermediate without sacrificing too much of the near. I would prefer to have reasonably good vision from, say 18 inches and beyond.
My surgeon called a few moments ago, too, just as I began this post to see how I was doing. He seemed to suggest that my eyes will get "less cloudy" over the next few days, but I did tell him that things seemed quite clear as of right now. I am to schedule a follow up appointment in the next week or two. I intend to discuss strategies to obtain the intermediate distance I'm seeking. It may be that I need a contact lens in my right eye...I don't know. All in all, whilst not THE perfect situation at the moment, things are much better than prior to surgery.
G
0 likes, 44 replies
indygeo
Posted
T+9 today. Since my last post which was I think T+6 where I had a pretty good day with regards to adjusting to mono-vision, I've since had another not so good day and then another good day (yesterday). There seems to be a bit of a battle going on inside my brain trying to make sense of things. Maybe it's my imagination but I feel sometimes my intermediate (computer) distance is getting a little better in my operated eye too. I recall I had to reach out quite far with my arms on my laptop in order to see the letters on the screen, but now my arms are slightly bent. It's still not perfectly in focus but maybe marginally better.
I'll be seeing my surgeon tomorrow for a follow up. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm anticipating he will measure my vision on a chart and I'm hoping he checks my eye pressure as well for I've read that cataract surgery can affect eye pressure. I'm also hoping he has some good news on what I can do to mitigate this mono-vision disparity so as to become either a bit more tolerable, or maybe he can reassure me somehow that it may just take more time for my brain to adapt.
Yesterday went quite well for me. I wasn't as "aware" of the disparity in my mono-vision as some other days. My vision felt more natural overall. Today, however, the battle has returned and I'm going back and forth between comfort and discomfort. I think it's also the drops too. Every time I take my 4 times a day drop things get blurry for awhile and everything's thrown off a bit. Looking forward to my follow up consultation tomorrow.
G
Night-Hawk indygeo
Posted
I also observed a little improvement for intermediate (computer monitor) vision with my monofocal toric IOL eye after a month or so, but still not quite enough for good use there.
My eye pressure went up a little for the days after the cataract surgery probably due to the steroid eyedrops, but after I could stop those drops at a few weeks the pressure came back to what it was before surgery. Eye doctors say often cataract surgery can reduce eye pressure a few points but I didn't get that.
indygeo
Posted
T+10. Today I had my follow-up appointment with my surgeon. I arrived a bit early but was soon called in to see the on-site optometrist for an eye test and brief evaluation. I was led to a room and presented with a chair and she displayed a Snellen or similar chart. We went through both eyes, one at a time, and then both eyes together. Near the end of the session she said I was 20/20 with both eyes working together, and 20/16 with my operated eye. That was quite good news. Thus, my near-sighted eye is not really providing any visual information for distance at all. My big concern, of course, is that my brain is still adjusting through neuro-adaptation to my left eye being distance and my right being nearsighted. She seemed to think that things will improve in that regard in a month or two and I found this rather reassuring. Nothing was mentioned about dominant vs non-dominant eye though. I was finally led back to the waiting room until I was called in by my surgeon. He was quite pleased with the result of the surgery as well. He, too, said I should see improvement in my mono-vision situation. He told me to continue on the regimen of my current eye drops as instructed initially. I was told they'd be checking the pressure in my eyes, but thinking about it now, I don't think they actually did that. There was no "puff" test. Although I have loads of questions going in to these sessions, I sometimes blank out a bit in the unfamiliar surroundings. In any case, I'll email them and see what, if anything, they did to check the pressure.
I'll probably be posting less frequently at this point until such time as something changes or is something I feel might be useful or interesting to forum readers. Oh, lastly, I thanked everyone I came into contact with at the office. I feel they do a great service in a noble profession.
G
Sue.An indygeo
Posted
At the 6 week mark if you are still not adapting well to current mono vision set up you could make an appointment with your optometrist for an exact prescription and maybe try some contact lenses for the unoperated eye.
Not unusual that one eye takes over. I experienced same thing in between my surgeries. Operated eye took over everything except reading. Unoperated eye took over for that.
Good luck to you as you resume life before cataracts catapulted you into the twilight zone so to speak .
Wish you all the best.
indygeo
Posted
T + 15. It's been a few days since my last post. I've taken an Easter break in a sunny climate and my operated left eye is doing well. I think my intermediate vision has improved (marginally) and sometimes I quite often forget my right eye isn't very good for distance indicating (I hope) that my brain is adjusting more and more to mono-vision. As I type this the letters are pretty clear and, when driving, I can see the dashboard very clearly. I'm quite happy about that.
I've experimented a few times with my old pair of glasses where I've popped out the left side lens whilst keeping the right lens in. I have to say it's a remarkable effect. Distance to reading is about as good as I can imagine it getting. Nighttime driving is improved using that arrangement too.
We'll see how the next weeks play out and whether this mono-vision adjustment improves. As things stand now, I can survive without glasses throughout the day, and use my glasses for occasions of long term reading or computer work.
One last mention... I have noticed occasional halo effects in a dark room at night if I look in certain angles at pinpoint type lights, for example on a router box at around 12 feet away. This is in no way bothersome to me at all, and at times I find it a bit "pretty" in a sense. I've not noticed this on car headlights at night.
G
Sue.An indygeo
Posted
Yes I think all IOLs produced that effect in a dark room. Ones natural lens is remarkable and really can’t be totally replaced but these artificial lenses are sure better than dealing with cataracts!
I find I don’t like watching the TV in a room devoid of all lighting. There needs to be another light on even if dim. Otherwise those halos (or what I see is slight glow around it) is present. With another light source on it all looks pretty normal or as normal as I can recall. 8 months leading up to cataract surgery was difficult. I could even read the onscreen TV guide!
Sounds as though your intermediate vision is doing well if you can read car dashboard. And I assume for reading your unoperated eye takes over.
If that eye doesn’t have a cataract you should maybe experiment with contact lenses.
All the best.
indygeo
Posted
T + 5 weeks. Just a quick update. I'm 5 weeks out from my surgery on my left eye and off all drops. It was a bit of a relief to finally say goodbye to that routine. I seem to have good days and not so good days and I don't know what to make of that. On one occasion recently I thought my lens had shifted somehow because things were rather blurry. But the next day my vision snapped into focus again and I wasn't as concerned. My vision seems to deteriorate a little due to eye fatigue or something. Hard to explain. But then there are some days where I still can't believe how sharp everything looks and I think back to when my cataract was so bad that I couldn't tell you how many fingers you were holding up if you held your hand 15 inches from my face. So all in all, I'm quite satisfied with my outcome. I'm still adjusting to mono-vision I think. My surgeon said it could take 3 months. I'm still "aware" of the difference between the two eyes most of the time although every now and then I think I forget about it and just carry on pretty normally.
I think to someone reading this for the first time or considering surgery they might think, "Woah, hang on.. this guy is having a bit of blurred vision 5 weeks out from surgery? I'm not doing it!" But I want those people to know, if there are any of them out there, that I've not had any true panic about the situation. I mean... my eye was so bad prior to surgery I almost didn't care what the outcome was--anything had to be better than what I was dealing with. So what I'm trying to say is I'd do the surgery again in a heartbeat because what I'm experiencing is truly amazing. It's taking some time to adjust, but it's happening gradually day by day.
I received a letter recently off the back of my approximate 2 week follow a while back (I finally got my mail after going on a trip) and the surgeon wrote that I have "superb vision". Now, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole on his part, but I can't argue that what I have now is far, far more preferable than what I had before. Recently, I've also arranged an appointment with an optometrist to see if I can get a contact lens for my right eye to even things out a bit more between the two eyes. It's more for those times where I might be on the computer for long periods of time and I'm just curious, too, how a contact lens in my right eye might help (or not) my vision overall. They said I'd have to wait until I'm over 6 weeks post surgery, so that's scheduled for 1st May. Looking forward to that. That's all for now.
Regards,
IG
Sue.An indygeo
Posted
What you may be experiencing is a little dry eye. Artificial tears help a lot with that. I use Systane but there are a number of brands on the market. I used them several times a day first few months. Now I rarely use them, although I do take a daily flaxseed oil supplement (some take omega 3 supplements).
Staring at a screen one tends to blink less so that could be a cause of fatigue or dry eye too.
Night-Hawk indygeo
Posted
I too have experienced that variable vision especially during the first 6 weeks or so after cataract surgery on my right eye with a monofocal toric IOL. Some days the eye was very blurry worse than 20/40 but after a night's sleep often the next day it was sharp somedays 20/20 or better. It got more stable after the first 6 weeks and the Rx eyedrops were finished, but even now after 5 months I experienced one day recently of blurry vision at 20/40 or so again. But the next day is was back to my usual 20/25 or so and has stayed that way for the past couple weeks.
I have been using lubricating eyedrops more often for dry eye that helps, also Occusoft eyelid cleaning pads I've tried possibly may be helping as well to keep my vision sharp and stable.
indygeo Sue.An
Posted
Hi Sue.An. You're absolutely right. I'd forgotten my surgeon mentioned this and I do have a supply of drops here! Interesting idea to take flaxseed oil supplement (or Omega 3). I'm going to keep an eye out for that next time I'm at my local health food store. Nice to see you again!
IG
indygeo Night-Hawk
Posted
Thanks Night-Hawk. Good to know I'm not the only one! I think even if one has some problem or issue it helps to at least know that other people are experiencing it too and that it's not all in one's head. And even better when those other people have a remedy for it. Thanks for posting!
IG